DAILY NEWS Stream – December 07, 2024

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who is at the center of negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire, emphasizes he and all parties agree with US President Trump and hope to achieve a Gaza ceasefire before He takes office on January 20, 2025 (Sky News)

NATO foreign ministers adopt new measures to counter Russia’s hybrid attacks on Europe, including enhanced intelligence sharing, cyber defense, and infrastructure protection, and vow to help Ukraine enter peace talks with Russia from a position of strength (Tagtik)

Romania’s top security council reveals Russian cyber attacks during Romanian presidential election, including TikTok promotion through coordinated accounts of pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu, who is now the frontrunner for the December 8, 2024 runoff election (France 24)

Myanmar’s ethnic rebel group MNDAA announces unilateral ceasefire and calls on China to mediate peace talks with Myanmar’s military government to help restore peace in the country’s northeast; China’s Foreign Ministry says it welcomes the initiative (The Independent)

South Sudan resumes peace talks in Kenya after 4-month delay and government delegation changes, aiming to integrate holdout groups before delayed 2026 elections (AP)

California [US] farmers are hopeful President Trump and His administration will deliver more water to their fields by increasing access to the federally managed Central Valley Project, thus supporting the agricultural backbone of the state economy (The Independent)

White House says at least 8 US telecom firms and dozens of nations are impacted by China hacking campaign “Salt Typhoon” that began at least a year or two ago, targeting the phones of senior government officials including President Donald Trump, as Americans are warned to stop sending texts and instead use encrypted messaging apps to minimize risk of information theft (Sky News)

UK government will ban daytime TV advertising of unhealthy junk foods including chicken nuggets, hamburgers and energy drinks starting October 2025 to combat rising childhood obesity (France 24)

Cuba faces nationwide power outage as aging Soviet-era grid collapses, following hurricane damage and infrastructure challenges (CNN)

Bangkok [Thailand] welcomes Buddha’s Sacred Tooth relic from Beijing [China]’s Lingguang Temple in 2,000-person procession celebrating the King of Thailand His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s 72nd birthday (Euronews)

Colorado [US] reports surge in walking pneumonia cases, particularly affecting children aged 2-4, with a several-fold increase expected to continue into 2025 (Denver Post)

Dallas-Fort Worth [Texas, US] hospitals face worst walking pneumonia outbreak in 12 years amid medication shortages and strained emergency departments (Axios)

Ontario [Canada] experiences surge in walking pneumonia cases among children in first major outbreak since pre-COVID pandemic (The Globe and Mail)

Quebec [Canada] monitors rising walking pneumonia infections among children, with 2,025 emergency cases at Sainte-Justine Hospital between April and November 2024 (cbc.ca)

Poliovirus discovered in sewage across Barcelona [Spain], Warsaw [Poland], and multiple German cities, prompting urgent vaccination campaigns as Europe faces potential outbreak risks (EuroWeekly)

Chicago [Illinois, US] middle school students discover cancer-fighting compound orfamide N in goose droppings that shows promise against melanoma and ovarian cancer during 14-week science program (Interesting Engineering)

US government study finds splash pads [water playgrounds] are linked to more than 10,000 infections over the last 25 years due to fecal contamination, adding that swim diapers do not prevent this from occurring in recreational water (People)

Study finds ultra-processed foods are linked to higher thigh muscle fat in obese adults, increasing knee osteoarthritis risk regardless of calorie intake or activity level (UPI)

Study reveals carbon dioxide must be stored for 1,000 years to fully offset its atmospheric warming effects, challenging current sequestration strategies and climate models, which mostly do not account for this crucial timescale factor (Anthropocene)

Alps mountains record 34% less snow over past century, with southwestern slopes losing up to 50% as climate change melts Europe’s highest mountain range (Euronews)

China’s National Climate Centre reports record- breaking autumn temperatures averaging 11.8ºC, marking highest since 1961 amid intensifying climate impacts (AFP)

Study analyzes 21,000 marine species facing habitat changes amid rising ocean temperatures, finding that opportunities to colonize new regions that were previously too cold emerge early on, but heat threats arrive later and much more abruptly, potentially devastating ecosystems (The Conversation)

Great Lakes [Canada, US] study reveals dissolved phosphorus nearly doubling in rivers as warmer winters release nutrients earlier, fueling more frequent algal blooms (The Conversation)

Study from Barcelona Institute [Spain] finds the climate crisis caused 38,000 of Europe’s 68,000 heat deaths in 2022, with women and southern Europeans most affected (The Guardian)

Florida [US]: Climate change -fueled storms are affecting children’s learning as Tampa Bay area schools face continued damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton that made landfall earlier in 2024, with 36 facilities significantly impacted (WUSF)

Report from Swiss Re Institute finds the Philippines and US are the most economically vulnerable to climate change among 36 nations analyzed, due to intensifying weather disasters (The Economic Times)

