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☆ How Trump could exploit a looming global struggle for rare-earth minerals
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The power grab over rare-earth minerals in Central Asia could be among the issues he will seek to exploit. AdvertisementA power struggle over rare-earth mineralsAt stake for the US in Central Asia is not just political power but access to the region's reserves of rare-earth minerals such as uranium, lithium, and tantalum. Rare-earth minerals are needed to make all sorts of products, from F-35 stealth fighters and smartphones to internet fiber-optic cables and MRI machines. It produces around 60% of the world's rare-earth minerals and processes nearly 90%, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There are rare-earth minerals worth exploring/exploiting, and if the US/EU could strike a major deal with [Kazakhstan's capital] Astana, this would certainly contribute to breaking China's monopoly," said Wolff.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Putin, he'd, Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, ALEXANDER RYUMIN, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Herbst, Stefan Wolff, Wolff, Herbst, Trump Organizations: Service, Putin, The Republican, Biden, Getty Images, Center for Strategic, International Studies, University of Birmingham, BI, Trump, EU, Astana, Central Asia Summit, Getty Images Central, Central, China Locations: Russia, China, Central Asia, Mongolia, Saudi, Getty Images China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Xian, Shaanxi, FLORENCE, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Washington, Moscow, Beijing

☆ Trump said he will divide Russia from China. It's a tough bromance to break.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

President-elect Donald Trump claims he can split the alliance between Russia and China. "The one thing you never want to happen is you never want Russia and China uniting," Trump said. These are potentially all things that Trump could use to drive a wedge between Russia and China." The Trump effectAnother factor likely to draw Russia and China closer together is Trump himself. In East Asia, Trump has accused allies of freeloading off the US, a source of tension Beijing will likely seek to exploit.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Tucker Carlson, Trump, Biden, Vladimir Putin of, Xi, China's, Putin, Stefan Wolff, Carlson, Wolff, Paul Cormarie, Jonathan Ward, Vladimir Putin, they'd, Robert Dover, Zhiqun Zhu, Cormarie Organizations: Service, Trump, University of Birmingham, Pentagon, Trade, Anadolu, Getty, Central, RAND Corporation, BI, Hudson Institute, Kremlin Press, Anadolu Agency, International Security, Hull University, NATO, Bucknell University Locations: Russia, China, Ukraine, Glendale , Arizona, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Taiwan, Russian, Bering, European, East Asia

☆ Russia's defense sector is running on overdrive — but firms are warning of bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-02 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Defense firms are busy — but high inflation and interest rates past 20% have left them struggling. AdvertisementIn Russia's defense sector, demand is surging — but its companies are struggling all the same. Rising interest rates and export bans were eroding Russian defense companies' profits across the board, they said, making the Russian state the only guarantor of revenues. Sheremeta described the situation as a "death spiral," where war spending begets more inflation, which requires more war spending. "If some defense companies cannot fulfill their obligations, the Kremlin can simply nationalize them," Sheremeta said.

Persons: —, Sergei Chemezov, Roman Sheremeta, Sheremeta, Daniel Treisman, Korhonen, Julian Cooper, Konstantin Sonin, Sonin Organizations: Service, Rostec, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Bloomberg, University of California, National Bureau of Economic Research, Central Bank, Bank of Finland Institute, Emerging, Centre for Russian, East European Studies, University of Birmingham, University of Chicago Harris School of Public, Project Syndicate Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Los Angeles

☆ 5 reasons BYD is surging ahead after eclipsing Tesla's quarterly sales for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Chinese EV giant said in its third-quarter earnings on Wednesday it had surpassed Tesla's revenues from EV sales for the first time. Executives have said they want half of BYD's sales to come from abroad in the future. Unlike its rival, Tesla, BYD also offers a selection of hybrid vehicles, which are popular in China. Some 311,000 of the 500,000 passenger vehicles BYD sold in October were hybrids, with hybrid sales rising by 62% year-on-year. JADE GAO/AFP via Getty ImagesBYD has sold nearly two million hybrid vehicles this year.

Persons: BYD, Elon Musk, —, Tesla, Elon, GAO, Dylan Khoo, Stella Li, MotorTrend, Axel Schmidt, David Bailey Organizations: EV, Service, BYD, Getty, Mercedes, BMW, China, ABI Research, University of Birmingham Locations: China, Costfoto, Mexico, Brazil, Americas

☆ Remote work could become a secret weapon in the battle for top talent
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Nora Redmond | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe list of companies abandoning remote work is growing. But for some experts, remote work won't die either. "There's a big race for talent out there," she told Business Insider, adding that "attracting talent into a business is hard these days." For others, flexible work has become a game changer and one they can't see themselves looking back on. In contrast, other companies will continue to embrace the advantages of flexible work.

