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[1/4] Diet Coke is seen on display at a store in New York City, U.S., June 28, 2023. Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, the sources said. Pepsico removed aspartame from sodas in 2015, bringing it back a year later, only to remove it again in 2020. Listing aspartame as a possible carcinogen is intended to motivate more research, said the sources close to the IARC, which will help agencies, consumers and manufacturers draw firmer conclusions. But it will also likely ignite debate once again over the IARC's role, as well as the safety of sweeteners more generally.

Persons: Coke, Shannon Stapleton, Health Organization's, JECFA, Nozomi Tomita, Zsuzsanna, Germany’s Bayer, Frances Hunt, Wood, Mars Wrigley, Kate Loatman, –, Jennifer Rigby, Richa Naidu, Michele Gershberg, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, International Agency for Research, Cancer, Health, Joint WHO, Food, Agriculture Organization's, WHO, Reuters, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, Welfare, Food Safety Authority, U.S, International, Association, Cargill, International Council of Beverages Associations, Ramazzini Institute, EFSA, Pepsico, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States, Europe, Geneva, France, Italy, sodas

☆ Exclusive: Mondelez 'singled out' in boycott over Russia business, exec says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"If you look in most kitchen cupboards, you will see many products from food and beverage companies that have not exited Russia." Mondelez rivals in chocolate including Nestle (NESN.S) still operate in Russia as do many other consumer products companies. Reuters GraphicsShipments of all Mondelez products to Russia jumped to 45 million kilograms from 28.7 million kilograms in the same time periods, according to the data. Mondelez also said Thursday it was continuing to reduce its activities in Russia and expects further volume and sales declines. Jan Kæraa Rasmussen, head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability at Mondelez investor PensionDanmark, said the Danish pension fund considers the "downscaling of their business in Russia a progression.

Persons: Vinzenz Gruber, Gruber, Mondelez, Mondelez's, Nestle, Nestle didn't, Jan Kæraa Rasmussen, PensionDanmark, Rasmussen, Jessica DiNapoli, Maurice Tamman, Terje Solsvik, Anna Driver Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Mondelez, SAS, Ukraine's National Agency for, Facebook, Russian Embassy, Nestle, confectionary, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Europe, Russia, Nordics, Sweden, Norway, Nordic, Ukraine, Russian, Washington ,, Danish, New York

☆ How torture, inaction underpin UAE's thriving sex trafficking industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

“The suffering was too much.”In a statement to the court after she was charged, Gold denied that she and her brother were sex traffickers. Emirati authorities do little to protect these women, according to anti-trafficking activists, Nigerian authorities and interviews with trafficked women. Human traffickers keep African women in sexual slavery by playing on their financial desperation and creating webs of manipulation and coercion, the reporting shows. This article is part of a reporting collaboration led by ICIJ, Trafficking Inc., which is examining sex trafficking and labor trafficking in many parts of the globe. The UAE made sex trafficking a crime in 2006 and has established an interagency anti-trafficking panel and opened shelters for survivors.

Persons: Christy Gold’s, Gold, Christiana Jacob Uadiale –, they’d, “, ”, ICIJ, Fatima Waziri, NAPTIP, Angus Thomas Organizations: United Arab, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Reuters, UAE, Gold, Emirates, NBC, Investigative Journalism, Dubai, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria’s National Agency for, U.S . State Department Locations: Nigerian, Nigeria, Dubai, British, United Arab Emirates, Gulf, UAE, “, ”, Ghana, Gold, Europe, South Asia, Africa, Abu Dhabi

☆ Oreo-maker Mondelez faces Nordic backlash over Russia business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OSLO, June 12 (Reuters) - Mondelez International (MDLZ.O), facing a widening corporate boycott in the Nordic region over its continued presence in Russia, said late on Sunday it had asked to meet with the Norwegian government to protect its local business. Airlines SAS and Norwegian Air, railway group SJ, hotel chain Strawberry, retailer Elkjop, shipping group Fjord Line and the Norwegian Football Association were among those announcing in recent days that they would stop selling Mondelez products. Although some Western companies sold their Russian assets after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, others such as Mondelez have stayed despite pushback from employees in other countries. Nordic companies said their decision stop selling Mondelez products was based on an announcement this year by Ukraine's National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption to blacklist the snack maker and other groups. Mondelez said it maintained "limited" activity in Russia while halting investment and advertising, and had condemned the war.

