Scandal-plagued Miss Universe competition to crown winner. A new Miss Universe will be named in Friday’s finale in Bangkok, and for organizers, the culmination of the competition could come as a relief.

The 74th edition of this year’s pageant has been mired by scandal, including allegations of rigging and a mass walkout by contestants over a Thai pageant director’s berating of a beauty queen.

Miss Universe is widely known as the “Super Bowl” of beauty pageants and draws millions of viewers each year. Delegates for each country are selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization.

Thailand, this year’s host country, has a vibrant and lucrative pageant industry with one of the largest fanbases in Asia, alongside the Philippines.

This year’s event featured representatives from over 120 countries. Nadeen Ayoub became the first woman to represent Palestinian people at the pageant.

“I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see,” she wrote on Instagram.

The competition took place over three weeks, with delegates traveling around the country to rehearse and participate in events.

On Wednesday, the beauty queens competed in its national costume showcase, which saw contestants donning flamboyant outfits designed to highlight their homelands. Miss USA, Audrey Eckert, paid homage to her home with an elaborate bald eagle costume designed by Simon Villalba.

The contestant from Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, took a scary tumble during the evening gown round during Wednesday’s preliminaries and was carried away in a stretcher, according to social media videos which circulated of her fall. Miss Universe President Raul Rocha said in an update to Instagram that Henry was “under good care” in hospital and that she had not broken any bones.

Pageant controversies

This year’s Miss Universe competition was beset by scandal, which sparked conversations over the merits of the international beauty pageant which claims to promote female empowerment.

At a live-streamed pre-pageant meeting earlier this month, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly scolded Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch for not posting enough promotional content, appearing to call her a “dumbhead,” though Nawat denied this, insisting that he had actually accused her of causing “damage.”

After Bosch pushed back against the insults, Nawat called security to escort her out of the room. Other contestants then stood up and walked out in solidarity.

The incident sparked widespread allegations of misogyny and drew global backlash, including from Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, who described it as an “aggression” that Bosch handled with “dignity.”

The Miss Universe Organization condemned Nawat’s behavior and limited his role in the pageant. Nawat apologized in a livestreamed welcome ceremony and declined to comment further on the incident to CNN.

Then, in an Instagram live video discussing the incident, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, sparked backlash for racist comments.

Machado referred to Nawat as “that despicable Chinese,” and when a commentor pointed out he is Thai, Machado said “Chinese, Thai, Korean. To me all these people with slanted eyes like this are all Chinese,” while pulling up the corners of her eyes.

Machado’s representative did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.
Judge steps down, says pageant is rigged

Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged.

Composer Omar Harfouch said on Instagram he had resigned from the eight-member judging panel, and claimed there was a secret, “impromptu” panel of judges who had pre-selected the top 30 contestants in advance of the final.

“I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in,” Harfouch said in a statement.

The Miss Universe Organization said Harfouch’s claims “mischaracterize” the judging process.

“The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the organization said in a statement.

The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.

A second judge, former French soccer star Claude Makélélé, stepped down the same day, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”

“I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard,” he said on Instagram.

The Miss Universe Organization saw a leadership shakeup after Thai media tycoon Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip stepped down in June. Mario Búcaro was appointed the new CEO at the end of October, just days before delegates arrived. Jakkaphong, who is also a transgender rights advocate, bought the organization for US$20 million in 2022, but her company filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

By Lex Harvey, CNN

#Indian combat aircraft crashes during a demonstration at the #Dubai Air Show.

The Indian #HAL Tejas, a combat aircraft used in the Indian Air Force, crashed around 2:10 p.m. local time after the pilot had flown across the site of the biennial air show in Dubai several times.

The plane appeared to lose control and dive directly toward the ground just prior to crashing inside the grounds of the airfield.

The Indian Air Force confirmed the crash in a statement and said “the pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.”

“IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” it said, adding that “a court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Black smoke rose over the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central as a crowd of spectators watched, and sirens sounded after the crash.

Dubai police and airport officials offered no immediate comment.

The city-state’s second airport was hosting the biennial Dubai Air Show, which has seen major aircraft orders by both the long-haul carrier Emirates and its lower-cost sister airline FlyDubai.

Tejas is India’s indigenous fighter aircraft, built by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The lightweight, single-engine jet is expected to bolster India’s depleted fighter fleet as China expands its military presence in South Asia, including by strengthening defense ties with India’s rival Pakistan.

In September, India’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, or HAL, to procure 97 Tejas jets for the air force. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.

