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MORE ON: CORONAVIRUS Biden proposal expands eligibility for $1,400 stimulus checks Biden announces $1.9 trillion COVID-19 economic package Fashion ‘bible’ WWD loses two top editors amid COVID pandemic woes Two members of WHO team can’t enter China over positive antibody tests The coronavirus pandemic will shorten the life expectancy at birth for Americans by about a year due to the more than 336,000 deaths from the illness in the US in 2020, according to new research. Researchers at the University of Southern California and Princeton project that life expectancy will be cut by 1.13 years 77.48 years, according to their...

When Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in May, 2016, Bill Shorten, the leader of the Australian Labor Party, said on radio later that month, “I think Donald Trump’s views are just barking mad on some issues.” Shorten has not withdrawn the remark or apologized. He is still the leader of the Australian Labor Party and is believed very likely to win the next national election which is expected in May. I think if the facts are presented to the Australian people they wont elect Shorten so I will do my best to let others know...

Australia’s opposition leader conceded defeat on Sunday in a chaotic national election that has left Australia in a state of political paralysis for more than a week, while officials scramble to sort out who, if anyone, actually won the tight race. Vote counting was still underway from the July 2 ballot, but opposition leader Bill Shorten said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ruling conservative coalition would eventually secure enough seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives to retain power. […] With Shorten’s center-left Labor Party out of the running, just two options remain: Either the coalition will form a majority government...

TUSTIN, Calif., Sept. 7, 2007 -- An amplified photon thruster that could potentially shorten the trip to Mars from six months to a week has reportedly attracted the attention of aerospace agencies and contractors. Young Bae, founder of the Bae Institute in Tustin, Calif., first demonstrated his photonic laser thruster (PLT), which he built with off-the-shelf components, in December. The demonstration produced a photon thrust of 35 µN and is scalable to achieve much greater thrust for future space missions, the institute said. Applications include highly precise satellite formation flying configurations for building large synthetic apertures in space for earth...

Bearing sons 'can shorten mother's life' By Roger Highfield, Science Editor (Filed: 02/11/2005) Giving birth to and raising several sons could be bad for the long-term health of mothers but good for fathers, according to a study published today. Scientists suspect that having large families shortens a parent's lifespan, because the effects of reproduction and childcare can take their toll on health. However, in a society without good health care, sons could be especially costly for the mother for several reasons. They are, on average, born heavier and place more physical stresses on the body. They also raise levels of...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said Saturday that prison terms are too long and that he favors scrapping the practice of setting mandatory minimum sentences for some federal crimes. "Our resources are misspent, our punishments too severe, our sentences too long," Kennedy told the annual meeting of the American Bar Association, his remark met by long applause. "I can accept neither the necessity nor the wisdom of federal mandatory minimum sentences," Kennedy said. "In all too many cases, mandatory minimum sentences are unjust." Kennedy is a moderate conservative placed on the court by former President...