Persons: —, Andy Jassy, PwC, Goldman Sachs, Kate Palmer, Palmer, Daniel Wheatley, Wheatley, Jassy Organizations: Service, Amazon, Big, Business, Citigroup, HSBC, Barclays, JPMorgan, Peninsula, University of Birmingham

☆ Mosaic buried for thousands of years uncovered by archaeologists
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A beautiful, remarkably well-preserved mosaic that was “hidden for thousands of years” has been uncovered by archaeologists in northwestern England. Scutt added that archaeologists can’t be completely sure of its function because they have only had a “glimpse” of it. The mosaic likely dates to the 2nd century. Courtesy English HeritageDiscovering such a mosaic, particularly one that dates back to the early 2nd century, was an unexpected boon for the archaeologists. The monumental building measures 8m wide and is 50m long.

Persons: ”, Scutt, can’t, “ It’s, Roger White, “, White, ” Scutt, Paul Belford, haven’t, ., you’ve, Wroxeter Organizations: CNN, Vianova, English, University of Birmingham, Heritage, Heritage Trust Today Locations: England, Roman City, Roman Britain, Birmingham, Wroxeter, Albion, Historic England, Roman

☆ Scientists found a groundbreaking new reason to plant more trees
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trees are sucking up just as much, if not more, methane than soil does — the only other known natural sink on Earth. "We've been undervaluing trees for their climate benefits," Vincent Gauci, a professor at the University of Birmingham and the lead author of the study, told Business Insider. Both natural and human-made methane emissions from wetlands, cows, landfills, and burning fossil fuels are on the rise. In a 2017 study, they found that trees in Amazon floodplains emitted more methane than they absorbed. Satellites detect lower methane emissions than what scientists have found on the ground, implying that such "bottom-up" studies either overestimated methane emissions or missed a sink.

Persons: We've, Vincent Gauci, Gauci Organizations: Service, University of Birmingham, Business, University of Oxford Locations: Brazil, Peru, Panama, Sweden

☆ Opinion: This Easter, reflect on how your Bible came into being
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Opinion Candida Moss | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The version of Easter you’re likely familiar with probably starts with how the Bible tells the story. As I show in my book, “God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Marking of the Bible,” ancient dictation was bare bones and idiosyncratic. Someone might respond that while enslaved and formerly enslaved secretaries and copyists were present, they were still not authors. What we know is that Paul and Tertius wrote the Letter to the Romans together and that collaboration moves us into the realm of speculation. Saying that Paul “wrote Romans” when Romans itself claims that it was written by Tertius isn’t just speculative, it’s wrong.

Persons: Candida Moss, Edward Cadbury, John, Pontius Pilate, Jesus, Candida Moss Brian McConkey, Pilate, ” Pilate, It’s, Paul, Tertius, “, Mark, Peter’s “, Peter, ’, Roman enslavers, Varro, Martial, Roman, papyrologists Roger Bagnall, Raffaella, Douglas Sacha, ”, copyists, ” John Calvin, William Barclay, Tertius “, Barclay, Paul “, Tertius isn’t, Lord Jesus Christ, — Organizations: University of Birmingham, Notre Dame, CNN, Jewish, “ Institutes Locations: Judea

☆ A longtime Russia ally suspended participation in Putin's NATO rival after calling it ineffective
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Armenia, formally a key ally of Russia, has suspended its participation in a Russia-led international alliance, according to its prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan. The Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, is considered Russia's equivalent to NATO, and Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped it could rival the Western military alliance. But splinters have emerged in the group since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Armenia has repeatedly challenged its usefulness. Pashinyan has frequently expressed frustration with Russia and the CSTO in recent years, accusing the alliance of being ineffective and describing Armenia as no longer an ally of Russia. Frustrations with Russia have also risen among other CSTO members, experts told Business Insider last year.

Persons: Nikol, Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan, France24, Putin, snubs, Jaroslava Barbieri Organizations: NATO, Security, Organization, Moscow Times, Soviet Union, University of Birmingham Locations: Armenia, Russian, CSTO, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Azerbaijan, France, Eurasia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Iran, North Korea, China, tatters

☆ I shared my $100K salary details to help my female colleagues get paid more. As a man, I knew it was my moral duty.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Chris Weller | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Discussions of pay came up rather frequently and I felt it was my responsibility to be an ally to my female colleagues when it came to salaries. But I want to share my experiences to encourage other men in the workforce to share what they make with their female colleagues. On separate occasions during that role, three of my female colleagues began pursuing senior analyst roles, which was my prior role. Men, help your female colleagues earn what they’re worthI don’t see any downsides to pay transparency. AdvertisementWhile it might be nice to imagine employers making pay equity or transparency a priority, in my experience, employers will find reasons for explaining away the pay gaps.

