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Global air pollution is worsening, with the United States and Canada experiencing the sharpest increases due to record-breaking, climate-supercharged wildfires that are undoing decades of progress, a study said Thursday.The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) annual report uses satellite data to assess levels of particulate matter worldwide, with records dating back to 1998. It translates concentrations into years of life expectancy lost, based on peer-reviewed science. “I just don’t think this can be repeated enough: particulate matter remains the greatest external threat to human health on the planet, period,” Michael Greenstone, an economics professor at the University of Chicago who co-created AQLI, told AFP.”It’s worse than tobacco smoke. It’s worse than child and maternal malnutrition. It’s worse than road accidents. It’s worse than HIV-AIDS, worse than anything in terms of losses.”According to the report, Canada’s catastrophic 2023 wildfire season drove a more than 50 percent rise in particulate levels compared to 2022, while the United States saw a 20 percent increase. Although the data currently only extends until 2023, the trend is likely to have continued as both countries face intensifying wildfire seasons, driven by warming temperatures and drought fueled by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.The year 2025 already ranks as Canada’s second worst wildfire season.”The very surprising finding to me is that in parts of the world, certainly Canada, certainly the US and it looks like parts of Europe as well, air pollution is like the zombie that we thought we had killed, and now it’s back,” said Greenstone. While the most polluted counties in the US have historically been found in California, that’s now shifting to states downwind of Canadian wildfires including Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio but also further south. More than half of Canadians breathed air with pollution above their national standard of 8.8 micrograms per cubic meter — a dramatic shift from less than five percent in the previous five years. The hardest-hit regions were provinces of Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Alberta, where particulate pollution levels rivaled those of Bolivia and Honduras, shortening lifespans by two years.Globally, fine particulate levels — defined as 2.5 micrometers and smaller — were up from 23.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 24.1 in 2023. This is nearly five times greater than the World Health Organization guideline of five.Latin America saw its highest level since 1998, with Bolivia the worst affected country.In South Asia — the world’s most polluted zone — pollution increased by 2.8 percent. Even China saw a small rebound of 2.8 percent after a decade of steady declines following under its “War on Pollution.”There were some bright spots: within the European Union, particulate concentrations fell by six percent, while in Central and West Africa, they dropped by eight percent.

A young, Muslim self-proclaimed socialist who has established himself as one of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics, fixing himself firmly in the president’s crosshairs, is on track to become New York mayor.In mere months, Zohran Mamdani has become a star of the US left as he has mounted an unprecedentedly socialist-inspired campaign to take the big chair in the Big Apple.Following his surprise June win in a Democratic primary, the 33-year-old has held a lead over his main rival in nine out of 11 polls — with an advantage of between three and 28 points.His leading opponents are the independent Andrew Cuomo, 67, the ex-New York governor who retreated from politics when he was engulfed by sexual assault claims, and current mayor Eric Adams, 64, who is mired in corruption scandals. New York’s mayoral election on November 4 is “a political litmus test of sorts for the Democratic Party that is working to regain its footing after the 2024 election,” said pollster Mary Snow.The party has been left bloodied, divided and directionless after its defeat at Trump’s hands last year.In the staunchly Democratic megacity where inequality is rampant and life is unaffordable for many, Mamdani has zeroed in on the high cost of living promising regulated rents, free bus travel and daycare to cement his appeal.”If NYC wants to remain the interesting, inspiring and dynamic city of lore that is beloved by the world, we need to at least try policies that combat the inequality, comically absurd cost of living, housing and basic services here,” said Mamdani superfan Sandy Dalal, a designer and Brooklyn-based business owner.- Eye on presidential race -The young state lawmaker has run a strong ground campaign, with his supporters going door-to-door while also staying hyperactive on social media.”He talks about feminism, he talks about politics (but) he talks about the price of the halal food carts… even if you’re not Muslim, everyone eats from those carts because they’re everywhere,” said political pundit Lincoln Mitchell.Mamdani “really seems real in a way that Cuomo just seems like he’s coming from another era.”While the Democratic Party, and those on the right of it like Cuomo, are accused of going soft on Trump, Mamdani has not.Mamdani, born in Uganda to Indian parents, has slammed Trump for victimizing the weakest in society — the poor and migrants.”What the voters want is not just the kind of ‘left-of-center’ economic redistributive policies… but somebody who is unequivocal in standing up to Trump,” said Mitchell.Republicans have come out swinging against what they call the “nut job” and “communist,” with Trump threatening to cut off federal funds to the city if he wins.The other Democrats challenging Mamdani deride him too, with Adams accusing him of “false promises” and insisting he is “competing against him because this is not a socialist city.”Cuomo has repeatedly attacked Mamdani for occupying a coveted rent-controlled apartment with increases regulated by the city, saying his legislative salary means he could move.But their attacks have done little to bloody the rising star of the left.”Mamdani’s ability to connect with voters and his focus on affordability, for one, has resonated with voters,” said Snow. “It would not be surprising if Democrats took a page from Mamdani’s campaign playbook as they look toward the midterm elections — and the next presidential race.”

