NEW AI helping to identify undiagnosed genetic disorders in children
Researchers have developed the world's first algorithm powered by artificial intelligence to identify children with undiagnosed rare genetic disorders.
Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force and air defence during a four-hour mission. The flight followed several similar patrols over Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the north.
The mission came as the Kremlin has moved troops from Siberia and the Far East to Belarus for sweeping joint drills. The deployment added to the Russian military buildup near Ukraine, fueling Western fears of a possible invasion.
Russia has denied any plans of attacking Ukraine, but urged the U.S. and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they won't accept Ukraine into NATO, won't deploy offensive weapons, and will roll back NATO deployments to Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected the demands.
The West has called on Russia to pull back an estimated 100,000 troops from areas near Ukraine, but the Kremlin has responded by saying it will station troops wherever it needs to on Russian territory. As the tensions over Ukraine soared, the Russian military has launched a series of war games spreading from the Arctic to the Black Sea.
The Russian troop deployment to Belarus raised concerns in the West that Moscow could stage an attack on Ukraine from the north. The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is just 75 kilometers (50 miles) from the Belarus border.
In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol over Belarus, which borders NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has increasingly relied on the Kremlin's political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions triggered by his crackdown on domestic protests, has called for closer defence ties with Moscow and recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons.
In an interview with a Russian state TV host aired Saturday, Lukashenko charged that the Russian-led security alliance demonstrated its quick deployment capability when its members briefly sent forces last month to Kazakhstan to help stabilize the situation after deadly riots.
" While they (NATO) will be still getting prepared to send some troops here, we will already stand at the English Channel, and they know it," he said in a reference to Western allies.
The Belarusian leader downplayed the threat of war, but added that if it still erupts "it will last for three or four days at most."
"There is no one there to fight us," he said about Ukraine.
On Saturday, the German newspaper Bild published a report alleging that Russia is poised to attack Ukraine from several directions, capture major cities and install a puppet government. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova angrily dismissed the allegations.
As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of civil defence drills for residents.
"I am here to learn how to defend myself, defend my relatives and also understand how to act in the situation," Kyiv resident Ilya Goncharov said after taking part in drills on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital. "I am happy that I came here to learn the basics of self defence and first aid."
In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city just 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the Russian border, thousands of people took to the streets Saturday carrying giant yellow-and-blue banners in the colors of the national flag in a show of determination to protect the city.
"We want to show that there are people in Kharkiv who are ready to defend it and fight back," said marcher Svitlana Galashko.
Amid the standoff over Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered 2,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland and Germany and shifted 1,000 more from Germany to Romania in a show of the U.S. commitment to NATO's eastern flank.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled Moscow's readiness for more talks with Washington and its NATO allies. As part of high-level diplomacy to ease the tensions, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to head to Moscow and Kyiv on Monday and Tuesday, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv and Moscow on Feb. 14-15.
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a call with Macron and "they agreed that finding a diplomatic solution to the current tensions must remain the overriding priority."
Johnson's office said he and the French president "also stressed that NATO must be united in the face of Russian aggression" and "agreed to continue to work together to develop a package of sanctions which would come into force immediately should Russia further invade Ukraine."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke Saturday with European Council President Charles Michel, saying on Twitter that the tensions around Ukraine's situation must be de-esclated.
In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula after Ukraine's Moscow-friendly leader fled the country. Russia also threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, where over 14,000 have been killed in fighting.
Amid the tensions with the West, Putin on Friday attended the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing and met with China's leader Xi Jinping to strengthen the two countries' alliance. In a joint statement, Putin and Xi declared their opposition to any expansion of NATO while affirming that the island of Taiwan is a part of China.
Putin and Xi announced that the relations between Moscow and Beijing are "superior to political and military alliances of the Cold War era" and their friendship "has no limits."
----
Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
Researchers have developed the world's first algorithm powered by artificial intelligence to identify children with undiagnosed rare genetic disorders.
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
Diminished but not deterred, Hamas is still putting up a fight after seven brutal months of war with Israel, regrouping in some of the hardest-hit areas in northern Gaza and resuming rocket attacks into nearby Israeli communities.
Toronto has been awarded the WNBA's first franchise outside the United States, with the expansion team set to begin play in 2026.
While Canada is one of the top contributors to foreign aid among some of the world's richest countries, a fifth of the spending never leaves Canada's borders.
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
Canada's dental care plan is 'getting there' Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday defending the program's rollout that's now seen two million seniors sign up, but just 10,000 oral health providers enrolled to treat them.
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.