Bacteria behind rare disease found in US soil and water samples

WASHINGTON, United States - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday issued a health advisory to clinicians after discovering the bacteria behind a rare but serious disease for the first time in the continental United States. 

Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) was detected in soil and puddle water samples in the Gulf Coast region of southern Mississippi during an investigation of two human melioidosis cases.

The two unrelated people lived in close geographic proximity and became sick with the disease two years apart -- in 2020 and in 2022 -- prompting health authorities to investigate household products and the environment around their homes.

Melioidosis causes nonspecific symptoms such as fever, joint pain, and headaches, but can also cause pneumonia, abscess formation, and blood infections. 

There are about 12 cases in the US per year on average, mostly related to travel to tropical and subtropical regions, where the bacteria is endemic.

A 2021 cluster that included four people across four states was linked to imported contaminated aromatherapy spray.

Most healthy people who come into contact with the bacteria do not develop melioidosis, but the global death rate for those who do is 10-50 percent.

The CDC said people in southern Mississippi who have underlying conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, or excessive alcohol use, should take extra precautions.

These include avoiding contact with soil and muddy water, protecting open wounds with dressing, and wearing waterproof boots and gloves while gardening.

"Given the very small number of cases of melioidosis identified historically in the United States, CDC believes the risk of melioidosis for the general population continues to be very low," the agency said.

Agence France-Presse

MLB: Iconic Red Sox slugger Ortiz enters Baseball Hall of Fame

NEW YORK -- Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, whose batting helped spark the club to three Major League Baseball titles, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The ceremony was staged near the museum and baseball showplace at Cooperstown, New York.

The 46-year-old Dominican nicknamed "Big Papi" was part of the team that ended Boston's 86-year title drought by winning the 2004 World Series and added crowns in 2007 and 2013, when he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player.

"My teammates were always there for me and that's something I'm always going to appreciate," Ortiz said of his Red Sox years.

"Teammates are your second family. I'm going to love you guys forever... I'm going to thank you guys for the rest of my life. I don't think I would have made it without all of you."

Ortiz thanked dozens of people who helped guide his path to stardom, including Dominican Republic and United States youth coaches for developing his skills and work ethic.

"I knew once I got my shot I was going to work hard and never let it go until I played my last game," Ortiz said.

Ortiz was a first baseman and designated hitter in his 20 MLB seasons, finishing his career with a .286 batting average, 541 home runs and 1,768 runs batted in.

"When they told me, 'I don't want you to move them over, I want you to bring them in,' the rest is history," Ortiz said. "When you believe in someone, you can change the world."

The left-hander was originally signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992 but traded to Minnesota in 1996 before making his MLB debut with the Twins in 1997.

Ortiz was released by Minnesota in 2003 and signed with the Red Sox, playing for them through 2016. He was a 10-time MLB All-Star in 14 seasons with Boston, setting a Red Sox season record with 54 homers in 2006.

The Red Sox retired Ortiz's jersey number, 34, in 2017.

Ortiz noted how Boston recovered from the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon and how much love he felt from city fans.

"I've never seen a community reunite and bounce back like Boston," Ortiz said, adding, "I'll always be there for you Boston. I love you Boston."

Ortiz was the only player voted into the Hall in 2022 by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, being named on 77.9% of ballots in his first year of eligibility.

Also entering the Hall of Fame on Sunday were "Golden Days Committee" electees Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva and Minnie Minoso plus "Early Era Committee" electees Bud Fowler and Buck O'Neil.

Agence France-Presse

Philippine bakeries shrink 'poor man's bread' as inflation bites

MANILA - As the war in Ukraine pushes up wheat prices and a weaker peso raises the cost of imported edible oil, many Philippine bakers are shrinking the size of a popular breakfast roll to cope with higher inflation.

The slightly sweet and pillowy soft "pandesal", which Filipinos often dunk in coffee or stuff with cheese, used to weigh 35 grams at Matimyas Bakery, a breadmaker in suburban Manila.

But as the cost of local and imported ingredients soared in recent months, co-owner Jam Mauleon gradually reduced the size of the roll -- known as the "poor man's bread" because it is cheap -- to around 25 grams to avoid raising the 2.50 peso (about $0.04) price.

She feared that even a slight increase would send cash-strapped customers in her neighborhood to a rival bakery five blocks away.

"We had to reduce the serving size to survive," Mauleon told AFP, as children, workers and retirees arrived early to buy rolls baked in a brick oven that morning.

As the Philippines lifted Covid-19 restrictions and schoolchildren began returning to the classroom this year, Mauleon had hoped economic conditions for the bakery would improve. 

But since December, as wheat and fuel prices surged, the price of flour has increased by more than 30 percent, while sugar is up 25 percent and salt costs 40 percent more, she said.

The bakery survives day to day and does not make enough money to buy ingredients in bulk, leaving it vulnerable to changing prices in domestic and international markets.

After reducing the number of employees and absorbing higher costs, Mauleon was forced this week to raise the price of a pandesal by 20 percent to three pesos. 

Shrinking the size of the roll any further would affect its quality, she said.

"We will try it out if people will still buy it," Mauleon said.

"Pandesal is very important in the lives of Filipinos."

For mother-of-five Laarni Guarino, the price hike means her family now eats fewer rolls for breakfast. 