The Indian government also signed a deal with HAL in 2021 for 83 Tejas aircraft. Deliveries, expected last year, have been delayed largely because of shortages of engines that must be imported from the United States.

The Associated Press

Advocates disappointed budget offered no funding for #IVF, despite campaign pledge.


OTTAWA — Fertility advocates say they’re disappointed the Liberal government did not make good on its campaign promise to fund in vitro fertilization treatments in the recent federal budget.

The Liberals pledged in April to create a program to provide up to $20,000 per cycle of IVF, something they estimated would cost $103 million annually starting this fiscal year.

There’s no mention of IVF in the federal budget.

The office of Health Minister Marjorie Michel would only say the government knows the cost of such treatments presents a challenge for many Canadians and it would have more to say “in due course” — the same response it has provided since the election.

Baden Colt said that funding would be “life-changing” for her family.

Colt has known since she was 13 that she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant. That’s when doctors told her it wouldn’t be safe to carry a child while taking the medication she needs to control her epilepsy.

After three rounds of IVF and the help of a surrogate, Colt and her husband Zane welcomed their girl, Scottie, in 2023.

She estimates it cost nearly $70,000.

“My life and my husband’s life have revolved around planning and scrimping and saving and prioritizing this, because of how important parenthood is to us. But it’s not easy, and I can’t even imagine being faced with this without a 15-year head start on saving,” she said.

A standard round of IVF can cost between $10,000 and $30,000, and more than one cycle is often required. Many prospective parents face additional costs for travel and time off work to undergo treatment.

The provinces and territories provide varying levels of funding, with most offering refundable tax credits or grants to cover a percentage of costs. B.C. provides funding up to $19,000, while Quebec covers the cost of one full cycle per patient. Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories provide no coverage at all.

Ontario’s government recently announced a tax credit for 25 per cent of the cost, up to $5,000. Colt, who lives in Ontario, was glad to see that announcement.

“But the fact that Canadians are only getting help based on what province they’re in, and whether their provincial government has decided to step up or not, that’s really disheartening,” she said.

Carolynn Dubé, the executive director of advocacy group Fertility Matters, said the issue has received broad cross-party support at the federal level in the past.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau directed his ministers of health and women and gender equality to explore ways to help more Canadians afford the treatment.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is looking to slash government spending and pour billions into national defence while focusing on major infrastructure projects and expanding the economy.

Dubé argued that Canada’s record-low fertility rate is an economic issue, one with real impacts on productivity.

“When you’re diagnosed with infertility, the data shows that it has the same negative impact on your mental health as being diagnosed with a more severe health concern like cancer or heart disease, and yet we’re not treating it the same,” she said.

Infertility affects about one in six people in Canada.

Dr. Prati A. Sharma is president of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, which represents about 900 reproductive health professionals.

She said her group met with the federal government after the budget was released and she believes it’s still committed to launching the funding.

“It is disappointing that it wasn’t in the current budget, but the fact that they’re willing to put in the work to make this happen, hopefully soon, I think that’s very reassuring,” she said.

Sharma said she wants the government to create an expert advisory board to help fine-tune the details.

Baden Colt has turned her advocacy into a career by launching a business called Not My Tummy, which helps intended parents use social media to find surrogates.

The Colts also have found their own match with a surrogate they hope will help them complete their family. They’re preparing for the expensive and emotional process of IVF again.

After two and a half years with her daughter, Baden Colt knows it’s worth it.

“There were so many years that I wondered whether this was ever going to happen for me,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press

#TOKYO — #Firefighters were battling an out-of-control fire Wednesday morning that has burned through a neighborhood in southwestern Japan and forced more than 170 people to evacuate.

At least 170 homes have been damaged and a man in his 70s was unaccounted for, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita and spread to a forest. Oita is on the southern island of Kyushu.

One resident told Kyodo News Agency she quickly fled without many of her belongings because the fire “spread in the blink of an eye.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejects Trump’s offer of military intervention against cartels.


“It’s not going to happen,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

“He (Trump) has suggested it on various occasions or he has said, ‘we offer you a United States military intervention in Mexico, whatever you need to fight the criminal groups,’” she said. “But I have told him on every occasion that we can collaborate, that they can help us with information they have, but that we operate in our territory, that we do not accept any intervention by a foreign government.”

Sheinbaum said she had said this to Trump and to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on previous occasions and that they have understood.

“Would I want strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trump said Monday, adding that he’s “not happy with Mexico.”

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico shared a video on X later Monday that included previous comments from Rubio saying that the U.S. would not take unilateral action in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Mexican and U.S. diplomats were trying to sort out Tuesday what may have been an actual U.S. incursion.

