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Atlantic salmon farming companies are designing huge pens to raise fish in the open seas in a radical shift from calm coastal waters where marine lice have slowed growth of the billion-dollar industry. The drive for new designs by Norway, producer of 54 percent of all farmed Atlantic salmon in 2016, will have to cope with ocean storms that can rip cages and free thousands of fish. Escapees disrupt natural stocks by breeding with wild cousins. “The industry has to develop and to solve the environmental challenges it has, especially linked to salmon lice,” Norwegian Fisheries Minister Per Sandberg told …

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Pope Francis confirmed Thursday he will use his upcoming visit to the Portuguese shrine at Fatima to canonize two Portuguese shepherd children who say they saw visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago.   Francis convened his cardinals to formally set the May 13 date for the saint-making Mass.   Originally, Francis had planned to travel to Fatima on May 12-13 to merely mark the anniversary of the apparitions, which turned the tiny northern Portuguese town into one of the world’s most popular Catholic pilgrimage sites.   But last month, Francis signed off on the miracle needed to make …

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U.S., Russian and U.N. trilateral talks on Syria scheduled for Monday have been postponed, says U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. De Mistura says he does not know why the United States has decided against attending the meeting early next week, but believes Washington remains committed to the three-way discussions on the Syrian situation.    “I would say that the indication I got from Washington is exactly that, that there is clearly an intention to maintain and resume these trilateral meetings,” he said. “And, the date and the circumstances were not conducive for this to happen on Monday, but …

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Ukraine is urging the West to back its efforts at reform, despite accusations the government has failed to tackle corruption three years on from the revolution that toppled the regime of president Viktor Yanukovych. Visiting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko implored the West to back his efforts to tackle corruption. Speaking at London policy institute Chatham House, the Ukrainian president said, “What is in need is your firm support of Ukraine’s reform,” adding that “…it is not easy to make a transformation during the time of war, and against Russia’s attempt to …

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Organizers from the Free Russia Foundation, a U.S.-based NGO founded by Russian dissidents, have opened what they call “an Embassy of the Civil Society of Russia in Ukraine,” in Kyiv’s trendy Podil district. Housed in a red brick building with a small blue sign that reads “Free Russia House,” its founders plan to transform the now-bare office into a cultural center and think tank, as well as a support service for Russians who fled to Ukraine for political reasons. Vladislav Davidzon, chief editor of Odessa Review, an English-language monthly, is a member of the center’s advisory board and was present …

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Billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates is urging British leaders not to back down from their commitment to foreign aid, saying it could cost lives in Africa. Gates on Wednesday was in London, where campaigning has started for early elections called by Prime Minister Teresa May. May has so far declined to say whether she will heed calls by fellow Conservatives to slash British foreign aid as part of her party platform. Gates told the Guardian newspaper Wednesday that a British refusal to commit itself to targeted spending on foreign aid could hurt efforts to wipe out malaria in Africa. “The …

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A feel-good Paris concert, a meeting with Muslim leaders and a blowout rally in Marseille – France’s presidential candidates are blanketing the country Wednesday with campaign events to try to inspire undecided voters just four days before a nail-biting election.   Crowds danced on a Paris plaza as Socialist presidential candidate Benoit Hamon held what is seen as a last-chance rally and concert. Hamon is polling a distant fifth place ahead of Sunday’s first-round election and has little chance of reaching the decisive May 7 runoff – a failure that could crush his party.   French far-right presidential candidate Marine …

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Russia Wednesday blocked a draft U.S. statement in the U.N. Security Council condemning the latest North Korean missile test. The statement said North Korea’s illegal ballistic missile activities are leading to a nuclear weapons delivery system and “greatly increasing tension in the region and beyond.” The council also would have demanded that the North “immediately cease further actions in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions.” Members said they are concerned Pyongyang is diverting resources toward building missiles and bombs while the population has “great unmet needs.” It is unclear why …

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Italy reported a measles epidemic Wednesday following a fall-off in vaccinations, as the United States issued a warning to visitors about the outbreak of the potentially fatal disease. The Health Ministry said there had been almost 1,500 registered cases of measles so far this year, compared with 840 in all of 2016 and 250 in 2015. “Italy and Romania have an epidemic at the moment,” said Walter Ricciardi, president of the Higher Health Institute, adding that he understood why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued an advisory this week. Ricciardi told Radio 24 that the United …

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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague has rejected Kyiv’s call to impose provisional measures against Russia for its support of rebels in eastern Ukraine, while acknowledging Kyiv has a case against Moscow for discrimination in Russia-annexed Crimea. “At this stage of the proceedings, Ukraine has not put before the court evidence which affords a sufficient basis to find it plausible that these elements are present,” said Presiding Judge Ronny Abraham. “Therefore, the court concludes that the conditions required for the indication of provisional measures in respect of the rights alleged by Ukraine on the basis of ICSFT …

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