Author: Newsdesk

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-Top News

Genes and Morals may be more Connected than Previously Thought

A person’s disapproval of noncommittal sex and their condemnation of recreational drug use may have a common genetic basis, suggests a study.

The research, published in the journal Psychological Science, showed that moral views concerning both recreational drugs and openness to non-committed sex are approximately 50 percent heritable, with the remaining 50 percent explained by the unique environment.

Furthermore, approximately 75 percent of the relationship between openness to non-committed sex and moral views concerning recreational drugs was explained by genetic effects, and the remainder was explained by the unique environment.

“People adopt behaviours and attitudes, including certain moral views, that are advantageous to their own interests,” said lead author Annika Karinen, a researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

“People tend to associate recreational drug use with non-committed sex. As such, people who are heavily oriented toward high commitment in sexual relationships morally condemn recreational drugs, as they benefit from environments in which high sexual commitment is the norm,” she added.

The researchers also found substantial overlap in the genetic effects underlying both factors – namely, that approximately 40 percent of the genes underlying openness to non-committed sex also underlie moral views concerning recreational drugs.

“These findings suggest that the genetic effects that influence openness to non-committed sex overlap with those that influence moral views concerning recreational drugs,” said Karinen.

“Important parts of hot-button culture-war issues flow from differences in lifestyle preferences between people, and those differences in lifestyle preferences appear to partly have a genetic basis.”

To understand the hereditary and environmental factors, the team surveyed 8,118 Finnish fraternal and identical twins to examine how open they were to recreational drug use and to sex outside of a committed relationship.

The researchers then compared fraternal and identical twin pairs to assess the extent to which condemnation of recreational drugs, openness to non-committal sex, and the relationship between the two was explained by genes; the shared environment such as growing up in the same household or community; or unique experiences and environments not shared by the twins.

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-Top News

Microsoft Net Income at $20.5 Billion

Satya Nadella-run Microsoft has posted robust revenue of $45.3 billion and a net income of $20.5 billion for the July-September quarter, riding on a strong performance on its cloud, server, and Office businesses.

While revenues were up 22 percent, net income registered 48 percent growth as pandemic forced millions to work and learn from home.

“Digital technology is a deflationary force in an inflationary economy. Businesses — small and large — can improve productivity and the affordability of their products and services by building tech intensity,” said Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

“The Microsoft Cloud delivers the end-to-end platforms and tools organisations need to navigate this time of transition and change,” he said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Revenue in Productivity and Business Processes was $15 billion and increased 22 percent.

Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 18 percent, driven by Office 365 Commercial revenue growth of 23 percent.

“LinkedIn revenue increased 42 percent, driven by Marketing Solutions growth of 61 percent,” the company informed.

Revenue in Intelligent Cloud was $17 billion and increased 31 percent in the September quarter.

Server products and cloud services revenue increased 35 percent, driven by Azure and other cloud services revenue growth of 50 percent.

“We delivered a strong start to the fiscal year with our Microsoft Cloud generating $20.7 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 36 percent year over year,” said Amy Hood, executive vice president and CFO of Microsoft.

Revenue in the ‘More Personal Computing’ vertical was $13.3 billion and increased 12 percent.

Xbox content and services revenue increased a mere 2 per cent, while Surface laptop revenue decreased 17 percent.

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-Top News

Europe’s Largest Ultra-Low Emission Zone in Action

Europe’s biggest ultra-low emission zone, spanning about 380 square km of London, has come into operation.

Around 3.8 million people live within the zone which extends to the north and south circular roads around the British capital, reports Xinhua news agnecy.

London City Hall expects around 110,000 vehicles are likely to pay a 12.50 pounds ($17.22) charge for driving within the new zone.

Drivers who don’t pay face a penalty charge of 160 pounds, reduced to half if paid within 14 days.

The enlarged zone is an extension of what was the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) covering mainly central London.

A City Hall spokesperson said: “The new zone covers one quarter of London and is the largest zone of its kind in Europe. It will bring the health benefits of cleaner air to millions more Londoners. The scheme will operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day.”

The ULEZ is also a crucial step towards London’s ambitions to tackle the climate emergency and put the city on the path to be a net zero carbon city by 2030.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “This is a landmark day for our city. Expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone today will clean up London’s toxic air pollution and help tackle the global climate emergency by reducing emissions.