On Monday, men arrived in a boat at a beach in northeast Mexico and installed some signs signaling land that the U.S. Department of Defense considered restricted.

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said late Monday that the country’s navy had removed the signs, which appeared to be on Mexican territory. And on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said that the International Boundary and Water Commission, a binational agency that determines the border between the two countries, was getting involved.

The signs, driven into the sand near where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico, caused a stir when witnesses said men in a boat arrived at the local beach known as Playa Bagdad and erected them.

The signs read in English and Spanish, “Warning: Restricted Area” and went on to explain that it was Department of Defense property and had been declared restricted by “the commander.” It said there could be no unauthorized access, photography or drawings of the area.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico shared a comment from the Pentagon Tuesday about the incident, confirming that contractors putting up signs to mark the “National Defense Area III” had placed signs at the mouth of the Rio Grande.

“Changes in water depth and topography altered the perception of the international boundary’s location,” the statement said. ”Government of Mexico personnel removed 6 signs based on their perception of the international boundary’s location.”

The Pentagon said the contractors would “coordinate with appropriate agencies to avoid confusion in the future.”

Mexico had contacted its consulate in Brownsville, Texas and then the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Eventually, it was determined that contractors working for some U.S. government entity had placed the signs, Sheinbaum said.

“But the river changes its course, it breaks loose and according to the treaty you have to clearly demarcate the national border,” Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing.

The area is close to SpaceX Starbase, which sits adjacent to Boca Chica Beach on the Texas side of the Rio Grande.

The facility and launch site for the SpaceX rocket program is under contract with the Department of Defense and NASA, which hopes to send astronauts back to the moon and someday to Mars.

In June, Sheinbaum said the government was looking into contamination from the SpaceX facility after pieces of metal, plastic and rocket pieces were reportedly found on the Mexican side of the border following the explosion of a rocket during a test.

The area also carries the added sensitivity of Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, which Mexico has also rejected.

Fabiola Sánchez, The Associated Press

#Drone strikes Turkish tanker in Ukraine’s Odesa, where U.S. natural gas will go.


The MT Orinda was hit during the offloading of liquefied petroleum gas at Izmail port, Turkiye’s Directorate for Maritime Affairs said. All 16 crew on board evacuated and no one was hurt, it said.

Russia has used drones, missiles and artillery to repeatedly batter the Odesa region, especially its Black Sea ports, since its full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly four years ago. There was no immediate Russia comment Monday.

Ukrainian officials didn’t comment specifically on the tanker, although regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said Russian drones attacked the Odesa region overnight and damaged energy and port infrastructure in several cities.

The attack sparked multiple fires and damaged an unspecified number of civilian vessels, Kiper said, adding that one person was injured.

Izmail lies on a Black Sea estuary and is one of a string of ports that are vital for Ukrainian imports and exports. With Russia also targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy is trying to ensure gas and other energy imports that can help see his country through the approaching winter.

Zelenskyy on Sunday was on an official visit to Greece. The U.S. liquefied natural gas will flow to Odesa via pipelines from the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis starting in January.

Authorities in Romania, meanwhile, ordered the evacuation of people and animals from two villages close to Izmail on the Romanian side of the border, saying the nature of the tanker’s cargo required such precautions.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian missiles killed three people and injured 11 others in Balakliya in the northeastern Kharkiv region in an overnight attack. Four girls aged 12, 14, 15 and 17 were among those injured, authorities said.

Russian drones and artillery also killed two people and injured two others in a daylight attack on Nikopol in the central Dnipropetrovsk region on Monday. The attack hit high-rise apartment blocks, stores and a hair salon, said the regional head of the military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko.

The United Nations says Russian strikes have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians during the war.

Russia fired two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 128 strike and decoy drones across the country during the night, Ukraine’s air force said.

Russian air defenses shot down 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, as Ukraine tries to hit back at Russia’s power grid.

A Ukrainian drone attack damaged an electricity substation in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, Gov. Aleksey Russkikh wrote on social media, adding that no casualties were reported and that local power supplies were working normally.

Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkiye, and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, contributed.

Illia Novikov, The Associated Press

UN approves U.S. plan authorizing an international stabilization force in #Gaza.

The Trump administration’s blueprint to secure and govern Gaza won strong approval at the United Nations on Monday, a crucial step that provides international support for U.S. efforts to move the devastated territory toward peace following two years of war.

