FDA orders Juul to stop selling e-cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered Juul to stop selling e-cigarettes on the U.S. market, a profoundly damaging blow to a once-popular company whose brand was blamed for the teenage vaping crisis. The order affects all of Juul’s products on the U.S. market, the overwhelming source of the company’s sales. Juul’s sleek vaping cartridges and sweet-flavored pods helped usher in an era of alternative nicotine products that were exceptionally attractive to young people. The company’s initial dominance invited intense scrutiny from anti-smoking groups and regulators who feared the products would do more harm to young people than good to cigarette smokers trying to quit.
New Biden rules would bar discrimination against transgender students
The Biden administration on Thursday proposed new rules governing how schools must respond to sex discrimination, rolling back major parts of a Trump administration policy that narrowed the scope of campus sexual misconduct investigations and cementing the rights of transgender students into law. The proposal would overhaul expansive rules finalized under former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, which for the first time codified how universities, colleges and K-12 schools investigate sexual assault and harassment on campus. It would also broaden the roster of who is protected under Title IX, the federal law signed 50 years ago Thursday that bars discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities receiving federal funds.
EU makes Ukraine candidate for membership
The European Union officially made Ukraine a candidate for membership Thursday, signaling Western unity in the face of Russia’s invasion. While Ukraine’s accession into the bloc could take a decade or more, the decision sends a rebuke to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine called the EU move “one of the most important decisions for Ukraine” in its 30 years as an independent state. Before Putin launched the invasion, EU leaders would not have seriously considered starting Ukraine, with its history of oligarchy and corruption, on the path to membership.
Afghans bury dead, dig for survivors of devastating quake
Villagers rushed to bury the dead and dug by hand through the rubble of their homes in search of survivors of a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan. Residents appeared to be largely on their own Thursday to deal with the aftermath as their new Taliban-led government and the international aid community struggled to bring in help. State media reported that Wednesday’s quake killed 1,000 people. In the first independent count, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said around 770 people had been killed in Paktika and Khost provinces. Under a leaden sky, men dug several long trenches on a mountainside overlooking their village to bury the dead.
Scientists zero in on origins of monkeypox outbreak
When the first monkeypox cases were identified in May, European health officials were stumped. The virus was not known to spread easily among people. The origins of the outbreak are becoming clearer. Genetic analysis suggests that although the monkeypox virus is rapidly spreading in the open, it has been silently circulating in people for years. Researchers in several countries have found cases with no known source of infection, indicating undetected community spread. If the virus has adapted to include people as hosts, monkeypox outbreaks could become more frequent and more difficult to contain.
Ecuador roiled by protests set off by rising fuel and food prices
For more than a week, Ecuador has been buffeted by protests over a spike in prices for fuel, food and other basic necessities, driven by global inflation that is causing similar levels of frustration across Latin America. The country’s capital, Quito, has been virtually paralyzed by demonstrators blocking main roads, burning tires and clashing with police, throwing rocks at officers, who have responded with tear gas. Clashes erupted again Thursday. The marches and rallies pose a challenge for the right-wing government of President Guillermo Lasso, who is struggling to revive an economy battered by the pandemic.
World’s biggest bacterium found in Caribbean mangrove swamp
Scientists have discovered the world’s largest bacterium in a Caribbean mangrove swamp. Most bacteria are microscopic, but this one is about one-third of an inch and can be seen with the naked eye. Scientists say it is by far the largest bacterium known to date. A biologist at the University of the French West Indies and Guiana found the first example of this bacterium clinging to sunken mangrove leaves in Guadeloupe. He also found the bacterium attached to oyster shells, rocks and glass bottles in the swamp. The researchers aren’t certain why the bacterium is so large.
By wire sources
