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Sperm count among western men halved in last 40 years, according to data collected from 185 studies carried out between 1973 and 2011 in North America, Europe and Australia, research involving 43,000 men

World

Russia and China will have joint military drill in the Baltic Sea at the end of July, want to strengthen the cooperation between the states
More than 2,300 civilians killed by Coalition strikes overseen by Trump in Iraq and Syria, averaging to over four times more per month than under Obama, shows in part brutal final stages of Raqqa and Mosul battles but also indications that civilian protections have lessened under Trump, according to Airwars research
EU allows member countries to ban export of inflatable boats and outboard motors to Libya when thinking they will be used by human traffickers, measure not to be applied to fishermen and others with legitimate needs
Sweden ranked first in Oxfam's equality index that measures politicians trying to reduce the gap in wealth between rich and poor, social spending, progressive taxation and workers' rights three key areas, Sweden didn't come first in any of the key areas
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says Catholic church "on the verge of capsizing" in speech at conservative Cardinal Joachim Meisner's funeral, is interpreted as heavy criticism of Pope Francis
Identitarian "Defend Europe" charters 130-foot ship with crowdfunded USD 100,000 to obstruct Mediterranean migrant flow and return migrants to Africa, plans to work together with Libyan coastguard but unclear how country views project
China sends troops and warships to the country's first foreign military base in Djibouti, claiming the base will be used for logistic purposes
Trump nominates notorious China critic Dennis Shea as government's deputy US trade envoy, is likely to result in trade barriers against China
Macron says monetary contributions to African countries ineffective, corruption and high birth rates problems that cannot be solved with money
Israel concurs with Hungarian criticism of George Soros, says billionaire finances organizations which slander Israel and its government

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Miscellaneous

Two brothers from Turin caught robbing dozens of cash machines dressed up in Trump masks, claim to be inspired by film classic The Jackal
Kosovan soccer player recently signed with Macedonian FC Skopje leaves club as logo contains cross, states his Muslim faith very important to him
Squirrel attacks at least five people in Prospect Park, New York, could be infected with rabies due to its aggressiveness even though rabid squirrels are very rare
Yokozuna Hakuhō wins his 39th Grand Basho, also breaks the all time record of 1047 won matches, now looks forward towards the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where he hopes to perform dohyo-iri at the opening ceremony
Development and support for legendary Paint to end as Microsoft releases update of Windows 10, is replaced by Paint 3D which will be released in April
Five-year-old girl in London fined GBP 150 for selling lemonade to festival goers without the required license, later receives official apology and fine is withdrawn
Nielsen Music finds that hip-hop is for the first time listened to more than rock in the US, the former subculture now accounts for 25 percent of all US music consumption
Djibouti dissolves national football team after 5-1 loss to Ethiopia due to "never-ending series of bad results", switches focus to youth teams according to new federation policy
Chester Bennington dies at the age of 41, was lead singer of Linkin Park
Citizenship test debate in Switzerland after 25-year-old woman born in country flunks for lacking recycling knowledge as well as neither knowing baseball-golf hybrid hornussen, folk wrestling style schwingen nor any local shops

Media

Patreon bans right-wing libertarian freelance journalist Lauren Southern, claims her activities "likely to cause loss of life"
Facebook plans testing paywall for subscription news stories, would allow media partners to maintain full control over which stories to lock behind paywall and full control of their subscriber data, pay model unclear
HBO says Game of Thrones-directors David Benioff and Dan Weiss making a new series for the company, story in Confederate revolves around alternative history where slavery is allowed and the southern states has seceded while the US is headed for third civil war
Facebook will run ads in marketplace for free as a way to test effectiveness, Facebook tells investors they are running out of places to put ads in News Feed
Man who trolled Janet Yellens press conference with handwritten note gets USD 15,000 in bitcoin donations, Bitcoin to release SegWit2x July 21st
SoundCloud fires 40% of staff, runs out of money in Q4, morale among remaining employees at rock bottom, future of company and vast sound collection at risk
Newspaper owners and billionaires Bezos, Buffett and Slim claim economic hardship and demand antitrust exception for collective negotiations with Google and Facebook
CNN prime time ratings fall below re-runs of decades old shows, channel in hot water over made-up Trump stories and extortion of Reddit user
Turkish site sendika.org applies to Guinness World Records for recognition as world's most censored news website after 48 attempts to block it
China introduces obligatory propaganda in cinemas, film lovers to be informed about Communist Party's latest directives and policy visions to better understand and accept them, according to state media agency

