Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Tudor Lakatos is fighting discrimination against the Roma people, one Elvis Presley song at a time.Decked out in a rhinestone shirt and oversized sunglasses, with his black hair slicked back into a 1950s-style quiff, Lakatos swivels his hips and belts out his own idiosyncratic versions of hits like “Blue Suede Shoes” at venues throughout Romania.But don’t call him an Elvis impersonator. Lakatos prefers to say that he “channels” the King of rock ‘n’ roll’s global appeal to break down stereotypes about the Roma and provide a positive role model for Roma children. “I never wanted to…

Orange juice, known for its tangy, sweet taste, could be made with slightly less sugary oranges under a regulation proposed Tuesday by the Trump administration.While that move can sound like a way to make America healthier, it’s actually at the behest of Florida’s citrus industry as it grapples with changes to the crop and its sugar levels. The Food and Drug Administration described the proposed change as unlikely to affect taste and nutritional value while providing “flexibility to the food industry.”Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Behind the proposal…

A new COVID variant is climbing the ranks in the U.S., becoming the third-most common strain of the summer.Variant XFG, colloquially known as “Stratus,” was first detected in Southeast Asia in January but accounted for less than about 0% of cases in the United States until May. By late June, it was estimated to account for up to 14%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The World Health Organization (WHO) added XFG to its watchlist but evaluated the additional public health risk posed by the variant as “low” at the global level in a late June report, in…

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — One after the other, the opportunities vanished. Like so many other Afghan women, Sodaba could do little but watch as her country’s new Taliban government imposed a stranglehold on women’s lives.The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, and quickly set about implementing a dizzying array of restrictions for women: No visiting parks or gyms, no eating in restaurants, no working, except in very few professions.But one of the cruelest blows for the pharmacology student was the ban on education beyond primary school.Pushed by necessity, she went online. And there, she found hope: a free computer…

Jill Smola is a 75-year-old retiree who understands the power of human connection, having spent her working days as an aide taking care of the elderly.”We would play games, put puzzles together,” Smola told CBS News. She said human interaction was important, “so that they had somebody to talk to. That they just weren’t sitting in a chair doing nothing.”But these days, it’s Smola sitting in a chair — a widow with a lung condition who lives alone. She says she doesn’t get that human interaction anymore.”I can go weeks on end” without seeing someone, she said.Smola can’t drive anymore…

LONDON (AP) — In China, wait times for U.S. visa interviews are so long that some students have given up. Universities in Hong Kong are fielding transfer inquiries from foreign students in the U.S., and international applications for British undergraduate programs have surged.President Donald Trump’s administration has been pressuring U.S. colleges to reduce their dependence on international enrollment while adding new layers of scrutiny for foreign students as part of its crackdown on immigration.The U.S. government has sought to deport foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinian activism. In the spring, it abruptly revoked the legal status of thousands of international…

A sex toy landed near Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham after it was thrown from the stands in Los Angeles while the Fever played the Sparks on Tuesday night.The incident in Los Angeles occurred with 2:05 left in the second quarter with the object landing in the lane near Cunningham, who had been vocal on social media about fans throwing the toys on the court. The Fever forward jumped back in surprise and then Kelsey Plum kicked it into the stands.“I think its ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “It’s also dangerous and players’ safety is number one.…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Son Heung-min agreed to a contract with Los Angeles FC on Tuesday, finalizing his move to Major League Soccer after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur.The 33-year-old South Korean superstar forward is joining LAFC three days after he formally announced his decision to leave Tottenham.Son attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup match against Tigres at BMO Stadium on Tuesday night, watching from a luxury suite. LAFC will formally introduce Son at a news conference Wednesday.LAFC, a deep-pocketed club with significant team success in its first eight seasons of existence, reportedly paid a transfer fee of more than $20 million,…

Palantir CEO Alex Karp talks a big game when it comes to his employees, calling a job there “by far the best credential in tech.”So, do recruiters agree?Karp has boasted on several occasions that Palantirians, as the company refers to employees, are the crème de la crème of tech workers.”If you come to Palantir, your career is set,” Karp said on Monday’s earnings call. He’s previously said that “no credible institution in commercial life can really be built without Palantir or an ex-Palantirian.”Palantir has minted founders and startups in droves.Former Palantir alums have raised over $30 billion total at an…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines that are being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a statement Tuesday that 22 projects, totaling $500 million, to develop vaccines using mRNA technology will be halted.Kennedy’s decision to terminate the projects is the latest in a string of decisions that have put the longtime vaccine critic’s doubts about shots into full effect at the nation’s health department. Kennedy has pulled back recommendations around the COVID-19 shots, fired the panel that makes…