“In central London, the ULEZ has already helped cut toxic roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution by nearly half and led to reductions that are five times greater than the national average. But pollution isn’t just a central London problem, which is why expanding the ULEZ today will benefit Londoners across the whole of the city and is a crucial step in London’s green recovery from this pandemic.”

According to Khan, pollution leads to 4,000 London residents dying early each year and children in the capital growing up with stunted lungs.

Khan has provided 61 million pounds in funding for grants for small businesses, charities operating minibuses, and low-income and disabled Londoners to scrap older, more polluting vehicles.

Sarah Woolnough, CEO of the charities Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation welcomed the move.

“Whilst this is a huge step in the right direction, we mustn’t be complacent against this invisible threat. The fact of the matter remains that the majority of people living in London, are still living in areas where pollution levels are dangerously high.”

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-Top News

Social Platforms Flamed over Child Safety

Tech giants Snap, TikTok, and YouTube are being grilled by US senators over worries that their apps, like Facebook, are harmful to children.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, told the companies that everything they do is to add users, especially kids, and keep them on apps for longer, reports CNET.

Blumenthal said he has heard from parents about the “rabbit hole” teenagers go down when they log onto Snap, TikTok, and YouTube.

His office, which created accounts on TikTok and YouTube as part of their own research, also found that extreme dieting and eating disorder content is easy to find on these platforms.

“Like Big Tobacco, Big Tech has lured teens despite knowing its products can be harmful,” he said.

The hearing comes amid heightened scrutiny of social media giant Facebook, which is the subject of a series of stories based on leaked documents that suggest the company knows about the harm its platforms cause to the mental health of teenagers, as well as democracy and developing countries.

Frances Haugen, the former Facebook product manager who collected the cache of internal research and communications, has already testified before the Senate subcommittee. She also testified to Parliament on Monday.

The hearing also marks the first time Snap and TikTok have testified.

Snap is being represented by Jennifer Stout, the vice president of global public policy; TikTok by Michael Beckerman, vice president and head of public policy, Americas; and YouTube by Leslie Miller, vice president of government affairs and public policy.

Stout tried to distinguish Snapchat from its rival Facebook, noting that the company was built as “an antidote to social media”.

Unlike Facebook, Snapchat doesn’t have a News Feed and the disappearing app is being used by people to communicate privately with their friends.

“We have a moral responsibility to take into account the best interest of our users and everything we do. And we understand that there is more work to be done,” she said.

Beckerman said TikTok has built features to protect younger users. People under 16 have their TikTok accounts set to private automatically.

“There is no finish line when it comes to protecting children and teens. The challenges are complex and we are determined to work hard and keep the platform safe and create age-appropriate experiences,” he said.

YouTube told Congress in prepared remarks that it removed 7 million accounts believed to belong to young children and preteens in the first three quarters.

The company said on YouTube Kids and YouTube, autoplay videos are off by default for users under 18.

YouTube also plans to launch more parental controls in the YouTube Kids app autoplay is off by default, including the ability for a parent to choose a locked default autoplay setting.

Categories
-Top News Football Sport Sports

Ronaldo Makes a Return Home

Manchester United have confirmed that they have re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo, 12 years after he left the club to join Real Madrid in 2009.

The 36-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the option of that being extended for a further year, the Manchester United website said on Tuesday evening, four days after informing they had agreed a fee with Juventus to bring the striker back to the club where he scored 118 goals in 292 appearances between 2003 and 2009.

“Manchester United is a club that has always had a special place in my heart, and I have been overwhelmed by all the messages I have received since the announcement on Friday.”

“I cannot wait to play at Old Trafford in front of a full stadium and see all the fans again. I’m looking forward to joining up with the team after the international games, and I hope we have a very successful season ahead,” said Ronaldo on the Manchester United website.

Meanwhile, Xinhua reported that coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was delighted at seeing Ronaldo return to Old Trafford.

“You run out of words to describe Cristiano. He is not only a marvellous player, but also a great human being. To have the desire and the ability to play at the top level for such a long period requires a very special person.”

“I have no doubt that he will continue to impress us all and his experience will be so vital for the younger players in the squad. Ronaldo’s return demonstrates the unique appeal of this club and I am absolutely delighted he is coming home to where it all started,” commented the coach.

Meanwhile, Welsh international winger Daniel James is on the verge of a move from Manchester United to Leeds United for around 20 million pounds.