NATO on Thursday said all its members were finally set this year to hit the alliance’s previous defence spending target of two percent of GDP — as they gear up for a far more ambitious goal.The 32-nation military alliance agreed at a June summit in the Hague to massively hike defence spending over the next decade under pressure from US President Donald Trump.The mercurial US leader rammed through a commitment from allies to cough up five percent of their GDPs on security-related spending in a move seen as key to keeping him engaged with NATO.That headline figure breaks down as 3.5 percent on core defence spending and 1.5 percent on a looser range of areas such as infrastructure and cyber security.The new target replaces the alliance’s former military spending goal of two percent that was first set back in 2014.NATO said in a statement that all allies were now expected to reach that goal in 2025 and that overall defence spending across the alliance would top $1.5 trillion for the year.That comes after a group of stragglers — including Spain, Belgium and Italy — hastily announced plans to reach two percent ahead of the Hague gathering. The struggle to reach that figure highlights how difficult it will be for NATO countries in Europe to achieve Trump’s far higher new target set this year. But officials insist European countries must make good on their pledge if they are to have the capabilities needed to ward off Russia.Numerous Western militaries and intelligence services have warned that Moscow could be ready to attack a NATO country within three to five years if the war in Ukraine ends. Washington — which has underpinned European security since World War II — meanwhile insists it wants to shift more of the responsibility for the continent’s defences onto European countries.The Pentagon is currently conducting a review of its worldwide deployments and has warned it could look to scale back its footstep in Europe to focus more on China. While some European countries have lagged behind on defence spending, NATO members close to Russia such as Poland and the Baltic states are already set to reach five percent of GDP in the next few years.Poland was projected to be the highest spending NATO country in 2025 at 4.48 percent. The United States currently spends 3.22 percent of its GDP on defence, but makes up the lion’s share of the alliance’s total expenditure in dollar terms. 

The head of the US public health agency has stepped down after just four weeks on the job, health officials announced Wednesday without explaining her departure, which follows the Trump administration’s shift toward vaccine skepticism.”Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” the Department of Health, which oversees the CDC, said in a curt statement on X.Monarez, a health scientist and long-time civil servant, earned US Senate confirmation to the job and was then sworn in by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr on July 31.The Washington Post, which first reported Monarez’s dismissal, said she had refused to commit to supporting changes in vaccination policy sought by Kennedy, who is known for his vaccine skepticism.According to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Monarez was pressured to resign by the health secretary.The department did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment on the reports.Since taking office, RFK Jr, as he is known, has initiated a sweeping overhaul of US vaccine policy, dismissing renowned immunization experts, restricting access to Covid-19 shots, and slashing funding for the development of new vaccines.Such measures are predominantly against scientific consensus, and have been criticized by outside experts.The White House in March had to abandon President Donald Trump’s first nominee as CDC head, David Weldon, a doctor known for his anti-vaccine stance, for fear he would not receive sufficient Senate support for confirmation.The Monarez departure comes amid a crisis at the Atlanta-based CDC, which was the target of an armed attack in early August by a man who reportedly blamed the Covid vaccine on an unspecified illness.Hundreds of health agency employees and former employees subsequently signed an open letter condemning Kennedy’s actions and accusing the health secretary of putting people at risk by spreading misinformation, particularly about vaccines.

