Author: OMN AI

Agency Refuses to Accept Seasonal Flu Shot Application The US Food and Drug Administration refused to accept Moderna’s application to review its first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine. The company announced the decision on Tuesday. The refusal marks another setback for mRNA vaccine development in the United States. Several health officials in the Trump administration have recently criticized the technology. The FDA said the application lacked an adequate and well-controlled trial. The agency said the control group did not reflect the best available standard of care in the United States during the study. Moderna said regulators did not raise any safety…

Doctors say a return to Nepal’s traditional lentil-and-rice diet could help curb a growing type 2 diabetes epidemic. In Nepal, around one in five people over 40 has the condition, while diabetes medication remains largely unaffordable. Experts link the rise to western-style processed foods and reduced physical activity. Small studies in Kathmandu and nearby communities show promising results. Nearly half of participants achieved diabetes remission after following a calorie-controlled traditional diet for several months. The programme focuses on simple meals such as dal bhat, strict portion control, and community support, rather than drugs or hospital care. Ashish Tamang said diabetes…

Silence Before Lawmakers Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from the US House Oversight Committee on Monday as lawmakers reopened investigations into Epstein’s network. Appearing via video from a federal prison camp in Texas, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, Maxwell repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to cooperate with the inquiry. Pardon Offer and Political Fallout Maxwell’s legal team said she would be willing to testify if President Donald Trump granted her clemency. Her attorney, David Oscar Markus, claimed Maxwell was prepared to…

Discord will soon require users worldwide to verify their age before accessing adult content. Users must confirm their age with a face scan or upload an official ID document. The chat platform says it has more than 200 million monthly users. The company says the new safety measures will place everyone into a teen-appropriate experience by default. Discord already requires age checks in the UK and Australia to comply with safety laws. It will expand the system globally from early March. Savannah Badalich, Discord’s policy head, said teen safety remains a top priority. She added that teen-by-default settings strengthen protections…

Ships, Soot, and a Warming Arctic As the Arctic warms and sea ice melts, new shipping routes are opening in waters that were once frozen year-round. But this surge in traffic comes with a hidden cost: black carbon, or soot, released by ships. When it settles on ice and snow, it darkens surfaces and absorbs sunlight, speeding up melting. “It ends up in a never-ending cycle of increased warming,” says Sian Prior, lead adviser for the Clean Arctic Alliance. This cycle not only threatens Arctic ecosystems but also has ripple effects on global weather patterns. International Efforts Face Hurdles France,…

People who drink a small number of teas or coffees each day appear to have a lower risk of dementia, researchers say. A large US study found that those who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of caffeinated tea daily had a 15–20% lower dementia risk over four decades than non-drinkers. The findings, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, also showed slightly better cognitive performance among caffeinated coffee drinkers compared with those choosing decaf. The analysis followed more than 130,000 participants from two long-running health studies and tracked diet, cognition, and…

The Seattle Seahawks overpowered the New England Patriots with an unyielding defensive display, claiming a 29-13 Super Bowl victory at Levi’s Stadium. The win secured Seattle’s second championship in franchise history. Two of the NFL’s toughest defences faced off in the season’s biggest game, and Seattle controlled every phase from the first snap. Briton Aden Durde became the first overseas coach to lift the league’s top prize in the United States. Dark Side Defence Dominates Super Bowl Seattle’s 46-year-old defensive coordinator has built the league’s most feared unit, nicknamed “the Dark Side.” On Super Bowl Sunday in Santa Clara, California,…

Landslide win for the LDP Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is projected to have won a decisive victory in Sunday’s snap elections, with her ruling bloc estimated to take roughly 300 of 465 seats in the lower house. If confirmed, this would mark the strongest showing for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2017 under the late Shinzo Abe, Takaichi’s mentor. The win could give the LDP a super-majority, allowing it to govern independently of its junior partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP). LDP Secretary General Shunichi Suzuki said the result reflected voter approval for Takaichi’s fiscal policies and efforts…

BP faces growing calls to end years of strategic turbulence as it prepares to publish full-year results. Analysts expect weaker profits after oil prices fell for a third consecutive year. Forecasts suggest profits of about $7.5bn, down from nearly $9bn in 2024. Falling crude prices are expected to hurt fourth-quarter earnings. Incoming chief executive Meg O’Neill will face pressure to outline a clear long-term strategy. Investor groups want BP to prepare for declining fossil fuel demand. Activists at Follow This and others demand limits on future oil and gas spending. They argue new fossil fuel projects risk becoming financially unsustainable.…

Homebuyer discounts are continuing to shape the housing market in 2026. Widespread price reductions across many metro areas are providing rare leverage for buyers, allowing them to negotiate better deals and stretch their budgets further. In several large markets, homes that previously sold quickly at or above asking prices are now available for less. Analysts say this shift is helping first-time buyers and families who have been waiting for affordability to improve. Slower sales and increased inventory are giving buyers more options and bargaining power. Mortgage rates, while moderate, remain manageable, complementing these discounts. Lower monthly payments combined with below-asking-price…