Persons: Jamie Jones, I’ve, I’d Organizations: Service, Business, University of Birmingham

☆ Astronomers spot a ‘super-Earth’ 137 light-years away
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Astronomers have discovered a “super-Earth,” or a world larger than our planet, orbiting a star about 137 light-years away. The super-Earth exoplanet, known as TOI-715b, orbits a red dwarf star that is cooler and smaller than our sun. “This discovery is exciting as it’s the first super-Earth from TESS to be found within the conservative habitable zone,” Dransfield said. If the Earth-size planet is confirmed, it will become the smallest planet yet that TESS has found in a habitable zone. TOI-715b’s star has only shown a couple of flares within the past two years and isn’t considered active, making it an old star, Dransfield said.

Persons: TESS, Georgina Dransfield, Dransfield, James Webb, Webb, “, isn’t, PLATO, ” Dransfield, ” Organizations: CNN —, Royal Astronomical Society, Researchers, University of Birmingham’s School of Physics, Astronomers, James Webb Space Telescope Locations: United Kingdom

☆ Massive cosmic explosion creates rare elements in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope and other observatories witnessed a massive explosion in space that created rare chemical elements, some of which are necessary for life. Tracking stellar explosionsAstronomers have long believed that neutron star mergers are the celestial factories that create rare elements heavier than iron. What was unusual about this burst is that it lasted for 200 seconds, making it a long gamma-ray burst. One of the pair exploded as a supernova, leaving behind a neutron star, and then the same thing happened to the other star. Finding cosmic elementsAstronomers have been trying to determine how chemical elements are created in the universe for decades.

Persons: James Webb, ”, Andrew Levan, Levan, Webb, Fermi, Neil Gehrels, “, Dmitri Mendeleev, ” Levan, it’s, supernovas, Eric Burns, Om Sharan Salafia, Nancy Grace, “ Webb, Ben Gompertz, ” Gompertz Organizations: CNN, James Webb Space Telescope, Way Galaxy, Telescope, Radboud University, Observatory, Royal Society of Chemistry, Astronomers, Louisiana State University, National Institute for Astrophysics, Institute, Gravitational, School of Physics, University of Birmingham Locations: Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom

☆ Why China has its eye on Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Joumanna Bercetche | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But Venezuela is just one of the many Latin American countries that China is courting. The region presents an attractive investment proposition for China because of its resources and markets, Margaret Myers, director of the Asia and Latin America Program at the U.S.-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue, told CNBC. "In Latin America, China's looking for soy, above all, to address what is a fairly critical food security challenge at home. " Ruben Gonzalez Vicente from the University of Birmingham said: "From 2000 to 2010, most Chinese investment in Latin America went into the extractive industries, into mining and oil in South America mostly. Watch the video to find out why China has its eye on Latin America.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Nicolás Maduro, Margaret Myers, Myers, Ruben Gonzalez Vicente, Roberto Garcia Moritan, It's, it's Organizations: Venezuelan, America, Inter, CNBC, University of Birmingham Locations: China, Venezuela, Latin America, Asia, U.S, America, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Latin, South America, Beijing

☆ Ancient jawless fish’s head fossilized in 3D hints at evolution of vertebrate skulls
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Hundreds of millions of years ago, jawless fishes swam Earth’s seas, their brains protected on the outside by armored skin, and on the inside by plates made of cartilage. Scientists are still piecing together how modern vertebrates’ skulls evolved from these ancient fish ancestors, which were the first animals with backbones. The specimen — an articulated cranium that’s 455 million years old — belongs to the jawless fish Eriptychius americanus. Modern vertebrate descendants of jawless fishes make up two groups: vertebrates with jaws, and jawless hagfish and lampreys. “So it’s quite exciting.”Extracting the detailsThe fossilized head cartilage was excavated in 1949 and described in 1967 by the late paleontologist Robert Denison, a curator of fossil fishes at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.

Persons: jawless, ”, Richard Dearden, Robert Denison, Denison, Dearden, “, paleobiologist Lauren Sallan, Sallan, ” Sallan Organizations: CNN, Naturalis Biodiversity, Field, University of Birmingham, Okinawa Institute of Science, Technology Graduate University Locations: Colorado, Leiden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Japan

☆ A close Russian ally snubbed Putin by announcing military exercises with the US — the latest in a series of embarrassments for the president
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Armenia will host a joint military exercise with the US later this month. The country is a longtime Russian ally but has repeatedly expressed its frustration with it. This includes threatening to leave the Russia-led CSTO and refusing to host its military drills. A US military spokesperson told Reuters that 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenian soldiers will take part in the exercise. Armenia also hosts a Russian military base.