Persons: Mondelez, Terje Solsvik, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Mondelez, Airlines SAS, Norwegian Air, SJ, Norwegian Football Association, Ukraine's National Agency for, Coop Norge, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Nordic, Russia, Norwegian, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, U.S

☆ Indomie: Nigeria probes popular noodles after recalls by Malaysia, Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s food and drug regulator says it is investigating the popular Indomie brand of instant noodles following recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan where health authorities say they detected a potentially cancer-causing substance. “The public is … informed that the implicated Indomie instant noodle is not registered for sale in Nigeria. Indomie: The instant noodle giant in Nigeria 01:18 - Source: CNNIndonesian food giant Indofoods has defended the safety of its products. Indonesian food giant Indofoods says Indomie noodles is available in more than 100 countries across the world in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Indomie first launched instant noodles in 1972 with a chicken flavor but is now produced in many varieties.

“We would like to emphasize that … our Indomie instant noodles are safe for consumption,” Taufik Wiraatmadja, a member of the board of directors at Indofoods, said in a statement issued Friday. Health officials in Malaysia and Taiwan said this week they had detected a compound called ethylene oxide in Indomie’s “special chicken” flavor noodles. Ethylene oxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is used to sterilize medical devices and spices. Indomie first launched instant noodles in 1972 with a chicken flavor. Unlike most types of instant ramen, Indomie noodles are typically eaten dry, without needing to prepare soup.

When we've been awake for a long time, our sleep drive kicks in and tells us we need to sleep. During REM sleep, the cortex – responsible for cognition and emotion-processing – is activated in some regions and deactivated in others. After cycling through non-REM and REM sleep around 4 to 5 times, the basal forebrain and other structures receive signals to start exiting sleep. WHEN SLEEP GOES WRONGIn the U.S. alone, 50 to 70 million people experience some type of chronic sleep disorder, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). In the United States, a list of board-certified sleep medicine physicians and accredited sleep disorders centers is available from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

☆ Why fighting the urge to sleep may be bad for our health
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +17 min

What happens when we sleep Sleep itself has cycles, in which the brain and body move through phases, marked by varying brain activity. Moving into REM sleep A region in the upper brainstem kickstarts the move into REM sleep. Waking up After cycling through non-REM and REM sleep around 4 to 5 times, the basal forebrain and other structures receive signals to start exiting sleep. Then we transition back to lighter sleep, into REM sleep and back down again, and so on until we wake up. Tips for better sleep Good sleep habits can contribute to better sleep, studies have found.

☆ Ukrainian journalists fight another kind of war - against graft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

According to Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine ranked slightly better than Russia but still well below the global average. Their focus also shows civil society is embracing its role as a government watchdog even as the war grinds on. Many journalists are also turning their attention to uncovering Russian war crimes and assets in Ukraine. PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPSuch reports play a key role in Ukraine's fledgling anti-corruption system, created after the 2014 Maidan revolution toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information, an NGO in Kyiv, said Ukrainian journalists' role as anti-corruption activists will become increasingly important as Kyiv maps out a more transparent future.

☆ France seeks strategy as nuclear waste site risks saturation point
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Benjamin Mallet | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Used nuclear fuel is seen in a storage pool at the Orano nuclear waste reprocessing plant in La Hague, near Cherbourg, France, January 17, 2023. "We can't have a responsible nuclear policy without taking into account the handling of used fuel and waste. La Hague is the country's sole site able to process and partially recycle used nuclear fuel. Meanwhile, France's national agency for managing nuclear waste last month requested approval for a project to store permanently high-level radioactive waste. The facility at La Hague, with its 1980s-era buildings and Star Wars-style control rooms, has its limitations.

☆ French nuclear waste agency applies for new storage site
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - France's national agency for managing nuclear waste has applied to the ministry of ecological transition for the creation of a project for the long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste, the agency said on Tuesday. Construction could begin as soon as 2027 if the French nuclear safety authority approves the application. Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands are also examining the construction of long-term high-level radioactive waste storage sites. Andra, the nuclear waste treatment agency, said this latest application for the storage site did not include the six new EPR nuclear reactors currently under consideration for construction by French power giant EDF (EDF.PA), citing the lack of a final decision to embark on the new build. Pierre-Marie Abadie, director general for Andra, said that the agency has in the past published a report saying waste from six new nuclear reactors could be encompassed in the future storage project "without difficulty."

☆ Romanian police seize Andrew Tate's luxury cars and assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Romanian authorities descended on a compound near Bucharest on Saturday to tow away a fleet of luxury cars and other assets worth an estimated $3.9 million in the case investigating Andrew Tate, the divisive social media personality who is detained in the country on charges of human trafficking. Romania’s National Agency for the Administration of Unavailable Assets said in a statement that it removed a total of 15 luxury cars, 14 designer watches and cash in several currencies. About a half-dozen masked law enforcement officers and other officials descended on the compound Saturday to take away the goods. A man waits to load onto a flatbed truck a luxury vehicle which was seized in a case against Andrew Tate, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania on Saturday. A day later, Tate lost another appeal that challenged assets seized by prosecutors in the case so far.

