DAILY NEWS Stream – February 10, 2025

UN agencies strengthen alliances to end female genital mutilation, a violation of human rights that inflicts deep and lifelong physical, emotional, and psychological scars affecting more than 230 million girls and women worldwide (EnviroNews Nigeria)

US President Trump is aware and supportive of AUKUS [Australia-UK-US] security partnership that’s intended to counter China in the Indo-Pacific, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says to his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Washington DC [US] (Reuters)

President Trump says “we will have relations with North Korea” and it’s a “big asset” that He gets along with Kim Jong Un during joint press conference with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington DC [US] (Fox News)

President Donald Trump’s new trade negotiator Jamieson Greer vows to retaliate against any country that issues “discriminatory” taxes against big US tech companies (Sky News Australia)

President Trump demands television show “60 Minutes” be taken off the air after Democratic presidential rival Harris’ raw interview footage is exposed, showing heavy editing by network CBS News to hide her incoherent, empty-headed responses and make her look better for the 2024 election (Sky News Australia)

“JOE, YOU’RE FIRED”: President Trump revokes Biden’s security clearances and daily intelligence briefings, noting report that “revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information” (Fox News)

US: Republican-led House of Representatives passes bill blocking future presidents from banning oil drilling without Congress’ approval, helping ensure President Trump’s agenda that will unleash American energy is not lost in future generations (Fox News)

US FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] agents’ association “optimistic” about President Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi and her commitment to end political weaponization at the FBI and Justice Department (Fox News)

US President Trump fires Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [Washington DC] board members, citing its drag queen shows targeting children, and appoints Himself as new chairman to ensure the center reflects only the nation’s “brightest stars” on its stage (Fox News)

President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration could get boost in Florida State [US] with Governor DeSantis’ plan to deputize state patrol, allowing highway troopers to perform functions of immigration officers (Fox News)

US Defense Secretary Hegseth to look into “what went wrong” in Afghanistan and pledges accountability for Biden’s botched withdrawal in 2021, while slamming diversity motto of Democrats, saying the US military will find strength in “unity” and “shared purpose,” not diversity and “wokeness” (Fox News)

President Trump says Elon Musk’s DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] is “doing a great job” and assigns them to next review spending in Defense and Education – an enormous task, given the US Defense Department’s US$800 billion budget and repeated audit failures (New York Post)

US Efficiency Commissioner Elon Musk brings back DOGE staffer who resigned after racist social media posts were exposed, saying: “To err is human, to forgive divine” (New York Post)

President Trump’s administration reduces USAID [US Agency for International Development] staff from 10,000 to 294 as the agency’s programs are reviewed and possibly absorbed into other agencies (Sky News Australia)

American actor and comedian Rob Schneider delivers strong message of support to President Trump advisor Elon Musk over DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] crackdown on corrupt agencies, thanking him and saying, “We really appreciate it. Keep going. You can do it!” (Sky News Australia)

US: Democratic lawmakers criticized on social media for “unhinged” clash with security guard as they tried but failed to enter the Education Department in protest of President Trump’s plans to downsize or eliminate the department (Fox News)

Analysis: President Trump’s Intelligence Director pick Tulsi Gabbard (vegan) is “winning over” her critics, impressing Senators and the American people with her integrity as she prepares for the final Senate vote to get the job. Though her path to nomination looks much better now, Republicans will still need to push hard for it, as the corrupt Washington establishment and intelligence agencies are doing everything they can to keep her out, says US Senator Josh Hawley [Republican-Missouri] (Fox News)

Top US Senate leader Chuck Grassley [Republican-Iowa] criticizes Democrats’ “baseless” efforts to delay President Trump’s FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] Chief nominee Kash Patel’s final confirmation vote, calling them politically motivated (Fox News)

East Yorkshire [UK]: Bird flu confirmed in commercial poultry operation (BBC)

US officials advise travelers to be careful in Uganda because of Ebola disease outbreak (MedicalXpress)

