France virus cases 'growing fastest among young people'

PARIS - French health authorities warned Thursday that new coronavirus cases were rising fastest among younger people, as the number of confirmed infections per day continued to tick up.

In mainland France, the pace of growth in cases in the week of August 3-9 was fastest among people aged 15-44, the health ministry's DGS public health arm said, calling it a "troubling situation".

In total 2,669 tests had come back positive in the past 24 hours, it added, pointing to "regular growth" in daily new cases.

The figure was higher than Wednesday's 2,524, which itself had been the highest since May.

Among the new infections were 50 gendarmes based in Tarbes, southwest France, out of a group of 82 who had just returned from a deployment in Polynesia, the prefecture in the Hautes-Pyrenees department said.

Richard Peabody, an epidemiologist leading the High Threat Pathogens Team at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, warned that laxer respect for infection control measures was leading to increased case numbers across the continent.

"If you take... the pressure off the virus, then it will come back," he said, calling on European governments to be mindful of the lessons learnt in the first months of the pandemic.

So far almost 30,400 people have died of coronavirus in France -- 17 in the past 24 hours -- and 374 are presently in intensive care.

Agence France-Presse

WHO reiterates warning that kids are hit by coronavirus, too

COPENHAGEN - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday reiterated its warning that children can also be affected by the new coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of several young people.

"The very notion that 'COVID-19 only affects older people' is factually wrong," the head of the WHO's European branch, Hans Kluge, told reporters during an online briefing from Copenhagen.

"Age is not the only risk for severe disease," Kluge insisted.

Severe cases have been reported among teens and young adults, with some requiring intensive care and several deaths, he said.

In Europe, the youngest victim is a 12-year-old girl who died in Belgium. In the United States, a six-week-old baby has died from the virus.

Some 10 to 15 percent of cases detected in people under the age of 50 were a moderate to serious infection, according to the WHO.

However, Kluge noted that "people who age healthily are less at risk."

"There are reports of people over the age of 100 who were admitted to hospital for COVID-19 and have now since made a complete recovery."

The WHO's Europe branch said there were 464,859 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 30,098 deaths in the 53 countries that make up its region.

Some 80 percent of those who died from the virus had at least one underlying illness, in particular cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Kluge said it was of utmost importance "for every age group" to respect hygiene guidelines.

"It is not only an act of solidarity with others, in particular with those most likely to be severely affected, but also vital for your own health and safety."

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16-year-old among France's dead in highest daily toll

PARIS - The mother of France's youngest coronavirus victim has spoken of the "unbearable" loss of her 16-year-old daughter, as the country reported its highest daily toll from the pandemic.

French authorities said on Thursday that 365 people had been killed by COVID-19 over the previous 24 hours, taking the national total of those who have died in hospital to 1,696.

The figure does not include those who died from the virus at home or at retirement homes, top French health official Jerome Salomon told reporters.

The teenage girl named Julie A died in Paris, becoming the youngest French victim of the disease that more often afflicts the elderly or people with underlying health conditions.

"It's unbearable," the girl's mother Sabine told AFP by phone from her home in the Parisian suburbs. "We were meant to have an ordinary life."

A week ago, Julie developed a mild cough but on Saturday she began to feel short of breath, her mother said.

She underwent scans in hospital and several tests for COVID-19, the disease first detected in China late last year that has now killed more than 23,000 worldwide.

Her condition deteriorated and her death was announced on Thursday, with health officials emphasizing that severe cases are very rare in young people.

"From the start, we were told that the virus doesn't affect young people. We believed it, like everyone else," Sabine said. Her daughter had no known underlying health problems.

TRAIN EVACUATION

France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the epidemic and officials have repeatedly warned it will take time for the measures to bear fruit.

Salomon said 29,155 people had tested positive for the virus so far nationwide -- adding that the real number of cases was likely far higher as testing was reserved for high-risk patients.

He said 3,375 patients were currently in intensive care out of nearly 14,000 people hospitalized after becoming infected.

Data showed 42,000 people had been registered by their GP as having the coronavirus over the last week alone, Salomon added -- again revealing that testing in France has only revealed a minority of cases.

People in the country are only allowed to step outside for pressing matters, such as shopping.

"It is very difficult to estimate when the peak will come... people who are ill now were infected before the confinement began," explained Salomon.

"Now there is less contact, people are going out less and get infected less. So we hope there will be fewer people getting sick next week," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had held a "very good discussion" with his US counterpart Donald Trump about the pandemic.

