WASHINGTON: Lung biopsies from 17 people affected by a US outbreak of severe pulmonary disease linked to vaping have revealed the injuries are consistent with exposure to noxious chemical fumes, scientists reported Wednesday. The research, carried out by the Mayo Clinic, a medical nonprofit, and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found no evidence of tissue injury caused …

Rio de Janeiro: Dengue-resistant mosquitoes breed in a Rio de Janeiro laboratory, producing offspring infected with bacteria packing a punch in the fight against the deadly virus, which is exploding across Brazil this year. Scientists are using Wolbachia, a bacteria common among insects except the dengue-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito, to dent the spread of the debilitating virus and other illnesses …

US federal court on Tuesday blocked the state of Georgia from implementing a restrictive abortion law whose passage earlier this year sparked an outcry, particularly from Hollywood. The law, passed in early May by the legislature of the southern state, which is popular as a shooting location for movies and television series, would prohibit abortions as soon as the heartbeat …

WASHINGTON: Cutting back on red meat is standard medical advice to prevent cancer and heart disease — but a review of dozens of studies has concluded that the potential risk is low and evidence uncertain. In new guidelines published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a panel of researchers from seven countries suggested that “adults continue current unprocessed …

SAN FRANCISCO: Pioneering digital payments firm PayPal on Friday said it is abandoning an alliance intended to oversee the Facebook-backed Libra cryptocurrency, which has come under attack by regulators. “PayPal has made the decision to forgo further participation in the Libra Association at this time,” the California-based company told AFP. “We remain supportive of Libra´s aspirations and look forward to …

WASHINGTON: The US government on Friday urged tech giants to allow police to read encrypted messages, saying access was essential to prevent serious crime despite privacy concerns. After Facebook rejected giving access to law enforcement agencies, US Attorney General William Barr upped the pressure by issuing an industry-wide call. “Making our virtual world more secure should not come at the …

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Friday said a hacker group linked to Iran unleashed cyber attacks on US journalists, government officials and accounts associated with a US presidential campaign. Only four accounts were compromised as a result of the “significant cyber activity of the threat group,” Tom Burt, Microsoft´s corporate vice president of computer security and trust, said in an online …

MONTREAL: The makers of online video gaming sensation Fortnite were accused Friday of designing it to be addictive, in a Canadian class action lawsuit likening playing to taking cocaine. Fortnite, released by US-based Epic Games in 2017, allows up to 100 players to fight individually or as part of a team to be the last standing on a virtual battlefield. …

SAN FRANCISCO: Officials are calling on Facebook not to use encryption in its messaging services that does not provide authorities a way to see what is being sent. The request was made in a letter signed by US Attorney General William Barr, British home secretary Priti Patel and Australian minister for home affairs Peter Dutton. “We are writing to request …

Fresh accusation of sexual assault have surfaced against Hollywood actor James Franco, a year after five women came up with similar accusations against the star. This week, two women took Franco to court for alleged sexual exploitation. According to the account, the star’s acting school had a culture of “widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior” as reported by the New …