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Politics

European Court of Justice maintains Hamas' classification as a terrorist organization, removes Sri Lanka separatist movement Tamil Tigers
Germany’s Social Democratic leader Martin Schulz warns of new wave of uncontrolled immigration, accuses Merkel of ignoring issue as she aims to secure fourth term in September election
Democrats start using encrypted messaging app Wickr after last year's leak, hire ex-Uber Engineer Raffi Krikorian as its chief technology officer
Glenn Greenwald: New lobby group "Alliance for Securing Democracy" unites mainstream Democratic foreign policy officials and world’s most militaristic neocons, will re-shape U.S. foreign policy toward a more hostile, belligerent and hawkish posture toward in particular Russia
Arthur Gordian: The right should take inspiration from class analysis of Marx, US conservatism doomed after fall of communism dissolved meta-class which constituted its base
Google may get additional fines as European Commission investigates whether Android breaks EU competition regulations, has previously been fined in case related to search engine
Tom Slater: Emmanuel Macron increasingly autocratic, uses trappings of old monarchy to argue for limiting power of parliament, co-workers fuel personality cult with comparison to Roman god Jupiter
Crowds gathered by bus for Trump speech in Warsaw, Law and Justice party calls event "great patriotic picnic"
South Korea president Moon Jae-in says qualifications should come first when hiring, pictures and health questions may be banned
Foundation for Responsible Robotics seeks ban on UK imports of sex robots in likeness of children, time for market to be regulated according to Professor Noel Sharkey

Annons

Opinion

Gareth Porter: Consensus between CIA and allies in Middle East behind US' intervention in Syria, necessary to shed light on deep state's shared interests with Sunni regimes to counter policy where arms are sent to terrorists
James Walpole: Defending oneself from criticism in an argument a sign of weakness, legitimizes and empowers the critic
Matthew Reece: Helicopter rides taken out of historical context by alt-right, proper libertarian use is for forcing exile rather than execution
Adil E. Shamoo: As ISIS is near defeat Yemenis continue to suffer with 10,000 casualties so far, US policy in the area runs similar to policy in Iraq in that it provides terrorist organizations a tool for recruitment
Elon Musk believes governments must enact proactive regulation against artificial intelligence, intelligent machines can eradicate mankind
Patrick West: Mythology of islamophobia gives left opportunity to emphasize its alleged tolerance, moves dicussion from Islamist terror threat to more comfortable subjects such as Catholics' view on abortion
Fisayo Soyombo: Igbo secession movement still going strong 50 years past declaration of Biafra and Nigerian civil war, important not to dismiss movement and military crackdowns were grave error, fragmentation a million times better than war
Gilbert Doctorow: Trump-Putin meeting at G20 is the first step in normalizing relations, comparable to Nixon-Brezhnev detente
Actual Anarchy: Net neutrality is Newspeak for governmental control, price controls for internet traffic leads to less innovation and worse services just like it has for all other areas
Sophia A. McClennen: Alt-right's emotive communication style graver threat to democracy than fake news, exemplified by growing dominance on YouTube

Annons

Europe

Macron orders temporary nationalisation of France's largest shipyard to thwart Italian ownership, site strategically important as it is country's only one with capacity to build large warships and 7,000 jobs depend on it
Malta plans 159 km gas pipeline to Italy for connection to the European gas network, estimated to cost €322 million and be ready by 2024
Massive fires in southern France and in Corsica force 10,000 people to evacuate, 4,000 firemen and 19 water bombers have been called in, lightning strike caused one fire, but many fires are started by cigarette butts
Less rainfall than usual in large parts of Italy, Rome residents brace themselves for water rationing and regional state of emergency declared in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany
French farmers hit out at brown bear reintroduction in Pyrenees after 209 sheep hurl themselves to their deaths off cliff after bear attack, say pastoralism incompatible with reintroduction of large predators where last female brown bear native to area was shot dead in 2004
Lithuania's president Dalia Grybauskaitė says Nato should deploy anti-aircraft weapons in Baltics to counter Russian threat, describes air defenses as military alliance's weakest link
Russian-backed Ukranian separatists declare creation of new state Malorossiya in Ukraine with rebel bastion Donetsk as capital – Ukrainian president Poroshenko says he will restore sovereignity and predicts project will fall apart, Russian Duma deputy says new state could be way out for war-torn eastern Ukraine population
One in three Bavarians want independence from Germany according to YouGov poll published in Bild, German constitution does not permit secession from the federation
Russia's Supreme Court rejects Jehovah's Witnesses' appeal against extremist declaration and banning, orders disbanding and requires group to hand over all properties to Russian Government
Turkey extends state of emergency three additional months for fourth time since last year's coup – main opposition party critized decision, but bill passed with comfortable majority

