Macron sends out France’s youngest prime minister, Gabriel Attal, to fend off far right
France’s influence in Europe has grown under Macron, with Britain’s departure and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s retirement leaving way for more statist French ideas to influence EU policymaking.
Washington appeals court judges sceptical of Trump’s immunity claim in ballot subversion case
With the Republican state-by-state presidential nominating contest due to kick off next week, Trump used the hearing as an opportunity to claim he is the victim of political persecution. In a video posted to social media ahead of the hearing, Trump said he could prosecute Democratic President Joe Biden if he wins the November presidential election.
Wuhan lab’s ‘Bat Lady’ Shi Zhengli met x-US health director Fauci at NIH in 2017, emails reveal
By December 2017, NIH had resumed funding for gain-of-function research that generates new viruses in the lab following a three-year pause and debate about the possibility that such research could cause a pandemic.
Vatican moves to calm bishops and limit same-sex ‘weddings’ to 10 to 15 seconds events
Catholic bishops in some countries, particularly in Africa, have expressed various degrees of dissent over the December 18 declaration, known by its Latin title Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), which was approved by Pope Francis.
Israel’s war strategy against Hamas shifts to deadlier, indiscriminate strikes on Iran-linked targets
The intensified air campaign has killed 19 Hezbollah members in Syria in three months – more than twice the rest of 2023 combined, according to a Reuters count. More than 130 Hezbollah fighters have also been killed by Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon in the same period.
United Airlines finds loose bolts on several 737 MAX planes, raising pressure on Boeing aircraft
Alaska Airlines said it was waiting for final revised guidelines from Boeing before it could start inspecting planes and said it was ready to begin as soon as it received required FAA approvals. Boeing said it was staying in close contact with MAX 9 operators and would help customers address any findings during inspections.
Scientists find a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a litre of bottled water
Previous studies have looked at slightly bigger microplastics that range from the visible five millimetres, less than a quarter of an inch, to one micron. About 10 to 100 times more nanoplastics than microplastics were discovered in bottled water, the study found.
