The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a statement regarding the safety of aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke and other sugar-free foods and drinks. The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized aspartame as a Group 2B carcinogen, based on limited evidence for cancer in humans. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not agree and believes that aspartame is safe to consume in high amounts. Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the department of nutrition and food safety at WHO, has said that science is continuously expanding to assess the possible initiating or facilitating factors of cancer.
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President Joe Biden concluded his five-day European tour in Finland, where he declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already lost the war in Ukraine. He also expressed his commitment to pursuing a prisoner exchange for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days. Biden also celebrated Finland's new membership and Sweden's likely ascension into NATO.
A scorching heatwave dubbed "Cerberus" is sweeping across Southern Europe, with temperatures expected to reach record highs next week. Italy and Spain have already issued high heat alerts, and Greece is expecting temperatures to reach 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The public is advised to take extra precautions to stay safe and comfortable, such as staying in the shade and drinking plenty of fluids.
At the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, tensions between Kyiv and Western capitals were on full display, highlighting fundamental divisions between the war-torn country and its Western partners. Despite attempts to paper over any discord, the summit revealed a complicated relationship between Kyiv and Western capitals, with debates over Ukraine's potential NATO membership being acrimonious and emotionally fraught. Ultimately, a statement was issued that Ukraine was “on the path to NATO membership”, though some analysts have argued this is unwise and unnecessary.
Key takeaways: G7 nations, including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, have announced a joint declaration of support for…
Milan Kundera, the renowned Czech author and dissident, has passed away at the age of 94. He was a major figure in the Czech literary scene in the 1960s and his works, which often explored themes of love, exile, politics and the deeply personal, won him critical acclaim and a wide readership. His novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is considered one of his best works and has been translated into more than 40 languages, selling millions of copies worldwide. He was awarded the prestigious Jerusalem Prize in 2000 for his contribution to literature.
North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday, which flew for 74 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan. Japan has responded by strengthening its surveillance and maintaining military preparedness with the U.S., while the international community awaits a response from the U.N. Security Council. It is unclear how the U.S. and its allies will respond to the launch.
Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion, won a major legal victory when the European Court of Human Rights ruled that she was discriminated against by sports rules requiring her to medically reduce her natural hormone levels to compete. The court found that the rules, introduced by World Athletics, raised “serious questions” about their validity. Semenya has vowed to continue fighting for her right to compete without restriction and to go for another gold at the 2021 Olympics in Paris, though the implications of the ruling remain unclear.