North America

Trump eliminates funding for teenage pregnancy prevention programs, started in 2010 by Obama the funding was intended to last until 2020
Nine men believed to be illegal immigrants found dead in sweltering trailer in San Antonio, Texas, another 28 people taken to hospitals of which 20 in "critical to very critical" condition from dehydration and heat stroke
Man in Houston may have to pay USD 65,000 in child support for child who isn't his, many years ago didn't fight that the amount was deducted from his pay check and that may be enough to bind the man to the now 16-year-old girl he hadn't met until the case went up in court
US authorities shut down AlphaBay and Hansa on darknet, users immediately move to the alternative DreamMarket, the e-commerce sites specialize in drugs, chemicals and weapons
Number of concealed carriers in the US hits record high, blacks and women lead decade-long growth trend
Man spends USD 550 to build stairs to community park in Toronto, authorities threaten to tear them down due to non-compliance with regulations, original proposals submitted to the city to build new stairs were USD 65,000-150,000
OJ Simpson will face a parole hearing this week in Nevada, if approved he could be released by Oct. 1st, friend says that if released Simpson will likely return to golfing hobby
World's largest firefighting aircraft stuck on ground despite more than 50 active large fires across western U.S. as U.S. Forest Service won't give it permission to fly, reason for non-decision unknown but budget concerns is suggested
US Department of Justice prosecutes 412 people who participated in fraud against the US healthcare system that cost taxpayers 1.3 billion USD, doctors have prescribed unnecessary opioid drugs and sent the bill to the government
US recommends its citizens to have adequate vaccination when traveling to Europe, measles eradicated in the US but has strong foothold in Europe

Latin America

Venezuela bans protests that could "disturb or affect" Sunday's election for new constituent assembly, 5–10 years prison terms could be imposed on those contravening the ban, according to Interior Minister Reverol
Brazilian blogger sued by judge and politician because of videos criticizing them, converted all of his assets into Bitcoin to avoid having his assets frozen, Bitcoin almost 30 times more valuable since
Military forces of Venezuela back Nicolás Maduro, promising to protect next week's referendum, which will allow for constitutional changes in order to strengthen the power of the president, Trump threatens Caracas with economic measures
Ecuador stops the construction of controversial wall along the Peruvian border, the former left-wing country wants to approach the second block on the continent with countries such as Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru
7.2 million voted in Venezuelan opposition's unofficial referendum, with 98% voting no on three referendums, former Mexico president Vicente Fox declared "persona non grata" and banned for life from entering Venezuela after acting as observer
Over 280,000 left without power in Santiago de Chile after heaviest snowfall in city in 20 years, reports of injuries caused by damaged cables
Venezuela opposition holds unofficial plebiscite to defy Maduro, one of three questions is if early elections are wanted, public employees said to seek creative ways of voting without being noticed
Private consortium discovers oil 60 kilometers off the coast of Mexico, fifth largest deposit found worldwide in 5 years; government of Mexico controls oil resources
Former Brazil president Lula sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for accepting beachfront apartment in return for state oil company contracts, charges of bribery, money laundering, influence peddling and obstruction of justice remaining
Venezuelan police reportedly asking for bribes in Colombian Pesos due to hyperinflation, opposition leaders claim that protesters are being unjustly held