"In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are preparing with other countries a new strong initiative in the coming days," he tweeted early Friday, without elaborating.

The first train evacuation saw 20 coronavirus patients moved from the country's hard-hit east to help relieve overstretched hospitals.

The specially adapted high-speed train, whose carriages were transformed into intensive care units, took the group to the western Atlantic coast where they will be treated.

Another evacuation is planned for Friday, this time by air.

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More than 850 million students worldwide not at school because of COVID-19 pandemic: UNESCO

PARIS - More than 850 million young people, or about half the world's student population, are barred from their school and university grounds because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, UNESCO said Wednesday.

Calling it an "unprecedented challenge," UNESCO said schools had been closed in 102 countries, with partial closures in 11 more -- with more closures to come.

"Over 850 million children and youth -- roughly half of the world's student population -- had to stay away from schools and universities," the UN educational organization said in a statement.

"This represents more than a doubling in four days in the number of learners prohibited from going to educational institutions," it added, citing figures from late Tuesday.

"The scale and speed of the school and university closures represents an unprecedented challenge for the education sector," it said.

UNESCO said countries worldwide were rushing to fill the void by offering real-time video classes and other high-tech solutions.

Some countries were offering classes over television or radio.

The organization said it was holding regular virtual meetings with education ministers around the world to find the best solutions and determine priorities.

"The current situation imposes immense challenges for countries to be able to provide uninterrupted learning for all children and youth in an equitable manner," it said.

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US unveils partial ban on flavored e-cigarettes

WASHINGTON—The US government on Thursday announced it would soon ban most flavored e-cigarettes as it tries to curb a rising tide of youth vaping, but stopped short of the full ban promised in September by President Donald Trump.

The Food and Drug Administration said cartridge-based e-cigarettes in flavors "other than tobacco or menthol" would be illegal unless they receive specific authorization from the government.

Companies that do not cease making and selling such cartridges within 30 days will face punishment, the FDA said.

"The United States has never seen an epidemic of substance use arise as quickly as our current epidemic of youth use of e-cigarettes," Health Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

Azar said prioritizing flavors most widely used by children would ensure e-cigarettes were a potential "off-ramp" for adult smokers but not an "on-ramp" to nicotine addiction for youngsters. 

"We will not stand idly by as this crisis among America's youth grows and evolves, and we will continue monitoring the situation and take further actions as necessary," he added.

The 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that more than 5 million US middle and high school students are e-cigarette users, with nearly 1 million using daily. 

"Additional data from another federal survey further underscore that youth are particularly attracted to e-cigarette flavors such as fruit and mint, much more so than tobacco or menthol flavored e-cigarettes," the Department of Health and Human Services said.

The flavor ban will exempt large, tank-based vaping devices, however, which are primarily sold in vape shops that cater to adult smokers.

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Climate change tops list of global worries for young people, says Amnesty

MADRID - Four out of 10 young people view climate change as one of the most important issues facing the world, an Amnesty International survey on the state of human rights showed on Tuesday.

The Amnesty poll, released on Human Rights Day, asked more than 10,000 people aged 18-25, in 22 countries across 6 continents, to pick up to 5 major issues from a list of 23.

Of those, 41 percent selected climate change, making it the most commonly cited issue globally.

“For young people, the climate crisis is one of the defining challenges of their age," said Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty's outgoing secretary general, noting the huge surge in young people protesting about it on the streets.

"This is a wake-up call to world leaders that they must take far more decisive action to tackle the climate emergency or risk betraying younger generations further,” he added.

Among global worries, pollution was ranked second at 36 percent and terrorism third at 31 percent.

At the national level, however, corruption, pollution, economic instability and income inequality came out as the top 4 concerns, with climate change pushed into fifth place.

"We are living inside a failed system," said Naidoo. "The climate crisis, pollution, corruption and poor living standards are all windows on an alarming truth about how the powerful have exploited their power for selfish and often short-term gain."

When asked who should take the most responsibility for protecting the environment globally, 54 percent of respondents said governments, 28 percent individuals and 14 percent businesses.

And 63 percent agreed governments should take the wellbeing of their citizens more seriously than economic growth.

FUTURE COSTS

On Tuesday, meanwhile, a law firm representing 16 children from around the world, including Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, sent letters to the governments of Norway and Canada.

Those countries' support for their oil and gas industries breached the children's rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the letters said.

"Expanding your oil and gas production will lock in decades of greenhouse gas emissions, jeopardizing the universal rights of all children to life, health, and culture," said the letters.