Categories
Culture UK News

English Heritage Sites Granted Protection

British cultural watchdog Historic England announced that official protection has been granted to six seaside heritage sites around the coast of England.

Sites listed for conservation and protection by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport include a picturesque boathouse in Devon built to celebrate the coronation of King George VI in 1937, reports Xinhua news agency.

Eight decorative shelters along Britain’s best known promenade at northern England’s seaside resort, Blackpool, have also been added to the list.

It also includes a stone obelisk, The Crow Stone, in Southend in southern England that marks the City of London’s historic jurisdiction over the River Thames.

  • Official protection has been granted to six seaside heritage sites around the coast of England.(pic credit: https://historicengland.org.uk)
  • Official protection has been granted to six seaside heritage sites around the coast of England.(pic credit: https://historicengland.org.uk)
  • Official protection has been granted to six seaside heritage sites around the coast of England.(pic credit: https://historicengland.org.uk)

“England has a rich and distinctive seaside heritage. Ranging from piers to pavilions, bathing pools to beach huts, there are many colorful historic sites that reflect almost 300 years of seaside holidays and are still welcoming millions of visitors each year,” said Historic England.

“This summer our seaside resorts are enjoying an influx of visitors again and these six newly listed sites offer a small insight into the range of seaside heritage England has to celebrate,” it added.

Heritage minister Caroline Dinenage said she was delighted the seaside gems would be “recognised and protected”.

The listings were announced as millions of day trippers across England headed to the seaside this summer.

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Football Sport Sports

Liverpool Chelsea Ends in Draw; City Destroy Arsenal 5-0

Liverpool and Chelsea drew 1-1, although Chelsea defender Reece James was sent off on the stroke of halftime in a Saturday night Premier League match.

Chelsea took the lead in the 22nd minute through Kai Havartz’s looping header, but Liverpool hit back and Joel Matip hit the bar before James cleared Mohamed Salah’s shot off the line with his hand.

After James’ red card, Salah levelled from the penalty spot.

Both the Egyptian and Virgil van Dijk had shots well saved by Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy after the break as Liverpool strived for a winner.

Former Manchester City assistant coach Mikel Arteta suffered a miserable return to the Ethiad Stadium as his Arsenal team lost their third consecutive league game 5-0.

Arsenal were hoping to get a turning point after they made a 6-0 Carabao Cup win away to West Brom during the week, but it was soon dispelled with Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan heading past Bernd Leon in the seventh minute, Xinhua reports.

Ferran Torres doubled Man City’s lead in the 12th minute and things went from bad to worse for Arsenal when Granit Xhaka was sent off for a two-footed tackle 10 minutes before halftime.

Gabriel Jesus added a third after good word from Jack Grealish two minutes before the break and Rodri made it 4-0 early in the second half after a typical City passing move.

Torres then headed his second of the game to make it 5-0 in the closing minutes to complete Arsenal’s humiliation and after another display in which Arteta’s side was totally outclassed and had less than 20 per cent of possession. Arteta must now be worrying about his job.

Goals from Demarai Gray and a penalty from Dominic Calvert Lewin penalty saw Everton stop Brighton’s winning start to the season with a 2-0 away victory that gives Rafael Benitez seven points from nine on his return to Merseyside.

West Ham’s 100 per cent record also ended as Conor Gallagher scored Crystal Palace’s first two goals of the season in a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium.

Brentford remain unbeaten in their debut Premier League season after a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa after Ivan Toney put Brentford ahead in the seven minutes before Villa’s record signing Buendia Stati equalised six minutes later.

Norwich lost their third game in three as they went down 2-1 at home to Leicester, who have Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton to thank for their goals, while Teemu Pukki’s penalty on the stroke of halftime give his side hope.

There was late drama in Newcastle where Southampton equalised thanks to James Ward Prowe’s 96th minute penalty after the VAR spotted a trip on Adam Armstrong.

The game kicked into life after a goalless first half when Callum Wilson put Newcastle ahead only for Mohamed Elyounoussi to cancel it out. It looked as if Allan Saint-Maximin’s 90th minute goal would give Steve Bruce’s men three vital points, but the VAR had the final word.

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Categories
Hollywood

Tom Cruise Car Stolen

Hollywood star Tom Cruise is currently in the UK filming the latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie, and his luxury car got stolen by thieves.

