25/01/2026

theSun on Sunday JAN 25, 2026

WORLD 8

France probes deaths of two babies BORDEAUX: France’s health minister on Friday sought to reassure consumers that all suspicious infant formula had been withdrawn, as an Suspicious infant formula withdrawn and vomiting. The potentially contaminated milk has been “withdrawn” from the market, Health Minister Stephanie Rist said. Nestle pulled batches of infant milk in several European countries on Jan 6. died on Dec 23 in the western city of Angers, the local prosecutor said. The mother contacted the authorities this week, saying her baby had drunk Nestle milk from one of the lots removed from the market. Friday said it would “withdraw from targeted markets a very limited number of specific batches of infant formula” to comply with the latest guidance from local food safety authorities. Dumex baby formula, a brand owned by the French food giant. French group Lactalis on Wednesday also said it was recalling batches in France and other countries over worries they contained cereulide.

Kyiv, Kharkiv attacked during peace talks KYIV: Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday of “cynically” ordering a massive missile strike while delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the US were in Abu Dhabi for peace talks. “This barbaric attack once again proves that Putin’s place is not at the board of peace, but at the dock of the special tribunal,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. Russia launched waves of airstrikes against Ukraine’s two largest cities Kyiv and Kharkiv early yesterday, with one person killed and at least 23 injured. Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 375 drones and 21 missiles in the strikes, which once again targeted energy infrastructure, knocking out power and heat for large parts of the capital. President Volodymyr Zelensky had said on Friday that it was too early to draw conclusions from the first day of meetings in Abu Dhabi, and he had urged Russia to show it was ready to end the war. The talks were expected to resume for a final day yesterday. Ahead of the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday Russia had not dropped its insistence on Ukraine yielding all of its eastern area of Donbas – Ukraine’s industrial heartland grouping the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the 20% it still holds of Donetsk, about 5,000sq km, has proven a major stumbling block to any deal. Zelensky refuses to give up land that Russia has not been able to capture in four years of grinding, attritional warfare. Polls show little appetite among Ukrainians for territorial concessions. – Reuters Spain, Madagascar, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Peru, Georgia, Greece, Kuwait, the Czech Republic and Taiwan, a Lactalis spokesperson told AFP. Lactalis did not name the supplier behind the tainted ingredient. Outside France, countries concerned included Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo-Brazzaville, Ecuador,

A source close to the matter said the move followed changes introduced by authorities, notably in Ireland. Danone later told AFP in a statement it was voluntarily recalling two batches in France as a precaution “in light of new recommendations from a European authority”. It comes after Singapore authorities on Jan 17 recalled

At this time, there was no established causal link between the formula and their deaths, according to French authorities. Nestle told AFP on Friday it would cooperate with the investigation, adding there was “no evidence” at this stage linking its products to the infant deaths. In another recall, Danone on

French investigators are looking into the cause of death of two infants who allegedly consumed Nestle milk. One was a two-week-old who died on Jan 8 in Bordeaux, southwest France, after drinking milk from the now recalled batches, a prosecutor in the city said on Thursday. The second, aged just 27 days,

investigation began into the deaths of two babies who drank possibly contaminated powdered milk. The infant formula industry has been rocked in recent weeks by several firms recalling batches that could be contaminated with cereulide, a toxin that can cause diarrhoea

Thousands join Washington pro-life rally WASHINGTON: Thousands of pro-life activists rallied in Washington on Friday, vowing to keep up pressure despite the Supreme Court 2022 decision to overturn the federal guarantee of the right to terminate a pregnancy. Vice-President J.D. Vance addressed the “March for Life” gathering on the National Mall, declaring that “you have an ally in the White House”.

The rally is held annually in the US capital to mark the anniversary of the court’s original 1973 Roe v Wade ruling which legalised abortion in all 50 states. “There needs to be more awareness still that the fight isn’t over. It’s not going to be over until every last child in the womb is protected,” said one participant, Connor Daggett, a 31-year-old law student. “No more abortion, national ban. We can do a lot more for the women,” said his wife, Jessie Daggett, 29, a scientist. Participants carried signs with slogans like: “Take my hand, not my life,” and “A human being is a human being. No matter how small.” Another read: “Get married and have kids, you won’t regret it.” It featured the drawn silhouette of Charlie Kirk, the activist shot and killed during a rally on a university campus last September in Utah state.

Pro-life activists hold signs as they march near the US Supreme Court during the 53rd annual March for Life rally in Washington DC. – AFPPIC

In the United States, about 20 of the 50 states have banned or severely restricted access to abortion since it is no longer a guaranteed right at the federal level. – AFP

The said Washington would no longer provide foreign aid to programmes promoting diversity and gender equality, in addition to those related to abortion. vice-president

Vance, who addressed the same gathering a year ago, days after President Donald Trump began his second term, said he “understands” fears that “not enough progress has been made”.

US judge extends ‘temporary protection’ for Myanmar migrants WASHINGTON: A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to delay its termination of the “Temporary Protected Status”, or TPS, for Myanmar while a lawsuit challenging the termination continued. decision to end Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Myanmar lacked a genuine basis. Kennelly postponed the effective date of the government’s action, which was to be tomorrow, and scheduled a Feb 6 hearing in the case. The State Department’s most recent human rights report said there were “significant human rights issues” in Myanmar. The Trump administration move had sparked concern for individuals who might be forced to return to Myanmar, which has been in political turmoil since the military seized power in a 2021 coup.

rooted in the reasons cited in the notice,” the judge wrote. “It is more plausible that TPS was terminated to effectuate the secretary’s broader goal of curtailing immigration and eliminating TPS generally, not on her evaluation of changed conditions in Burma,” the judge said. “The termination of TPS for Burma appears to have occurred without a review of conditions in that country, much like the administration’s termination of other TPS designations.” – Reuters

The order by District Judge Matthew Kennelly in Chicago blocks the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for about 4,000 Myanmar nationals living in the US. The judge said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s

The Trump administration said in November it was ending temporary legal status for citizens of Myanmar in the US, arguing they could safely return home while citing elections as evidence of an improving situation.

“The court cannot discern a genuine basis for the secretary’s action in the record and finds it more likely that the decision to terminate TPS was not actually