Asia

Indian government won't allow autonomous cars, says transport minister, reason given is to protect jobs
Duterte plans to bomb schools teaching communism to children from indigenous groups, human rights activists say this would be a war crime
Armed guards deployed to markets in Central Indian state Madhya Pradesh after a five-fold hike in tomato price, heavy monsoon rain limits the supply
68,000 USD of New Zealand taxpayer money is spent on imported South Korean mud for a music festival, organizers want to give Mudtopia visitors the experience of various types of mud
South Korea's former minister of culture receives a two year suspended sentence and her chief of staff is sentenced to three years in jail, the chief of staff created a list of cultural figures critical of the regime and used the list to deny them any government subsidies
Former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf says in interview that he considered using nuclear weapons against India during the 2001 conflict between the countries, only deterred by the risk of retaliation
At least 26 Afghan soldiers killed and 13 injured as Taliban attack military base in Kandahar province, more than 80 terrorists neutralized
North Korea cancels annual Taedonggang beer festival for unknown reasons shortly before second planned installment
Sri Lanka plagued by major outbreak of dengue fever, more than 100,000 victims this year, which is 4.3 times more than the average since 2010, military personnel have been called in
At least 30 dead, 42 injured as suicide car bomb strikes bus carrying government employees in Afghan capital Kabul, Taliban claim to have carried out attack

Middle East

Warning shots fired by US patrol ship at Iranian vessel in Persian Gulf, approximately 60 unsafe interactions with Iran's navy recorded by US military since 2015
Iran and Iraq sign agreement to increase military cooperation with aim to fight terrorism and extremism, countries' ties have improved after Iraq's Shiite government came to power after fall of Saddam Hussein
US drone strike in Helmand province in Afghanistan kills 16 Afghan policemen, 52 airstrikes have been carried out by US in area over past five days
Seven villagers killed after being kidnapped by Talibans in southern Afghanistan, 30 kidnapped released and 30 still missing – villagers accused of cooperating with the authorities, according to local media
Three Israelis stabbed to death and one critically wounded as 19-year-old Palestinian broke into home in settlement Halamish, terrorist arrested after being shot by IDF soldier on leave
Israeli police bar Muslim men under 50 from Old City and Temple Mount during Friday prayers, tensions risen after metal detector installations – 37 injured after police fire rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters throwing rocks and bottles
The Palestinian Authority's costs of terrorist wages increase sharply, terrorists and their families cost USD 355 million annually
Iran's president Hassan Rouhani's brother transferred to hospital on second day of detention in connection with corruption case, charges interpreted as attempt to discredit president according to his followers
United Arab Emirates arranged for hacking Qatari government social media and news sites in late May, prompting current diplomatic crisis, according to Washington Post report citing US intelligence officials
At least one dead, 56 injured after clashes between police and residents on al-Warraq island in Cairo, state claims land ownership and wishes to demolish buildings while residents say they built the houses 30 years ago and have proof of ownership

Africa

South African opposition parties ask for secret vote on motion of no confidence in president Zuma, are convinced more than the 50 ANC MPs required will vote in favor
Dozens of alleged Boko Haram suspects died in Cameroon secret custody at military base also used by American and French troops, 101 tortured between 2013 and 2017, according to Amnesty International
South Sudan declares state of emergency in four northern states after months of clan-based militia clashes, all four states former parts of state Bahr el Ghazal until 2015
Uganda plans changing constitution to remove 75 year presidential candidate age limit, current president Museveni will be 77 years old in 2021 election, constitution was changed in 2005 to allow Museveni a third term
Nigeria investigates reports that Cameroonian paramilitary unit killed 97 Nigerian fishermen in Bakassi peninsula after enforcing fishing levy
Nigerian finance minister says country must continue borrowing to fund 2017 budget, record budget planned to spend way out of recession
Not possible to hold presidential election in Democratic Republic of Congo later this year according to electoral commission head Corneille Nangaa, opposition leader Félix Tshisekedi condemns announcement as declaration of war on Congolese people
Botswana bans exports of donkey meat, sales to Asia said to be partial explanation, Ministry of Agricultural Development calls for farmers to ear mark animals to enable identification and taking inventory
Ghana launches first satellite after development at local university with support from Japan space agency Jaxa, to be used for mapping coastlines and laying ground for future space capacity, including monitoring illegal mining
Grace Mugabe grabs former state-owned iconic Mazowe Dam and surrounding land tracts, armed police deployed to keep away infuriated villagers, seizure unlawful according to country's Water Act unless permission granted by President