"We will have to redo our budget. From five pieces each, my children will have to eat just three to four," Guarino, 35, told AFP. 

"Fifty centavos is a big thing for poor people like us."

'SHRINKFLATION'

Lucito Chavez, president of an association representing local bakeries, said thousands of breadmakers were reeling from the higher cost for raw materials, most of which are imported. 

"All of us are struggling, not to make profit, but to survive," Chavez told AFP. 

"We have to protect the pandesal industry."

Inflation in the Philippines hit 6.1 percent in June, the highest level in nearly four years, as steep fuel price hikes pushed up food and transport costs. 

Lawmaker and economist Joey Salceda said bread would be hardest hit by "shrinkflation", where the size of a product gets smaller but the price stays the same.

"Wheat prices have increased by 165 percent," he told reporters recently, urging bakeries to fortify their products with vitamins and minerals.

 Agence France-Presse

Alleged shooter of Lady Gaga’s dog walker freed by mistake

US authorities were on Wednesday searching for the suspect accused of shooting Lady Gaga's dog walker in 2021, months after he was accidentally released from custody.

James Howard Jackson, 19, is charged with shooting Ryan Fischer with a handgun near Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles during an attempted kidnapping of the star's valuable French bulldogs.

Jackson was released in April due to a "clerical error," the US Marshals Service admitted, describing him as armed and dangerous.

It offered $5,000 for information about Jackson, one of three men charged with attempted murder and robbery over the attack.

Two of the suspects got out of a vehicle and demanded Fischer hand over the pets at gunpoint. Fisher was shot in a struggle before the men fled with two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav.

A third dog, Miss Asia, ran away during the encounter before returning to the badly-wounded Fischer.

Police said they don't believe the suspects targeted the dogs because of their famous owner, but because they are a coveted breed that can sell for thousands of dollars.

A 50-year-old woman turned the two missing pets over to police two days after the theft.

At the time, the three were described by Los Angeles police as "documented gang members." Lady Gaga had offered a $500,000 reward for their safe return.

Agence France-Presse

US, allies agree to work to improve supply chains

The United States and 17 allies have agreed to work together to improve and diversify global supply chains to avoid the shortages that plagued the economy during the pandemic, officials said Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo co-hosted the Supply Chain Ministerial Forum on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

China was not a part of the meeting, and US officials have said they aim to increase "friend-shoring" to move production of key supplies to allied nations.

"The shocks to global supply chains from pandemics, wars and conflicts, extreme climate impacts, and natural disasters have put in stark relief the urgent need to further strengthen supply chains, to work to reduce and end near-term disruptions, and to build long-term resilience," the participants said in a joint statement at the conclusion of the virtual event.

Supply chain snarls that began during the pandemic have been exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine and stringent COVID-19 restrictions in China.

COVID-19 lockdowns in China has led to shortages of key components, particularly of microchips and auto parts, that have caused global inflation to skyrocket to record highs.

Forum attendees agreed to collaborate on solutions to short-term issues including transportation and "supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks," as well as long-term challenges "that make our supply chains vulnerable and cause spillover effects for consumers, large and small businesses, workers, and families," the statement said.

Goals include increasing transparency of trade information, diversifying sources, and increasing the security and sustainability of supply chains.

Officials from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom participated in the meeting.

Agence France-Presse

After sensational trial, Johnny Depp releases an album

Fresh off his highly publicized, controversial defamation suit, actor Johnny Depp sought to show his creative career was back on track Friday, releasing an album with English rocker Jeff Beck.

The 13-track album "18" on which Depp sings and plays guitar features mainly covers, and so far it has been critically panned. 

It's a record unlikely to figure prominently in the repertoire of Beck, the 78-year-old former member of The Yardbirds.

The album includes renditions of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and John Lennon's "Isolation," as well as the Velvet Underground classic "Venus In Furs."

The choice to include a song focused on sadomasochism might seem bizarre to some, given the ultra-mediatized trial centered on alleged domestic abuse between Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the actor best known for her role in "Aquaman."

The album also includes two songs the 59-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star penned himself: "This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr," and "Sad Motherfuckin' Parade."

"Erased by the same world that made her a star / Spun out of beauty, trapped by its web," Depp sings of Lamarr, who secluded herself in the final years of her life.

Bad Boys, Hollywood Vampires 

Depp and Beck met in 2016, bonding "over cars and guitars" before the latter said he began to appreciate "Depp's serious songwriting skills and ear for music."

They began working on this LP in 2019.

It's far from Depp's first foray into music: the actor for more than a decade has recorded and toured with the Hollywood Vampires, a supergroup he started with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry.

Beck is currently on tour in Europe with Depp as a special guest.

This spring Depp won $15 million in the defamation suit against Heard, who was awarded $2 million.

The jury found that Heard, 36, defamed Depp in describing herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" in 2018 op-ed published in The Washington Post, although she did not identify the actor by name. Depp held he suffered reputational damage following its publication.

Heard received $2 million in damages because the jury found that one of Depp's lawyers had defamed her.

The six-week trial gained widespread attention not least because it was televised and live streamed, with clips making their way to social media as Heard became a target of online vitriol and mockery.

In its aftermath, Depp is embarking on a return to acting, set to star in the forthcoming French movie "La Favorite."

He will play King Louis XV, with filming locations including Versailles.

Agence France-Presse