A heavily-armed shooter opened fire Wednesday on school children attending a church service in Minneapolis, killing two pupils and wounding 17 people in the latest violent tragedy to jolt the United States.City police chief Brian O’Hara said that the attacker sprayed bullets through the windows of the Annunciation Church as dozens of young students were at a Mass marking their first week back at school.The church sits next to an affiliated Catholic school in Minneapolis, the largest city in the Midwestern state of Minnesota.”Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said, adding that another 14 children and three elderly parishioners were injured by gunfire.The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before dying by suicide in the parking lot. He had purchased the weapons legally, police said.One 10-year-old said he had survived the shooting thanks to a friend who covered him with his body.”I just ran under the pew, and then I covered my head,” he told broadcaster CBS. “My friend Victor saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.”- A country of school shootings -The mass shooting is the latest in a long line of deadly school attacks in the United States, where attempts to restrict easy access to firearms face political deadlock.FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”Patel identified the shooter as “Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman.”Westman, now 23, legally changed name in 2020 and identified as female, court papers show.In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the shooter was “claiming to be transgender” and called the attack “unthinkable.”Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey warned against using the attack to lash out at transgender people, and addressed the issue of gun ownership in the United States.”Anybody who is using this… as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity,” Frey told reporters.”We’ve got more guns in this country than we have people, and it’s on all of us to recognize the truth and the reality that we can’t just say that this shouldn’t happen again and then allow it to happen again and again.”- Panicked parents -US media reports said Westman had been a student at the school.Videos posted online by the shooter showed a multi-page manifesto, and names and drawings of firearms.O’Hara, the police chief, said the “manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings and content has since been taken down.”Witnesses and survivors told of a harrowing scene with the shooter dressed in black and wearing a ski mask opening fire, and children hiding in church pews.Video footage from outside a police cordon showed panicked parents hurrying away with their young children dressed in a school uniform of green polo shirts.The attack drew condemnation and expressions of grief from many including President Donald Trump, who directed that US flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff.Pope Leo XIV — the first American to head the Catholic Church — said he was “profoundly saddened” by the tragedy.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called for Americans “to do the best we can, to understand what we can do to prevent any parent from having to receive the calls they received today.”This year, there have been at least 287 mass shootings — defined as a shooting involving at least four victims, dead or wounded — across the country, according to the Gun Violence Archive.At least 16,700 people were killed in US firearms violence last year, not including suicides.Among the many shocking US school shootings was a rampage in 2022 when an 18-year-old gunman stormed a Uvalde, Texas elementary school and opened fire, killing 19 students and two teachers.

