Daily Archives: October 30, 2019

Twitter to Ban Political Advertisements

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Twitter is banning all political advertising from its service, saying social media companies give advertisers an unfair advantage in proliferating highly targeted, misleading messages.    Facebook has taken fire since it disclosed earlier in October that it would not fact-check ads by politicians or their campaigns, which could allow them to lie freely. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Congress last week that politicians have the right to free speech on Facebook.    The issue arose in September when Twitter, along with Facebook and Google, refused to remove a misleading video ad …

Activist Thunberg Declines Climate Prize, Urges More Action

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Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has inspired millions across the world to stage protests urging leaders to better tackle global warming, has declined an environmental prize, saying “the climate movement does not need any more prizes.”Two fellow climate activists spoke on Thunberg’s behalf at an award ceremony Tuesday in Stockholm for the regional inter-parliamentary Nordic Council’s prizes, reading a statement thanking the group for the honor. Thunberg, 16, is currently in California.But Sofia and Isabella Axelsson quoted Thunberg as saying that “what we need is for our rulers and …

Facebook Removes 3 Russian Networks It Says Engaged in Foreign Interference in Africa

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Less than a week after the Africa-Russia Summit, Facebook has suspended three networks of Russian accounts it says were engaging in foreign interference in Africa.Facebook said the accounts targeted Madagascar, the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. The accounts supported select political figures and derided pro-democracy activists in the countries.Russia has had an increasing interest in engaging with African countries on trade and policy as sanctions continue to hurt its economy.Russian President Vladimir Putin organized the first Russia–Africa Summit and Economic Forum, which …

Dispensing Medical Marijuana

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Cannabis is a medicinal plant, an herbal remedy to relieve symptoms or treat various diseases. In some U.S. states, marijuana is legal for treating specific health problems, but not at the federal level. Arizona is one state where marijuana is legal for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Aari Ruben lives in Arizona. Ruben is an advocate for marijuana legalization, drug policy reform and human rights. Ruben opened a medical marijuana dispensary, Desert Bloom Re-Leaf Center in Tucson.  “When I was first exposed to cannabis, it was a social or recreational activity. …

Africa’s Only Wheelchair Rugby League Battles It Out

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South Africa is home to one of the world’s top rugby’s teams. It’s also home to Africa’s only national league of wheelchair rugby. But while wheelchair rugby is an amateur sport with limited resources, there is no shortage of dedication and determination.The finals of the South African Wheelchair Rugby League mean the country’s best players literally get to crash things out on the court.As a boy, Okkie Anker of Pretoria dreamed of becoming part of South Africa’s top rugby team, the Springboks.  But he broke his neck during a high …

Africa’s Only Wheelchair Rugby League Battles it Out

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South Africa is home to one of the world’s top rugby’s teams, the Springboks. It’s also home to Africa’s only national league of wheelchair rugby, the only full-contact Paralympic sport. But while wheelchair rugby is an amateur sport with limited resources, there is no shortage of dedication and determination. Marize de Klerk reports from South Africa’s capital, Pretoria where South Africa’s top teams recently went head to head. …

After 20-year Wait, Emmerich Recounts WWII Battle in Drama ‘Midway’

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Twenty years after first toying with the idea, German film director Roland Emmerich brings his World War II drama “Midway” to cinemas next month, focusing on the 1942 Battle of Midway.Known for big-budget disaster movies filled with special effects like “Independence Day” and “Godzilla,” Emmerich long wanted to recount the giant air and sea battle in the Pacific during which U.S. forces defeated an attacking Japanese fleet.The June 4-7 1942 clash, the subject of a 1976 film starring Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda, took place six months after the Japanese …

HBO Orders 10 Episodes of ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel

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HBO is green-lighting a new “Game of Thrones” prequel after reportedly canceling another that starred Naomi Watts.The cable channel said Tuesday that it’s given a 10-episode order to “House of the Dragon,” set 300 years before the original series that ended its eight-season run in May.The prequel is based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” HBO said. The new drama was co-created by Martin and Ryan Condal, whose credits include “Colony.”It will focus on House Targaryen, made famous in “Game of Thrones” by Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys and her fearsome …

Protected Status Not Enough to Guard Threatened Nature Reserves, Scientists Find

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Expanding the planet’s protected natural areas to safeguard vanishing forests and other ecosystems, and the species they protect, is unlikely to be effective on its own as human encroachment into reserves grows, scientists warned Tuesday.A study by Cambridge University researchers, which looked at thousands of conservation areas in more than 150 countries, found that, on average, protected designation is not reducing human encroachment in vulnerable areas.Both chronic underfunding of efforts to protect the land, and a lack of engagement with local communities that live there are hurting conservation efforts, they …

Study Triples Population at Risk of Climate-triggered Floods

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The number of people threatened by climate change-triggered flooding is about three times higher than previously thought, a new study says. But it’s not because of more water.It’s because the land, especially in Asia and the developing world, is several feet lower than what space-based radar has calculated, according to a study in the journal Nature Communications Tuesday.So instead of 80 million people living in low-lying areas that would flood annually by 2050 as the world warms, this new study finds the population at risk is closer to 300 million …