The U.S. proposal that passed the United Nations’ most powerful body authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in Gaza, approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state.

“This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, will lead to further Peace all over the World, and is a moment of true Historic proportion!” Trump posted on social media.

The vote endorses Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan and builds on the momentum of the fragile ceasefire he helped broker with allies. It marks a key next step for American efforts to outline Gaza’s future after the Israel-Hamas war destroyed much of the territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

The proposal calls for a yet-to-be-established Board of Peace as a transitional authority that Trump would head. It also provides a wide mandate for the international stabilization force, including overseeing the borders, providing security and demilitarizing the territory. Authorization for the board and force expire at the end of 2027.

Arab and other Muslim countries that expressed interest in providing troops for an international force had signaled that U.N. authorization was essential for their participation.

Russia, which had circulated a rival resolution, abstained along with China on the 13-0 vote after fears Moscow might use its veto in the U.N. Security Council.

However, Hamas opposed the proposal, saying in a statement that the resolution does not meet the “Palestinian people’s political and humanitarian demands and rights.”
Stronger language on Palestinian state helps get the U.S. plan over the finish line

U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz called the resolution “historic and constructive,” saying it starts a new course in the Middle East.

“Today’s resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” he said. He stressed that the resolution “is just the beginning.”

Stronger language on Palestinian state helps get the U.S. plan over the finish line

During nearly two weeks of negotiations on the U.S. resolution, Arab nations and the Palestinians had pressed the United States to strengthen language about Palestinian self-determination.

But the proposal still gives no timeline or guarantee for an independent state, only saying it’s possible after advances in the reconstruction of Gaza and reforms of the Palestinian Authority, which now governs parts of the West Bank.

The U.S. revised the resolution to say that after those steps, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it adds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood and repeated that position Sunday at a time when his hard-line governing partners have expressed concern about the resolution’s endorsement of a “pathway” to Palestinian independence.

A key to the resolution’s adoption was support from Arab and Muslim nations pushing for a ceasefire and potentially contributing to the international force. The U.S. mission to the United Nations distributed a joint statement Friday with Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey calling for “swift adoption” of the U.S. proposal.

The vote took place amid hopes that Gaza’s fragile ceasefire would be maintained after a war set off by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s more than two-year offensive has killed over 69,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority are women and children.
What else the U.S. proposal says

Trump said the members of the Board of Peace will be named in the coming weeks, along with “many more exciting announcements.”

The U.S. resolution calls for the stabilization force to ensure “the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip” and “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.” A big question is how to disarm Hamas, which has not fully accepted that step.

It authorizes the force “to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate” in compliance with international law, which is U.N. language for the use of military force.

The resolution says the stabilization troops will help secure border areas, along with a Palestinian police force that they have trained and vetted, and they will coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian assistance. It says the force should closely consult and cooperate with neighboring Egypt and Israel.

As the international force establishes control and brings stability, the resolution says Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.” These must be agreed to by the stabilization force, Israeli forces, the U.S. and the guarantors of the ceasefire, it says.

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

#Ukraine signs a letter of intent to buy up to 100 #Rafale warplanes from France. krainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed the document on Monday stating that Ukraine is considering the possibility of buying French defense equipment, including Rafale jet fighters, Macron’s office said. It did not provide further details.

Zelenskyy was on his ninth visit to Paris since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. His talks are meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses as the country enters another winter under Russian bombardment of its energy infrastructure and other targets.

On Monday morning, Macron and Zelenskyy visited an air base in the Paris outskirts, before heading to the headquarters of a multinational force, dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” that France and Britain have been preparing with more than 30 other nations to police an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday that he looked forward to a “historic deal with France in Paris to strengthen our combat aviation and air defense.”

Last month, Ukraine and Sweden signed an agreement exploring the possibility of Ukraine buying up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets over the next decade or more. Ukraine has already received American-made F-16s and French Mirages.

The Associated Press

U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in the #Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela.

WASHINGTON — The nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of U.S. military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration’s intentions in South America as it conducts military strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs.

The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford and other warships, announced by the Navy in a statement, marks a major moment in what the administration insists is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Since early September, U.S. strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 attacks on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations. With its arrival, the “Operation Southern Spear” mission includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines.

The carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said.

Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to “protect our nation’s security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”

Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander who oversees the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement that the American forces “stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region.”

Holsey, who will retire next month after just a year on the job, said the strike group’s deployment is “a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.”