Canadian researchers use AI##[artificial intelligence] to monitor endangered insects, with the potential to double the amount of biodiversity data collected over the past 150 years in just two to five years – but time is of the essence as up to 40% of global insect species face extinction (DW)

Florida [US]: number of scrub-jay bird offspring raised annually has declined 25% since 1981 as climate change forces earlier nesting, leading to increased predation by snakes (ABC)

New report reveals 500 million chickens die annually on US factory farms before slaughter, facing unsanitary conditions, disease and neglect (Animal Equality)

UK animal rights film “Akin, of Similar Nature” by the Animal Justice Project exposes how mother pigs are imprisoned in tiny farrowing crates through artistic footage and activist testimonies, highlighting the deep connections between humans and animals (Vegan FTA)

Controversy surrounds plans of soon-to-close French marine park

to transfer its last two orcas to Japan, with France’s Ecology Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher calling the move unacceptable due to Japan’s less extensive animal welfare policies (AFP)

University of Oklahoma [US] researchers discover new sparkly blue mining bee species in Texas and Oklahoma, establishing new subgenus that likely formed 12.6 million years ago (Daily Galaxy)

Scotland [UK]: Conservation coalition Scottish Rewilding Alliance presents a “vision of hope” to Scotland’s Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan to rewild 30% of land and seas, aiming to restore habitats while maintaining productive farmland and addressing the climate crisis (The Independent)

California [US] Governor Gavin Newsom [Democrat] unveils 81 new climate targets, with plans to leverage millions of acres for nature-based solutions to counteract climate change, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2045 (CA.gov)

Michigan [US] startup LuxWall raises US$51 million to expand production of energy-efficient vacuum-insulated windows that insulate up to five times better than double-paned glass (Canary Media)

Archaeologists at Tell Umm el-Marra site [western Syria] discover clay cylinders with the world’s oldest alphabetic script, predating previously known examples by 500 years, indicating the alphabet might have a completely different origin than previously thought (Good News Network)

Europe’s largest marine animal park

in Antibes [France] to close January 2025, following animal rights campaigns to send the animals imprisoned within to sea sanctuaries (PETA)

US: Ninth Circuit Court rules University of Washington animal experiment committee members must disclose their identities, supporting public oversight (PETA)

Camp Beagle becomes world’s longest-running animal rights protest camp, maintaining 24/7 presence outside UK beagle breeding facility MBR Acres, which raises dogs for vivisection, since June 2021 (Vegan FTA)

Netherlands study shows strong national support for vegan transition, with 20% of youth wanting to give up meat and two-thirds of the general population backing a plant-based dietary shift as a majority are in favor across age groups, political viewpoints and regions (Vegconomist)

US: Senior dog Rusty rescued by PETA from dirt enclosure after 10 years and is given a retirement party complete with “pupcakes” before moving to his new home in West Palm Beach [Florida] (PETA)

New Mexico [US] conservationists celebrate river otter’s recovery as population triples to 100 since their 2008 reintroduction, restoring balance to the ecosystem (Good News Network)

Dutch animal protection group Stichting AAP rescues 12 lions from French circus following a ban on live animal performances that started in December 2023, relocating the group of one male, two females and nine cubs to the foundation’s sanctuary in Spain (NL Times)

Dutch vegan startup Farmless receives €1 million EU grant to optimize air-based fermentation for protein production, using CO2 and renewable energy (Vegconomist)

University of Leeds [UK] launches £15 million National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre, partnering with academia, industry and policymakers to transform sustainable animal-free protein development (Vegconomist)

Türkiye’s first vegan meat producer Veggy launches kids’ product line with vegetable-rich formulations and plans to offer the range in UK, China, and Europe in 2025 (Vegconomist)

Gardening expert advises elevating potted plants on wooden blocks to prevent them from “drowning” during winter months, when cold and wet conditions can lead to soil waterlogging (Devon Live)

Hà Nội [Vietnam’s]: National Assembly Vice Chairman Trần Quang Phương meets with the Chinese International Exchange Association led by former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Ji Bingxuan to discuss cultural, educational and scientific cooperation ahead of the two nations’ 75th diplomatic anniversary in 2025 (baotintuc.vn)

French Parliament ousts Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government in historic no-confidence vote, the first since 1962, as President Macron urgently seeks ways to ensure political stability (baotintuc.vn)

US Senator Bernie Sanders says US Congressman says Elon Musk is right about the waste of the Pentagon’s US$886 billion defense budget after the defense headquarters fails its seventh straight audit (VnExpress)

President Trump appoints His trusted campaign lawyer David Warrington as White House Counsel, moving Bill McGinley to new Department of Government Efficiency to provide legal expertise to the commission (The Guardian)

Germany: Elephant named Mary demonstrates advanced tool use by independently bathing herself with a water hose, showcasing complex cognitive abilities and self-learned techniques (Tuổi Trẻ)

Uplifting quote of the day: “Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has gained the respect of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who has never lacked appreciation for the Earth's beauty, who never fails to look for the best in others or give the best of themselves.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (vegetarian)

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