A shooter opened fire Wednesday on school children attending a church service in Minneapolis, killing two pupils and wounding 17 people in the latest violent tragedy to jolt the United States.City police chief Brian O’Hara told a media briefing that the attacker sprayed bullets into the Annunciation Church as dozens of students were at a Mass marking their first week back to school.The church sits next to an affiliated Catholic school in southern Minneapolis, the largest city in the Midwestern state of Minnesota.”Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said, adding that 17 people were injured, including 14 children.Two were in critical condition, he said.The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before dying by suicide in the parking lot, according to the police chief.He said the shooter was 23, did not have an extensive criminal history and was believed to have acted alone.Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel later identified the shooter as “Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman.”Patel posted on X that the FBI was investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”Videos reportedly posted online by Westman showed a multi-page manifesto, and names and drawings of firearms.The attack drew condemnation and expressions of grief from many including President Donald Trump, who directed that US flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff.Pope Leo XIV — the first American to head the Catholic Church — said he was “profoundly saddened” by the tragedy.Two adults and nine children, aged six to 14, were being treated at the Hennepin County Medical Center, doctors said, with at least four people requiring immediate surgery.”Minnesota is heartbroken,” Governor Tim Walz wrote on X.”From the officers responding, to the clergy and teachers providing comfort, to the hospital staff saving lives, we will get through this together,” he said, adding: “Hug your kids close.”Video footage from outside a police cordon showed panicked parents hurrying away with their young children dressed in a school uniform of green polo shirts.- A country of school shootings -Witnesses and survivors told of a harrowing scene with the shooter dressed in black and wearing a ski mask opening fire, and children hiding in church pews.”It was very scary… We just got in the pews and he shot through the stained-glass windows,” a fifth-grade boy who survived the attack told local Fox 9 television station.The boy said a friend was “laying on top of me… making sure I was safe, and he got hit. So that was really brave of him.”The mass shooting is the latest in a long line of deadly school attacks in the United States, where guns outnumber people and attempts to restrict access to firearms face perennial political deadlock.This year, there have been at least 287 mass shootings — defined as a shooting involving at least four victims, dead or wounded — across the country, according to the Gun Violence Archive.At least 16,700 people were killed in US firearms violence last year, not including suicides.Among the many shocking school shootings was a rampage in 2022 when an 18-year-old gunman stormed a Uvalde, Texas elementary school and opened fire, killing 19 students and two teachers.- ‘Don’t just say… thoughts and prayers’ -“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters.”They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence.”A White House official said Trump had quickly spoken with Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in last year’s election.Wednesday’s shooting comes amid a wave of false reports of active shooters that have provoked panic at several US college campuses.

A gunman opened fire Wednesday on school children attending church in Minneapolis, killing two pupils and wounding 17 people, police said, in the country’s latest violent tragedy.Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told a media briefing that the shooter, in his early twenties, sprayed bullets into the Annunciation Church as dozens of students were at Mass to celebrate their first week back to school.The church sits next to an affiliated school in the south of the city, the largest in the state of Minnesota.”Two young children, ages eight and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said, adding that 17 others were injured, including 14 children.Two were in critical condition, he said.The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before he took his own life in the parking lot, according to the police chief.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on X earlier that he was “praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”Live video footage showed panicked parents retrieving their young children and fleeing, amid a major emergency response.- A country of school shootings -“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” O’Hara said.”Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children, for these young lives that are now fighting to recover, and for our entire community that has been so deeply traumatized by this senseless attack,” he added.Wednesday’s violence is the latest in a long line of school shootings in the United States, where guns outnumber people and attempts to restrict access to firearms face perennial political deadlock.”Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters.”They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence.”President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “tragic shooting” and that the FBI was responding.”The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.The confirmed shooting comes after a wave of false reports of active shooters at US college campuses around the country as students return from summer break.

US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley rounded out his squad on Wednesday, opting not to become the first playing captain in 62 years in the biennial match play showdown with Europe.Bradley named his six captain’s selections to complete the 12-man US team and didn’t call his own name, saying he ultimately decided he must focus on his captain’s duties as the Americans vie to regain the trophy they lost in Rome two years ago.”I grew up wanting to play Ryder Cups,” Bradley said at a press conference at the PGA of America headquarters in Frisco, Texas. “I grew up wanting to fight alongside these guys. And it just broke my heart no to play.”But ultimately I was chosen to do a job,” he added. “I was chosen to be captain of this team. And my ultimate goal to start this whole thing was to be the best captain that I could be.”And this is how I felt like I could do this.”The 39-year-old’s strong season — including a victory at the Traveller’s Championship and six other top-10 finishes — sparked speculation he would choose himself and become the first US playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.US President Donald Trump, who plans to attend the first of three days of competition at Bethpage Black in New York, was among those weighing in with the opinion that Bradley should select himself — Bradley calling it “surreal” that the the matter would catch the attention of the president.Bradley, who said he thought the Ryder Cup had grown into “a different animal” since Palmer’s day, instead named two-time major winners Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, Ryder Cup veterans Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns and Ryder Cup rookies Ben Griffin and Cameron Young.”It was an extremely difficult decision,” Bradley said. “I would say there was a point this year where I was playing, a while ago, and these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team,” Bradley said.”It was an extremely difficult decision, but one that I’m really happy with and with these six players.”And I’m glad it’s over,” he added of the agonizing selection process.They join the six automatic qualifiers for the US lineup: top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, two-time major winners Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, US Open winner J.J. Spaun and fellow Ryder Cup rookie Russell Henley and Harris English.Scheffler has enjoyed another stellar season, with his five victories including major titles at the PGA Championship and British Open.He headlines a US team vying to regain the trophy they surrendered with a 16.5-11.5 loss to Europe in Rome.Team Europe will retain the bulk of their line-up from 2023 as they try to capture their first away victory since the “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.