☆ Romanian authorities seize $4 million of assets in Andrew Tate case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are escorted by police officers outside the headquarters of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania, January 10, 2023. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERSBUCHAREST, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Romanian authorities said they have seized goods and money worth 18 million lei ($3.95 million) as a part of a criminal inquiry into alleged human trafficking that led to the arrest of divisive internet personality Andrew Tate. Andrew Tate, his brother and two Romanian female suspects were detained on Dec. 29 on charges of forming a criminal gang to exploit six women sexually. Andrew Tate, a former contestant on the UK reality show Big Brother, gained notoriety for misogynistic remarks and hate speech. Tate, who holds U.S. and British nationality, has said women are partially responsible for being raped and that they belong to men.

☆ Landslide buries bus in Colombia, killing at least 34
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - At least 34 people died when a landslide buried a bus in northwestern Colombia on Sunday, the government disaster agency said on Monday. [1/3] Police help the rescue operations of a bus that was buried after a landslide due to heavy rains in Pueblo Rico, Colombia December 4, 2022. Colombia National Police/Handout via REUTERS 1 2 3Landslides are common in Colombia due to the mountainous terrain, frequent heavy rains and informal construction of houses. Events linked to heavy rains have killed more than 216 people and left 538,000 homeless so far in 2022, according to government statistics. The country's most recent large landslide killed over 320 people in the city of Mocoa in 2017.

CNN —An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hit Indonesia’s West Java province on Saturday, the country’s geophysics agency BMKG said. According to the BMKG, the epicenter of the earthquake was on land and there is no potential for a tsunami. “In response to the earthquake that happened earlier, once again, remain calm, alert but there is no need to stop your daily activities,” Suharyanto said. It comes after a deadly magnitude-5.6 earthquake shook West Java on November 21, with a final death toll of 334. Suharyanto said 56,320 houses were damaged in that quake, more than a third of them badly.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence titanium dioxide in face masks is dangerous to wearers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Some face masks contain minute quantities of titanium dioxide, a mineral that has been flagged as a possible cancer risk when inhaled, but there is no evidence that mask users inhale it at all, or in harmful quantities. Experts told Reuters that some masks approved in the U.S. may contain small amounts of titanium dioxide. However, the study tested masks distributed in Europe and did not test whether mask users inhaled any particles. Although some face masks approved by the FDA can contain titanium dioxide, the study cited in online claims does not provide evidence that titanium dioxide is released from face masks or that face mask users can inhale titanium dioxide released from masks. Titanium dioxide has only been classified as a carcinogen by the European Chemicals agency under specific conditions.

More than 22,000 homes were destroyed and over 58,000 people have been displaced, BNPB Major General Suharyanto said on Tuesday. “The majority of those who died were children,” West Java’s governor, Ridwan Kamil, told reporters Monday, adding the death toll was likely to increase further. “So many incidents occurred at several Islamic schools.”Villagers salvage items from damaged houses following a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur on November 22, 2022. “We hug each other, strengthen each other, and continue to pray.”Municipality officers in Cianjur evacuate an injured colleague following the earthquake. Workers inspect a school damaged in the earthquake in Cianjur, West Java.

But this focus obscures what is happening on the ground, every day: Local and national public health workers and epidemiologists, or “disease detectives,” around the world are stopping outbreaks in their tracks and preventing epidemics. The case studies show what is possible when local, state and national communities mobilize a whole-of-society effort to prevent epidemics. When local efforts are supported by national and local government, we can stop and prevent epidemics. Another lesson is the substantial return on investment we can realize by prioritizing and funding preparedness efforts. Finally, there is a crucial role that coordination among local, state and federal agencies plays in epidemic prevention.

☆ A potentially cancer-causing chemical is sprayed on much of America’s produce. How high is exposure near you?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Danica Jefferies | Danica Jefferies Is An Intern With The Data Graphics Team For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The chemical giant Monsanto introduced glyphosate in its product Roundup in 1974. “It’s sprayed ubiquitously and Monsanto has, for decades, just maintained that it’s the safest agricultural chemical ever made.”The EPA’s safety limits for glyphosate exposure from food are twice the levels allowed in the European Union. Additionally, two reports by organic advocacy groups found glyphosate in food products including cereals, cookies, crackers and sandwich bread. The EPA concluded in 2020 that glyphosate posed “no risks to human health” and was not likely to cause cancer. But a federal appeals court rejected that determination in June, stating that the EPA did not adequately assess the risks to endangered species and human health.

