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People of African ancestry are poorly represented in genetic studies. A new effort would change that

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

Scientists are setting out to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to create what they believe will be the world’s largest database of genomic information from the population.The hope is to build a new “reference genome” — a template to compare to full sets of DNA from individuals — and better understand genetic variants that affect Black people. It could eventually translate into new medicines and diagnostic tests — and help reduce health disparities.The initiative was launched Wednesday by Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Regeneron Genetics Center, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and Roche. The pharmaceutical companies are providing the funding, while the data will be managed by a nonprofit started by Meharry, called the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute. Organizers said there’s a clear need for the project, pointing to research showing that less than 2% of genetic information being studied today comes from people of African ancestr...

Movie Review: Scorsese’s epic ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is sweeping tale of greed, richly told

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

There tends to be lots of fast talking and fast moving in Martin Scorsese films, often from shifty types trying to get away with something. Or sometimes, simply because the master filmmaker has so much to pack in.But in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” everything seems to slow down, and especially when the camera lands on Lily Gladstone. As Mollie, the Osage woman at the heart of this sprawling, real-life tale of greed and treachery on a scale both broad and intimate, Gladstone is the quiet, powerful center — taking her time, letting her eyes do the work, and unafraid of silence.It’s a beautifully cadenced performance, all the more impressive because Gladstone’s sharing the screen with two of our most celebrated actors. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro both turn in superb work for their legendary director, appearing together for the first time in 30 years. But Gladstone, in the rare Scorsese film that gives center stage to a female character, is the emotional core here, and it’s he...

Police seek witnesses to violent Vaughan robbery that left victim with head injuries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

York Regional Police are seeking the public’s help finding several suspects in a violent robbery that took place early last Saturday morning.Police responded to an unknown trouble call in the Fossil Hill Road and Sheshi Drive area just after midnight.Upon arrival they found a 31-year-old victim lying on the sidewalk with severe head injuries.It was later revealed that three people, one armed with a knife, brutally beat the victim and stole their cellphone and car keys before running off.The victim’s vehicle was not stolen.One of the suspect’s is described as wearing all black clothing, with black gloves and a mask.Police are asking any potential witnesses or nearby residents with security video to come forward.

Barcelona says it remains on track to reduce its debt without the use of financial levers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona is on track to reducing its debt without having to resort to new financial levers, the club said Wednesday while announcing a higher-than-expected net profit of 304 million euros ($320.5 million) for the 2022-23 season.Barcelona said the club’s operating income was 1.26 billion euros ($1.33 billion), with expenses at 1.16 billion euros ($1.22 billion), which enabled the reduction of the net debt for a second consecutive season. The debt dropped from 680 million euros ($717 million) in June 2021 to 552 million euros ($582 million) in June this year, the club said.“We have managed to seal the hole, but work must continue to reduce the debt to a sustainable amount,” said Eduard Romeu, vice president of the club’s economic department. “We are returning to ordinary current income. That means without extraordinary operations, without levers or sales.”Barcelona recently resorted to a series of financial operations to help reduce its debt, including the adv...

Drone attack on base hosting US troops intercepted in Iraq, heightening fears of a broader conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Two drones launched at a base hosting U.S. troops in western Iraq were intercepted Wednesday, a U.S. defense official said.Hours later, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq announced it had launched another drone attack on a second base. No injuries were reported in either incident.The salvos came at a time of increasing tension and fears of a broader regional conflict in the wake of the latest Hamas-Israel war.Since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7, much attention has been focused on Hezbollah, the powerful Hamas ally across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon, and its formidable arsenal. The group has traded so-far limited strikes with Israel on the border in recent days.But Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have also threatened to attack U.S. facilities over American support for Israel.“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Ab...

US vetoes UN resolution condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israel and all violence against civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution Wednesday that would have condemned Hamas’ attacks against Israel and all violence against civilians and urged humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 votes in favor, the United States against and two abstentions.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that President Joe Biden is in the region engaging in diplomacy “and we need that diplomacy to play out.” She also criticized the resolution for not saying anything about Israel’s right to self-defense.Before the vote on the resolution sponsored by Brazil, council members rejected two Russian amendments, one calling for a “humanitarian cease-fire” and the other condemning indiscriminate attacks on civilians and “civilian objects” in Gaza, which include hospitals and schools.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a Wedn...

‘Casualties everywhere’: Canadian in Gaza describes chaos, hopes for evacuation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

Mahmoud Nasser said he could feel the ground shake as he watched two missiles land in the distance in Gaza, where essential supplies are running short and living conditions are becoming more desperate as he and other Canadians hope for an opportunity to evacuate. The 30-year-old is sheltering at a relative’s house at the southern end of the Palestinian territory and said homes in the area are “wall-to-wall” with people who have fled northern Gaza ever since Israel ordered a mass evacuation of about half of the enclave’s population ahead of an expected ground invasion.“There’s casualties everywhere and everyone is so accustomed to death,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.“Every day that passes, we just hope that we’re not another statistic. There’s nothing we can do. It’s a very strange feeling.”Some people have been venturing outdoors, even as Israel’s retaliat...

Widow of prominent Pakistani journalist sues Kenyan police over his killing a year ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The widow of a prominent Pakistani journalist who was killed a year ago in Kenya filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against an elite Kenyan police unit she accuses of the wrongful death of her husband.Javeria Siddique said she filed the lawsuit in Nairobi to get justice for her husband Arshad Sharif, a well-known journalist in his home country Pakistan. Sharif was shot dead on October 23, 2022 by officers from Kenya’s General Service Unit, according to Pakistani authorities. The officers involved in the incident later claimed it was a case of mistaken identity.In court papers seen by The Associated Press, Siddique wants Kenya’s Attorney General, the National Police Service and the Director of Public Prosecutions “to punish and prosecute the police officers who killed Arshad Sharif.”The lawsuit also wants the court to direct the Attorney General “to issue a public apology, including an acknowledgement of the facts, and acceptance of responsibility to the family ...

Biden announces humanitarian aid deal for Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

President Biden announced an agreement Wednesday to allow humanitarian aid to move from Egypt to Gaza and confirmed $100 million in U.S. funding for assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.Biden, speaking in Tel Aviv as part of a trip to Israel in the wake of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, said he asked the Israeli Cabinet during a meeting to agree to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza “based on understanding that there will be inspections, and aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas.”“Israel agreed the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt to Gaza,” Biden said.Biden said the $100 million in U.S. funding would support more than 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians, including emergency needs in Gaza.The announcement came amid heightened pressure from world leaders about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been repeatedly hit with retaliatory Israeli strikes and lacks access to food, water and medicine...

Watch live: House holds second vote on Jordan as Speaker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:13 GMT

The House is slated to hold a second vote for Speaker on Wednesday after Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) lost 20 GOP votes on his first attempt Tuesday.It's unclear how much support Jordan will pick up on a second ballot, which was postponed Tuesday evening. Multiple lawmakers have signaled they do not plan to back Jordan in a sound round.At the same time, a push to expand the power of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is heating up as the GOP conference struggles to see a way forward.The second Speaker vote is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT.Watch the live video above.