Economy

Jeff Bezos passes Bill Gates as the world's richest person after a surge in Amazon stock, has a net worth of USD 92.3 billion compared to Gates' USD 90.8 billion
AlphaBay, the largest black market in the darknet has been shut down after crackdown by authorities from the US, Canada and Thailand, had an estimated turnover of more than USD 600,000 per day
Global sell-off in negative interest yielding bonds after central bankers signal coming end for stimulus, total share of Bloomberg Barclays Global benchmark index down to 18 month lowest of 14%
Singapore ready to negotiate automatic exchange of financial information with Indonesia, approximately 60 % of 75 billion USD assets stored abroad by Indonesians are in Singaporean banks
Republicans tip better than Democrats, men better than women, people who pay by card better than people paying cash, most common amount between 16 and 20 percent, according to US survey
Food prices in Estonia up 6.1% in June year on year, largest increase in Euro zone where average is 1.4%
French PM proposes policies to increase country's attraction for financial sector, including decreased income tax for high-income workers and opening of international schools
Beef sales up in US for first time in a decade, lower prices of gas and corn feed contributing causes
Facebook builds 1,500 units of housing in Silicon Valley to alleviate hiring hurdle, wants to build village in Menlo Park with neighborhood centre providing services to residents
Blockade of Qatar leads to shortage of liquefied helium, country is world's second largest supplier

Technology

Adobe to stop distributing Flash Player at end of 2020, will offer security updates during transition
Floating wind farms are created east of Scotland, at present very expensive to manufacture but the government subsidizes it, the cost is expected to decrease as demand increases, birdwatchers are skeptical as the wings will kill birds, the IPCC demand the government will have to invest even more in new technology
Elon Musk announces that he has been granted oral permission to build hyperlink between New York and Washington DC, unclear which authorities that have given permission, the travel time is estimated to 29 minutes
Trial where driverless cars pick up patients and drive them to hospital parking lot to take place in Copenhagen within 2018
Microsoft plans to provide fast Internet access to rural areas using unused TV channels, focusing on 12 US states to add 2 million new high-speed internet users
Edible chop sticks announced in Japan, made out of rush grass like traditional tatami mats, initiative to create new interest for tatami and economic growth in Kumamoto prefecture
Ethereum finds use case to automate media bureaucracy with smart contracts, intended to promote precise reporting readers want and journalists want to report
New software predicts how people look through analysis of DNA traces, predicts eye color, skin color and geographical descent, to be used by US law enforcement to find suspects when full DNA or fingerprints are not available
Company behind Chinese rail bus running elevated above car lanes investigated for illegal financing, test track has increased traffic problems
Robot tested on Sicilian volcano Etna by German space agency, to explore inside of mountain and make seismic measurements in preparation for expeditions to Moon and Mars

Science

Sperm count among western men halved in last 40 years, according to data collected from 185 studies carried out between 1973 and 2011 in North America, Europe and Australia, research involving 43,000 men
Studies show that most drugs remain stable several years after their expiration dates, FDA aware of the fact but indifferent to changing the way expiration dates are set
Habitable zone around TRAPPIST-1 so close to the star that the UV radiation makes it unlikely it could support life according to researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Implanted stents may remain open either by coating the stent with Sildenafil or by taking tablets with Sildenafil, according to study on rats
Priests and rabbis take part in psilocybin experiment to assess how psychedelic experience influence religious thinking – researchers have yet to find willing Muslim and Hindu participants
Researchers have discovered particle with two heavy quarks at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, the two heavy quarks circle around each other in a binary system, will help to understand how Universe works
Neanderthals met and bred with humans far earlier than expected, according to DNA analysis of 124,000-year-old bone fragment
Methylphenidate treatment before age 16 associated with changed GABA signaling in medial prefrontal cortex in adulthood according to study on 44 ADHD patients
Cameroonian Nso children outperform German children in marshmallow test, wait twice as long and more than twice as many wait full 10 minutes, also exhibit less negative emotions
20% of male river fish transgendered due to contraceptive pills flushed down drains, according to UK study

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