📌 Deadly Food, Carney Wins, More

Ultra-processed foods significantly reduce life expectancy, reports a study of the diets of 240,000 adults in eight countries.

The risk of dying by age 75 rises by nearly 3% for every 10% increase in total calories from these foods, the study finds. Countries whose people ate fewer processed foods had fewer deaths attributable to them. The researchers attributed 13.7% of US deaths to ultra-processed foods.

Ultra-processed foods contain few whole foods, are often calorie-dense and have many additives such as preservatives and thickeners. They also have large amounts of sodium, saturated fats and sugar. They tend to be less expensive, shelf-stable and either ready-to-eat or easy to cook.

Research has found that ultra-processed foods make up 73% of the American food supply and account for nearly 70% of children’s calories. They have been linked to cognitive decline, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, depression and obesity — all issues that can lead to premature death.

A 2019 study found that people who eat large amounts of ultra-processed foods consume 500 more calories each day than people who eat a diet of minimally processed foods. A 2023 study found that the risk of cancer increases as people eat more ultra-processed foods.

The Consumer Brands Association, which represents various food companies, has said eliminating ultra-processed products would increase the risk of foodborne illnesses and food waste. Others have defended ultra-processed foods as cost-effective for people who cannot afford pricier alternatives.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and other media project the Liberal Party as the winner of Canada’s federal election.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Liberal leader who was not previously an MP, easily won his seat of Nepean. But Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is trailing the Liberals by 2.7 points in his seat of Carleton with 89% of booths counted.

At the time of writing, the Liberals lead or have been elected in 167 seats, the Conservatives in 145, the left-wing Bloc Québécois (BQ) in 23, the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) in seven and the Greens in one.

Canada uses the first-past-the-post system to elect its MPs. The Liberals have won 43.1% of the national vote, the Conservatives 41.7%, the BQ 6.7%, the NDP 6.1% and the Greens 1.2%. The results are based on 94% of polling booths nationally reporting.

At the previous election in September 2021, the Liberals won 160 of the then 338 seats on 32.6% of the national vote. The Conservatives captured 119 seats on 33.7%, the BQ had 32 seats on 7.6% and the NDP won 25 seats on 17.8%. The BQ benefited from vote concentration with all its votes coming in Quebec.

The results of President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught will make themselves known to US consumers soon.

Since the US raised levies on China to 145% in early April, cargo shipments have plummeted, perhaps by as much as 60%, according to one estimate. That drastic reduction in goods from one of the largest US trading partners hasn’t been felt by many Americans yet, but that’s about to change.

Giant retailers such as Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. told Trump in a meeting last week that shoppers are likely to see empty shelves and higher prices by the middle of May. An economist warned of looming “Covid-like” shortages and significant layoffs in industries spanning trucking, logistics and retail.

Even when hostilities ease, restarting transpacific trade will bring additional risks. The freight industry has reduced capacity to match weaker demand. That means a surge of orders sparked by a detente between the superpowers will likely overwhelm the network, causing delays and boosting costs.

There are about 40 cargo ships that recently stopped at ports in China and are now bound for the US, down by about 40% from early April, said Bloomberg. The ships are carrying about 320,000 containers, about a third fewer than just after Trump announced he was raising tariffs on almost all goods from China to 145%.

The looming supply shock has prompted economists to revise up their inflation forecasts because it could push prices higher. Executives say price tags on goods from China could double on some items. And that would come at a time when consumer sentiment is deteriorating sharply.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit said as much as he loves exploring space, “you do reach a time when it’s time to come home.“

John Glenn was older when he last went to space at 77. But no one as old as Pettit spent as long as 220 days in orbit. Pettit first went into space aged 47 for his first of three long-duration missions to the International Space Station. Since then, he has flown a shorter shuttle mission and two space station increments.

All told, Pettit has lived in space for 590 days, the third-most all-time among NASA astronauts. “I’ve got a few creaks and groans in my body, but basically I feel the same as I did 20 years ago, and coming back to gravity is provocative,“ he said.

After every one of his missions, Pettit said the readjustment to gravity for him has been a challenge. He added that the surprising thing about spaceflight is that it’s not so much your large muscles that ache, but the smaller ones.

“I love being in space,“ he said. “When you’re sleeping, you’re just floating, and your body, all those little aches and pains heal up. You feel like you’re 30 years old again and free of pain, free of everything. So I love being in orbit. It’s a great place to be for me and my physiology.“

Asked if he felt nostalgic about the station coming to an end in 2030 — NASA plans to de-orbit the facility at that time — Pettit said the laboratory should live on. “There’s no limit to what we can do to [the] space station, except for our will to keep refurbishing it and having the funding necessary.“

The only black, all-female unit to serve in Europe during WW II will be presented today with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Commonly known as the “Six Triple Eight,” the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was credited with solving a growing mail crisis during its stint in England. Upon their return, they served as a role model to generations of black women who joined the military.

They cleared a backlog of about 17 million pieces of mail in three months, twice as fast as projected. The battalion would go on to serve in France before returning home. And like many black units in WW II, their exploits never got the attention afforded their white counterparts — until now.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and others will present the medal to the family of the unit commander, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley. Only two women are living from the 855 who served in the unit, a source said.

“It’s overwhelming,” said retired Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, 104, who signed up for service after graduating from high school. McClendon joined the Air Force after the military was integrated and retired in 1971. She was the first female to command an all-male squadron with the Strategic Air Command.

An unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill on Monday.

Thousands of train passengers were stranded and millions left without phone and internet coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula. Emergency services and rail workers had to help evacuate some 35,000 people from over 100 trains that stopped on the tracks when the electricity was cut.

Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators and gas stations stopped working. Most mobile phone networks were shut down.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the nation and said that almost 11 hours after the nation ground to a halt, government experts were still trying to determine what happened.

“We have never had a complete collapse of the system,“ Sánchez said, before detailing that at 12:33 p.m., Spain’s power grid lost 15 gigawatts, the equivalent of 60% of its national demand, in a matter of five seconds.

Spain had recovered nearly 50% of its power by 11 p.m., and the prime minister pledged that the entire country of 48 million would have lights back on by the end of today.

Around 180 competitors took part in the 64th German fingerhakeln, or finger wrestling, championship.

The event in Pang, about an hour’s drive southwest of Munich, saw men in short leather pants and embroidered suspenders risk dislocated digits Sunday as they vied for the top prize.

In fingerhakeln, two competitors sit on opposite sides of a table and each hooks one finger — usually the middle finger — through a small leather loop. A referee signals the start, and each contestant tries to pull the other across the table swiftly. It usually lasts a few seconds, and dislocated fingers are common.

Special attendants sit behind each athlete to catch them should one of them suddenly lose his grip and fly backwards. The winner moves to the next round. By custom, only men take part.

Fingerhakeln is highly organized and follows strict rules, starting with exactly defined measurements for both the table and the leather loop. In Sunday’s championship, there were several winners in different weight and age categories.

Nine German and four Austrian clubs compete, said Georg Hailer, chairman of Germany’s oldest and biggest club, Fingerhakler Schlierachgau. To win, wrestler Maximilian Woelfl advises: be well seated at the table and transfer power as quickly as possible to the loop. “And you need a well-trained finger.“