Brazilian school awarded UNESCO stamp for efforts to protect the ocean

By Sergio Queiroz RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – A group of Brazilian school children gleefully remove pieces of plastic and trash on the sand of a Rio de Janeiro beach during an outing to teach them about the importance of protecting the environment. Their school, called Notre Dame, is located on the city’s tourist hot…

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Factbox-Food and beverage products that mention aspartame on their labels

(Reuters) – Aspartame, one of the world’s most popular sweeteners, has been deemed a “possible carcinogen” by two groups linked to the World Health Organization, though it remains safe for consumption at already-agreed levels. The sugar substitute, used in products from diet sodas to sugar-free yoghurts and cough drops, is a combination of two amino…

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WHO cancer arm deems aspartame ‘possible carcinogen’; consumption limits unchanged

By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -The sweetener aspartame is a “possible carcinogen” but it remains safe to consume at already-agreed levels, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday. The rulings are the outcome of two separate WHO expert panels, one of which flags whether there is any evidence that a…

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One in four UK single parent households unable to afford food

By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) – More than a quarter of Britain’s single parent households have recently run out of food and been unable to afford more, according to a survey from the country’s statistics agency which highlights the impact of surging inflation. Out of nearly 15,000 households surveyed between Feb. 8 and May 1,…

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Explainer-What is aspartame and what do the new WHO rulings on cancer and consumption mean?

(Reuters) – Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke, chewing gum, yoghurt and other food products, is a “possible carcinogen” but it remains safe to consume at the existing daily intake guidelines, according to new rulings from two different World Health Organization-linked groups. WHAT IS ASPARTAME? Discovered in 1965 by American chemist James…

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Factbox-Agents and substances categorized as carcinogenic to humans

(Reuters) – Aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in products from Coca-Cola’s diet sodas to Mars’ Extra chewing gum, is the latest substance to be declared a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Carcinogens are substances that have the potential to cause cancer to humans. According to the IARC, there are…

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US lawmakers make bipartisan push for psychedelics research in defense bill

By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pushed to include a provision allowing medical research of psychedelic drugs as part of a sweeping annual defense policy bill, saying it could help treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments despite possible concerns. “These are powerful substances, I don’t want…

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