US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for billionaire George Soros and his son to face criminal charges over unfounded claims that their family, a favorite right-wing target, is behind “violent protests” around the country.Trump did not specify what prompted his morning outburst, but it comes as his administration pursues multiple criminal investigations against his perceived enemies.”George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to a law against taking part in a criminal organization.The Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic empire founded by Soros, slammed Trump’s comments.”These accusations are outrageous and false. The Open Society Foundations do not support or fund violent protests,” a spokesperson for the foundations said in a statement to AFP.The foundations support the “rights to free speech and peaceful protest that are hallmarks of any vibrant democracy,” the spokesperson added.Long-standing conspiracy theories involving the Soros family swirled again in June, as street protests broke out in Los Angeles against a ramp up of immigration raids.Trump used the demonstrations as justification to deploy the National Guard and Marines into the Democratic-run city.Fact-checkers including AFP debunked several images which circulated online at the time, purporting to show that nonprofit groups backed by the Soros family had strategically placed bricks to hurl at police.- ‘We’re watching you! -Hungarian-born Soros, 95, has long been a bogeyman for the far right in Europe and the United States for his financial support of progressive causes and the Democratic Party.He has been baselessly blamed for propagating migrant crises in Europe and on the southern border of the United States, and for orchestrating mass protests, including those against police brutality after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.The years-long campaign against Soros, who is Jewish, is often accused of being motivated by antisemitism.”Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.”We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more,” he added, warning: “Be careful, we’re watching you!”Trump previously accused Soros of being behind his 2024 conviction for covering up hush money payments to a porn star, alleging that the financier controlled the public prosecutor who brought the charges.Soros announced in 2023 that he would hand over control of the Open Society Foundations to his son Alex.In the 2024 election, Alex Soros was a vocal supporter of Trump’s Democratic opponent, vice president Kamala Harris.Shortly before leaving office in January, Joe Biden awarded the elder Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom — America’s highest civilian honor — citing his support for “projects across the world that strengthen democracy, human rights, education and social justice.”

The Trump administration said Wednesday it will exert more control over Washington by taking over management of Union Station, the US capital’s rail hub.The announcement by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — he said the station had become “dilapidated” — came as the administration has already deployed thousands of federal agents and National Guard troops to the streets of Washington to battle what it calls a surge in violent crime.President Donald Trump “wants Union Station to be beautiful again. He wants transit to be safe again. He wants our nation’s capital to be great again,” Duffy told a press conference at the stately building a stone’s throw from the US Capitol.Union Station, which opened in 1907, has been owned by the government since the 1980s but its operational control is held by the national railroad company Amtrak.Now the Trump administration is taking over.Since the 1980s “Washington Union Station has become dilapidated. It is known more as a center for vagrancy than a hub for commerce and travel,” Duffy said in a statement.”We are going to make the investments to make sure that this station isn’t dirty, we don’t have homelessness in the Union Station,” Duffy said at the press conference, which was called to unveil a new generation of Amtrak high speed trains.The administration plans improvements including to elevators, lighting and security, and will put on a new roof, Duffy said.As he seeks to exert control on a broad range of American institutions, Trump has cracked down on the overwhelmingly Democratic city where he lives, depicting it as overrun by street shootings and other crime.The show of force has been widely criticized as the latest power grab Trump has made or attempted since returning to the White House in January.The US capital has a unique legal status as it is not a state or part of one, and operates under a relationship with the federal government that limits its autonomy and grants Congress extraordinary control over local matters.Trump used this loophole to send the National Guard into Washington this month.