“Tom had been driven around in the car while in Birmingham and some of his luggage and belongings were inside it when it was taken,” a source told The Sun newspaper, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The source added: “It’s since been recovered by police because it was equipped with an electronic tracking device but everything inside it had gone. It’s a huge embarrassment for the security team and the guy who had been driving it was hopping mad — but not as mad as Tom!”

The thieves used cutting-edge technology to clone the signal from the car’s keyless ignition fob, before they stole the vehicle from the security team.

However, luxury car brand BMW has already supplied the actor with an identical replacement.

A police spokeswoman said: “We received a report of a BMW X7 stolen from Church Street, Birmingham in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The car was recovered a short time later in Smethwick.

“CCTV enquiries have been made in the area that the car was recovered from. Inquiries are ongoing.”

Cruise has been living in the UK over recent months as he’s been filming the new ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie alongside the likes of Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby.

A source said earlier this week that he “seems to love being in Britain”.

The insider said: “The transformation has been astonishing. He just seems to have totally changed his mindset lately.

“Everything is quite low-key, at least by his A-list standards, and he just seems to love being in Britain. There’s nothing he isn’t up for doing. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him just walking around his local supermarket, the way things are going.”

Categories
COVID-19 Health

Delta Variant Doubles Hospitalisation Risk

People infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant have approximately double the risk of hospitalisation compared with those infected with the Alpha variant, finds a new study.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, analysing more than 40,000 Covid-19 cases in the UK confirmed by virus genome sequencing finds a two-fold increased risk of hospitalisation from Delta versus Alpha variant infections.

“This study confirms previous findings that people infected with Delta are significantly more likely to require hospitalisation than those with Alpha, although most cases included in the analysis were unvaccinated,” said researcher Gavin Dabrera, Consultant Epidemiologist at the National Infection Service, Public Health England.

“We already know that vaccination offers excellent protection against Delta and as this variant accounts for over 98 per cent of Covid-19 cases in the UK, it is vital that those who have not received two doses of vaccine do so as soon as possible,” Dabrera added.

The Delta variant was first reported in India in December 2020 and early studies found it to be up to 50 per cent more transmissible than the variant of Covid-19 that had previously gained dominance worldwide, known as the alpha variant, first identified in Kent, the UK.

For the study, the team analysed healthcare data from 43,338 positive Covid-19 cases in England between March 29 and May 23, 2021, including information on vaccination status, emergency care attendance, hospital admission, and other demographic characteristics.

In all cases included in the study, samples of the virus taken from patients underwent whole-genome sequencing to confirm which variant had caused the infection.

During the study period, there were 34,656 cases of the Alpha variant (80 per cent) and 8,682 cases of the Delta variant (20 per cent), the study indicated.

While the proportion of Delta cases in the study period overall was 20 per cent, it grew to account for around two-thirds of new Covid-19 cases in the week starting May 17, 2021 (65 per cent, 3,973/6,090), indicating it had overtaken alpha to become the dominant variant in England.

Around one in 50 patients were admitted to hospital within 14 days of their first positive Covid-19 test (2.2 per cent Alpha cases, 764/34,656; 2.3 per cent Delta cases, 196/8,682).

After accounting for factors that are known to affect susceptibility to severe illness from Covid-19, including age, ethnicity and vaccination status, the researchers found the risk of being admitted to hospital was more than doubled with the Delta variant compared with the alpha variant (2.26-fold increase in risk).

Indicating the importance of vaccination, the team also emphasised that multiple studies have shown that full vaccination prevents both symptomatic infection and hospitalisation, for both Alpha and Delta variants.

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Categories
Football Sport

Kane to Stay at Tottenham for Summer

England forward Harry Kane announced on Wednesday that he will stay at Tottenham Hotspur for this summer. Kane’s announcement comes after a failed potential move to Manchester City for the 2021/22 season.

Kane has three years left on his deal with Tottenham. He had asked to leave the club this summer in search of a team with which he could win a trophy this season. But as things stand, Kane will remain with his boyhood club this season under a new coach in Portugal’s Nuno Espirito Santo.

“It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I’ve had in the last few weeks [emoticon: clapping hands with football sign]. I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100% focused on helping the team achieve success. #COYS,” wrote Kane on Twitter.

The 28-year-old Kane played his first game of the season on Sunday, coming as substitute in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Kane is second highest goal-scorer in Tottenham’s history with 221 goals, which is just 45 behind the record held by Jimmy Graves.

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