Persons: CSTO, Vladimir Putin, didn't, Nikol, Pashinyan, Putin, Thomas Graham, Jaroslava Barbieri, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Service, Reuters, NATO, Soviet, Yale, University of Birmingham Locations: Armenia, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, East, tatters .

☆ Fountains of diamonds erupt from the ground when continents break up, say scientists — and it could help uncover new deposits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

These eruptions have baffled scientists as they happen more often after continents break up. "The pattern of diamond eruptions is cyclical, mimicking the rhythm of the supercontinents, which assemble and break up in a repeated pattern over time," Gernon said. In fact, scientists found that most kimberlite volcanoes occurred 20 to 30 million years after the tectonic breakup of Earth's continents. But instead, it tends to appear in "a sweet spot in the interior of continents where diamonds form," Gernon said. Sergei Karpukhin/ReutersThe scientists say having uncovered this chain reaction could help discover diamond deposits in the future.

Persons: Tom Ger, Gernon, Stephen Jones, Jones, Sergei Karpukhin, he'll Organizations: Service, University of Southampton, Guardian, Reuters, University of Birmingham, Nature Locations: Wall, Silicon, kimberlite, Russia

☆ Google A.I. researcher says he left to build a startup after encountering 'big company-itis'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sakana AI founders Llion Jones, left, and David Ha, meet at a rooftop bar in Tokyo. Jones, a co-author of Google's prominent Transformers research paper, is the generative AI research lab's technology chief, and Ha, a former Google research scientist, is its CEO. He was one of eight authors of the pivotal Transformers research paper, which is central to the latest in generative artificial intelligence. He's joining fellow ex-Google researcher David Ha to build a generative AI research lab in Tokyo called Sakana AI. The T stands for Transformers, an architecture behind much of today's frenetic generative AI activity.

Persons: Llion Jones, David Ha, Jones, He's, Ha, Sakana, OpenAI, they've Organizations: Google, itis, CNBC, University of Birmingham, YouTube, Microsoft Locations: Tokyo, Ha

REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File photoAug 2 (Reuters) - Refining rare earths for the green energy transition is hard. "The (rare earths) commissioning process is painstaking, with stops and starts," Jim Litinsky, MP's CEO and largest shareholder, told investors in May. Rare earths magnets turn power into motion and are the essential components in an electric vehicle's motor. Rare earths refining "is not really being addressed even by those who are developing magnet capacity," said Ryan Castilloux, a minerals consultant at Adamas Intelligence. American Rare Earths is working with U.S. government scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to develop bacteria that could process rare earths.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Lockheed Martin's, Lynas, Jim Litinsky, Kray Luxbacker, they've, Allan Walton, Ryan Castilloux, Castilloux, refines, Dysprosium, Tesla, Melissa Sanderson, Nathan Picarsic, Ernest Scheyder, Eric Onstad, Nick Carey, Melanie Burton, Veronica Brown, Susan Heavey Organizations: REUTERS, Lockheed, International Energy Agency, General Motors, University of, University of Birmingham, Adamas Intelligence, Trump, Reuters, Pentagon, Blue, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Edge, Sweden's, U.S, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Horizon Advisory, Thomson Locations: Pass , California, U.S, China, Apple's, Beijing, Texas, Western Australia, COVID, California, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Kuala Lumpur, United States, San Antonio , Texas, Sweden, South Africa, Karr

☆ Why Russia's defenses are so effective: Deep minefields, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are proving formidable in Ukraine, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's defenses are proving effective in frustrating the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Its use of mines, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are particularly formidable, experts said. He said there were often more than four rows of minefields in front of the Russian defensive lines. A retired Australian general Mick Ryan appears to agree with Lewis, telling The Economist on Monday that Russia's defensive lines are "much more complex and deadly than anything experienced by any military in nearly 80 years." Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow with RUSI, told Newsweek that Ukraine's "Beaver" drones appear to be vulnerable to Russia's electronic defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Maxar David Lewis, Mick Ryan, Lewis, it's, Steve Wright, Wright, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Justin Bronk, RUSI, Russia doesn't, Mark Milley, Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri Organizations: Service, BBC, Royal United Services Institute, Storm, Ukrainian, Police, Moscow International Business, Getty Images, Newsweek, Moscow Sunday, Reuters, Associated Press, University, Birmingham's, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Kherson, Dnipro, Russia's, Australian, RUSI, AFP, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Crows and magpies are getting revenge on humans by using anti-bird spikes around their nests as weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They have started using the spikes in their nests to keep other birds away. For this particular nest, magpies pulled up 150 feet of the spiky metal strip from the rooftop of a nearby hospital, creating "an impregnable fortress," said Hiemsa. Hiemstra told the BBC that more research is needed to confirm the intent of the corvids using the spikes in the nest. Magpies build roofed nests and favor spiky materials. Other spiky materials had previously been spotted in nests in the area, such as barbed wire and knitting needles.