Disturbing study finds microplastic accumulation in human brains, highest in dementia patients, indicating plastic particles cross the blood-brain barrier and could cause brain damage (Earth.com)

8 tips to avoid microplastics: 1) Limit single-use plastics, especially food and drink packaging; 2) Choose tap water [boiled and filtered] over bottled water; 3) Eat minimally processed foods, like whole-wheat pasta instead of instant ramen; 4) Use wooden or non-plastic cutting boards; 5) Store food in glass, not plastic, especially when hot; 6) Drink loose-leaf tea instead of tea bags; 7) Vacuum regularly to remove airborne microplastics; 8) Wash clothes less often, run full loads, and line-dry when possible (Washington University in St. Louis)

Air pollution exposure reduces our ability to concentrate on everyday tasks, like supermarket shopping, and hinders our ability to interpret emotions, which may increase violent crime, UK study finds (EcoWatch)

Wildfire in northeastern Kenya likely kills thousands of plants and animals, threatening a region home to critically endangered white rhinos and other rare species (Mongabay)

US doctors told to start looking out for Ebola in patients amid fears the deadly disease has entered the country following Uganda’s January outbreak (Daily Mail)

Japan: Record snowfall buries north and west, surprising residents of Obihiro [Hokkaido] with 47 inches [119 centimeters] in just 12 hours (Fox Weather)

US: Extreme drought returns to parts of Utah as dry conditions intensify statewide, with officials urging residents to conserve water (KSL.com)

Unprecedented glacial flood unleashes 3,000 billion liters of water in East Greenland within weeks, causing no harm but highlighting the risk to 15 million people worldwide living under threat of deadly glacial floods (SciTechDaily)

Scientists warn up to 250 natural world heritage sites will be threatened by climate extremes by end of century, including the Galápagos Islands [Ecuador], Serengeti National Park [Tanzania], and Great Barrier Reef [Australia]

(CarbonBrief)

Megadroughts have grown in size and scope over past 40 years: Severe multi-year dry periods are expanding by 50,000 square kilometers [more than 12 million acres] per year, plaguing vegetation, depleting water supplies, wreaking havoc on agriculture, and contributing to erosion and wildfire severity, Swiss and Singaporean researchers warn (Eos)

UK flood protection spending to reach record levels in face of climate crisis as government commits additional £250 million to defend tens of thousands of homes and businesses in next two years (EcoWatch)

“Act with urgency and compassion”: Philippine Senator Grace Poe pushes for approval of Revised Animal Welfare Act in the 19th Congress to strengthen animal welfare standards and impose tougher penalties on violators (Manila Bulletin)

World’s first IVF [in vitro fertilization] kangaroo embryo produced by University of Queensland [Australia]-led scientists. They say it’s a key step toward saving endangered marsupials (CBS)

University of Crete [Greece] scientists find some small animals’ magnetic sensing abilities operate at or near the quantum limit of magnetic field detection, possibly aiding development of future quantum biotechnology inspired by nature (Phys.org)

Canada: Dozens of animals rescued from central Alberta by non-profit Saving Grace Animal Rescue as cold weather hits (Global News)

University of Bristol [UK] goes vegan: Student’s Union passes motion to make the entire university plant-based after successful campaign led by Plant-Based Universities, whose goal is to “end the climate crisis” (The Tab)

Clark County [Nevada, US] cracks down on illegal breeding with increased penalties and new permit standards, and mandates pet microchipping and handler training to boost animal welfare (News 3)

GFI [Good Food Institute] Europe reports UK government has invested £75 million in alternative protein innovation, while progress towards modernizing related regulations has been “positive but slow”; GFI Europe now recommends policymakers address wider issues, including helping to scale-up facilities for entrepreneurs and developing domestic supply chains that can create opportunities for alternative protein producers (Vegconomist)

God-absorbed quote of the day: “The way the Beloved can fit in my heart, two thousand lives could fit in this body of mine. One kernel could contain a thousand bushels, and a hundred worlds pass through the eye of the needle.” – The Venerated Enlightened Master Rumi (vegetarian)