In Trinidad and Tobago, which is only seven miles from Venezuela at its closest point, government officials said troops have begun “training exercises” with the U.S. military that will run through much of the week.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers described the joint exercises as the second in less than a month and said they are aimed at tackling violent crime on the island nation, which has become a stopover point for drug shipments headed to Europe and North America. The prime minister has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. military strikes.

The exercises will include Marines from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit who have been stationed aboard the Navy ships that have been looming off Venezuela’s coast for months.

Venezuela’s government has described the training exercises as an act of aggression. It had no immediate comment Sunday on the arrival of the aircraft carrier.

The administration has insisted that the buildup is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were “narcoterrorists.” Trump has indicated military action would expand beyond strikes by sea, saying the U.S. would “stop the drugs coming in by land.”

The U.S. has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because their warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country. Some experts say the Ford is ill-suited to fighting cartels, but it could be an effective instrument of intimidation for Maduro in a push to get him to step down.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States does not recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last year’s election, as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Rubio has called Venezuela’s government a “transshipment organization” that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs.

Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., has said the U.S. government is “fabricating” a war against him. Venezuela’s government recently touted a “massive” mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks.

Trump has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations.

He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the UN human rights chief and U.S. lawmakers, including Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes.

Senate Republicans, however, recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

Experts disagree on whether or not American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 100,000-ton warship is sending a message.

“This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region. “And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.”

___

Associated Press writers Anselm Gibbs in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Gabriela Molina in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

Ben Finley, The Associated Press

Are #mushrooms the future of neural organics? Here’s what a new study suggests.

A new study has found that fungal networks inside mushrooms could potentially be a “promising” and environment-friendly alternative for microchips – used in processing and storing digital data.

Researchers from the Ohio State University recently discovered that shiitake mushrooms can be used as organic memristors, a type of data processor.

The study published in PLOS supported by the Honda Research Institute found that the mushrooms showed similar characteristics to semiconductors-based chips. These fungi could potentially be used to create environment and cost-friendly computing components.

John LaRocco, lead author of the study and a research scientist in psychiatry at Ohio State’s College of Medicine told CTVNews.ca that fungi have been known to have electrochemical properties since the 1970s.

“We were just curious (about) this one species of fungi that hadn’t quite been used as memristors and what frequencies they might operate at,” LaRocco said, adding that his co-authors, John Simonis and Justin Hill did most of the lab work.

Shiitake mushrooms were chosen and cultured for their non-toxic, edible, and radiation-resistant properties, according to him.

“Being able to develop microchips that mimic actual neural activity means you don’t need a lot of power for standby or when the machine isn’t being used,” LaRocco said in a news release.

Different parts of the mushrooms’ root (mycelium) have different properties, he explained. Some act as memristors, while others like wires or capacitors.

“Being able to make electronics that might otherwise require these for things like aerospace, for medical tech and all sorts of other applications, that’s a very attractive proposition for a whole range of fields,” LaRocco said.

“This has a lot of really interesting applications for aerospace wearable devices, because fungal sensors can detect a lot of metabolites through the skin relative to a lot of diseases and stuff, better than a lot of synthetic technologies can.”

Simonis explained that in addition to the electronics field, the research has multiple other implications like pathways into potentially improving the speed and amount of memory.

“The actual bar of usage is incredibly low, at least in terms of hardware costs,” he told CTVNews.ca.

“A major advantage of our specific memory series is (that) we used both readily available fungi, specifically in the case of shiitake mycelia, and fungi that is also generally safe to eat and typically nontoxic.”

Additionally, the fungal samples were “surprisingly” durable, Simonis explained. They would rehydrate and operate almost all full efficiency after being dehydrated for an extended period, which is a typical way of preserving organic material, he added.

“It’s also generally fairly easy to store, fairly easy to reuse and fairly durable for a long, extended period,” Simonis said.

Meanwhile, LaRocco said another reason for this research is the fact that the mushrooms are very lightweight and flexible, which makes them useful for satellites, space telescopes and radiation resistance.

“Another key thing is that (it) needs no rare earths,” he said. “It just needs a bunch of sawdust and a few electrical connections.”

The team, including co-author Ruben Petreaca, discovered that when used as a RAM (Random Access Memory) – the device’s working memory, for two months, mushroom memristor was able to switch between electrical states with nearly 90 per cent accuracy.

Qudsia Tahmina, another co-author of the study and an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering at Ohio State told CTVNews.ca that this is the future direction.

“There’s more research that warrants the future studies about storage,” Tahmina said. “Reducing them to the size of your cell phone or a laptop, for example, for storage purposes, because at the end of the day, we are talking about memory stores, being able to store information.”