☆ Experts about scheme to purchase electricity involving Igor Dodon
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-10 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +3 min

Experts about scheme to purchase electricity involving Igor DodonA number of energy experts say the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in 2008 were defrauded of US$14.5 million as a result of a scheme to purchase electrical energy. The scheme involved incumbent Presided Igor Dodon, who then served as Minister of Economy, and Parliament Speaker Zinaida Grechanyi, who was then Premier. As a result of the negotiations held in Kiev by Igor Dodon, then Minister of Economy, an intermediary appeared in the power importation scheme in May 2008 - Energopartner. Igor Dodon was named head of the group of negotiators by an order signed by Zinaida Grechanyi, who then held the post of Prime Minister. According to Tudor Șoitu, Igor Dodon in a program admitted that he personally negotiated the contract and the conditions were very good.

Persons: Igor Dodon, Zinaida Grechanyi, Tudor Șoitu, Alexandru Gusev, Energocom, Energopartner, Mister Dodon, ”, Sergiu Tofilat, didn’t, Lilian Bacalâm, Victor Parlicov, Alexandr Stoianoglo Organizations: National Agency for Energy, Ukrinterenergo, Ministry, Energy, General’s Locations: Republic of Moldova, Moldova, Kiev, Ukraine

☆ 50 of the world’s best breads
▼ + stars: | 2019-10-15 | by ( Jen Rose Smith | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +33 min

In alphabetical order by location, here are 50 of the world’s most wonderful breads. Roti gambang, IndonesiaShutterstockPalm sugar and cinnamon lend a light, aromatic sweetness to roti gambang, a tender wheat bread that’s an old-fashioned favorite at Jakarta bakeries. This is where locals bring rounds of tender wheat dough ready to bake into khobz kesra, one of the country’s homiest breads. Gyeran-ppang, South KoreaShutterstockThere’s buried treasure within every loaf of gyeran-ppang, individually sized wheat breads with a whole egg baked inside. To make malawach, bakers roll wheat dough into a delicate sheet and fold it over a slick of melted butter.

Persons: William Rubel, ”, Afghanistan Johannes Eisele, lavash, it’s, de, whirl, Egypt Jen Rose Smith, El Salvador Lane Turner, you’ll, Joya de Cerén, injera, France Enrico Spanu, You’re, munch, Jim Chevallier, Emmanuel Macron, Pai bao, confections, snacking, Dökkt, rúgbrauð, India Stuart Freedman, Roti, Iran Behrouz Mehri, sangak –, crumb, Italy Bruce Bisping, Arnaldo Cavallari, Kare, ” Karepanman, Jordan Shutterstock, canai, sourdough, “, Mexico Lisa Cherkasky, Morocco Bartosz, Luke E, Rēwena parāoa, haven’t, Broa, South Korea Shutterstock, kisra, Balep, Lama, United States Dixie, Lily, White Lily, –, Uzbekistan Shutterstock Flatbreads, they’re, Areperos Organizations: CNN, Getty, UNESCO Intangible Heritage, Montreal bagels, Fairmount, Boston Globe, pats, UNESCO, le, swabbing, National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation, Jerusalem, Star Tribune, The Washington Post, Amsterdam’s, Vikings, Sri, Brewers, Turkey VW, Biscuits, United, Washington Post, Uzbekistan Shutterstock Locations: Germany’s Westphalia, Afghanistan, AFP, Lavash, Armenia, Australia, Luchi, Bangladesh, Dhaka, de queijo, Brazil, Montreal, Canada, Marraqueta, Chile, Chilean, el brazo, ” Shaobing, China, Sichuan, Cubano, Cuba, Cuban, Havana, Miami, Florida, Libba, Egypt, El Salvador, San Salvador, Joya, Injera, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, injera, Baguette, France, Paris, Khachapuri, Georgia, Pumpernickel, Germany, Soest that’s, Hong Kong, Dökkt rúgbrauð, Iceland, Laugarvatn, Paratha, India, Roti gambang, Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesian, Gouda, Edam, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Tel Aviv, you’ll, United States, Ciabatta, Italy, Jamaica, South America, Caribbean, Japan, panko, Amman, canai, Malaysia, Malta, Maltese, Mexico, kesra, Morocco, Moroccan medina, ferran, Navajo, Arizona, New Mexican, powwows, Netherlands, San Francisco, New Zealand, Lefse, Norway, Europe, Norwegian, Podplomyk, Poland, milho, Portugal, Americas, Karavai, Russia, Sardinia, of Piedmont, there’s, Proja, Serbia, Serbian, South Korea, Seoul, Sri Lanka, Colombo, Kisra, Sudan, South Sudan, Sweden, Sweden’s, Balep korkun, Tibet, Simit, Turkey, Istanbul, United Kingdom, British, Uzbekistan, Arepa, Venezuela, Venezuelan, Malawach, Yemen

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