Persons: Auke, Florian Hiemstra, Hiemstra, —, sandra standbridge, isn't, Jim Reynolds, wasn't, Reynolds, it's, Peregrine falcons Organizations: Service, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, BBC, Magpies, University of Birmingham, Guardian Locations: Europe, Wall, Silicon, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Antwerp, Belgium, Scotland, Amsterdam

☆ Who is winning the war in Ukraine? Experts break down the territorial, psychological, and military gains made by Putin and Zelenskyy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Insider spoke to four experts about who they think is currently winning the war in Ukraine. But two experts told Insider this appears to be unattainable. "So territory-wise, I don't think Zelenskyy has budged on his objective of liberating all of the occupied territories," Miron told Insider. Photo by Getty ImagesMilitary victoryIt is difficult to analyze who is currently winning from a military standpoint because a lot of hinges on Ukraine's counteroffensive, all experts told Insider. John E. Herbst, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, told Insider that he believes that right now, the advantage lies with Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, Marina Miron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Miron, David Lewis, Yasuyoshi Chiba, University of Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri, " Barbieri, Lewis, John E . Herbst, Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Barbieri, Herbst, Putin Organizations: Service, Department of, King's College London, Institute for, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Kyiv, University of Birmingham's, Getty Images, Washington Post, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Sloviansk, AFP, Ukrainian, Irpin, Bakhmut

☆ Russia's version of NATO is crumbling, with even some of its closest allies frustrated by Putin's failing war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

CSTO, Russia's equivalent of NATO, was never a powerhouse, but relations have become more strained. And Frankopan said that countries had likely stopped trusting Russia's military abilities. Marin also said that CSTO members don't seem interested in taking big risks to protect the alliance's future. AP Photo/Felipe Dana, FileRussia a 'toxic partner'According to Frankopan, regional backlash to Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be happening for multiple reasons, including ideological objections to Russia's brutal tactics. Marin said the Ukraine invasion had made Russia a "rather toxic partner" to most of its post-Soviet neighbours.

☆ Oral sex is the leading 'risk factor' for a throat cancer, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Oral sex is now the leading "risk factor" for a throat cancer, an expert said. He said there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer cases in the West in recent decades. In both the US and the UK, oropharyngeal cancer is now more common than cancer of the cervix, he wrote. Because HPV is sexually transmitted, "for oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex," Mehanna said. Michael Douglas partly atributed his throat cancer diagnosis on oral sex.

☆ Why Do Apes Like to Spin? Maybe for the Same Reasons as People.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Rachel Nuwer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2011, a gorilla named Zola gained internet fame when the Calgary Zoo posted a video that showed him spinning in circles on his knuckles and heels with what appeared to be a huge grin on his face. Humans’ love of spinning around in circles, especially during childhood, is evidenced by the enduring popularity of playground merry-go-rounds, revolving fun park rides and the irresistible draw of somersaulting down a hill. But new research suggests that humans are not alone in their pursuit of spin-induced buzzes. According to findings published last month in the journal Primates, other great ape species also seem to regularly enjoy stimulating their senses through spinning, possibly even in pursuit of altered mental states. “So it’s really cool to find that other primates do this, too, and that they seem to do it for the same reason that children do: because it’s fun and exhilarating.”

☆ Britain's NICE to speed up reviews of COVID-19 treatments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's agency that determines if medicines should be used in the National Health Service (NHS) said on Thursday it is speeding up how it decides if COVID-19 therapies are still effective against circulating variants. The new review process will enable the agency to update its recommendations on the cost-effectiveness of COVID treatments so they can be made available more swiftly to patients, it said. "The rapidly evolving nature of COVID-19 means we need to have a way of establishing the cost effectiveness of existing medicines against current variants in an agile way," the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said. It said there is no evidence of Evusheld's clinicial effectiveness against current variants and those likely to be circulating in the next 6 months. The announcement comes as demand for COVID treatments appears set to drop this year, due to population immunity from high rates of vaccination and previous infections.

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