"As children, the petitioners are the ones who will inherit the worst impacts of the climate crisis and bear the future costs of the decisions you make today," they added.

The 16 children, who also include 14-year-old US activist Alexandria Villasenor, in September filed a complaint with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child against five countries over their carbon emissions.

The new letters came after the Philippines unveiled on Monday the findings of a four-year inquiry into the human rights impacts of climate change in the Southeast Asian country and the contribution of 47 "carbon major" companies to those impacts.

Its Commission on Human Rights, which heard harrowing testimony from typhoon survivors, concluded that the companies played a clear role in causing global warming and its effects.

Based on the evidence, it said fossil fuel companies could be found legally and morally liable for human rights violations arising from climate change.

Scientists say burning fossil fuels for industry, energy and transport is responsible for the vast majority of the greenhouse gas emissions heating up the Earth.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Yeb Saño said a growing number of climate-related legal cases are now being heard or filed across the world.

"With the conclusion of this investigation, we believe many more communities will take a stand against fossil fuel companies that are putting profit before people," he said in a statement.

At the UN talks on Monday, Rose Whipple, an 18-year-old activist from the Santee Dakota tribe in Minnesota, in the United States, spoke about how she and other young people had tried - and failed - to stop approval for a tar sands oil pipeline, arguing it would contaminate their sacred river water.

"We (indigenous people) are on the frontline doing this work today, right now," she told journalists. "We deserve to be listened to, and we also deserve to have our lands back."

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'They will leave you empty': Pope Francis warns youth of cons of technology

BANGKOK, Thailand - Pope Francis warned against the potential pitfalls of technology and the competition for young people's "attention" on Friday, dedicating the final full day of his Bangkok trip to engaging the next generation of Catholics. 

The Pontiff is on his first visit to Buddhist-majority Thailand, where just a sliver of the population is Catholic despite the religion's long history in the country.

He has called for religious harmony and peace throughout his four-day tour, a message he will likely carry on Saturday to Japan where he will visit the sites of the world's only nuclear attacks. 

But on Friday, he shifted his focus toward Thailand's youth, warning the next generation of the downsides of fast-encroaching technology. 

"Rapid technological advancements can open up immense possibilities that make life easier, but can also result in the growth of consumerism and materialism," the Pope cautioned. 

Later in the day, he led a mass for Thailand's young adherents, urging them to remain steadfast in the face of rival influences. 

"We can be swayed by the voices of this world that compete for our attention," he said, speaking at Bangkok's 109-year-old Cathedral of the Assumption. 

"At first they seem appealing and exciting, but in the long run they will leave you only empty, weary, alone and disenchanted," he said. 

The message was a clarion call to the young worshipers in Thailand, where fewer than 400,000 Catholics make up just over 0.5 percent of the population. 

The faith arrived in the country via European missionaries in the 16th century, and the community has since remained small but spirited -- coexisting peacefully with Buddhist neighbors. 

But Thai Bishop Joseph Pradhan Sridarunsil said they were facing a crisis as interest in the religion dwindled among the youth.

"The Thai Church nowadays is facing the same situation as other countries in the world, namely a crisis of decreasing vocation," he said. 

Young Christian adults are much less likely than older Christians to say religion is very important to them, and fewer than half those surveyed pray daily, according to a global Pew Research Center report from last year. 


 Tech addicted teens

Fading interest was far from evident on Friday, however, as scores of faithful gathered outside the cathedral -- many jostling for mobile phone photos -- for Francis's second mass of the trip. 

For some, the Pope's warning words for Thailand's youth were welcome.

"There are other things attracting (teenagers)... like interesting content available on YouTube and it is easy for teenagers to be addicted or targeted by these things to become more materialistic," said Siriyaphorn Phongburut, 40, standing outside the mass. 

She urged the Church to use social media to attract young adherents, in a country where mobile phone use is rampant. 

On a busy Friday Francis also visited a shrine for Catholic martyr Nicholas Boonkerd Kitbamrung and attended an interfaith meeting, where a mixed Muslim and Christian choir sang for him in a symbolic performance.

His final official duty was his youth mass at the ornate Cathedral, packed with bishops wearing brilliant red and gold robes custom-made for the occasion -- the Pope's included. 

His pointed message was not a huge departure for the Pope, who has long sought to engage the next generation of Catholics. 

"The Pope always gives importance to youth which he believes is the foundation of society, country and religion," said Puttipong Puttansri, a Thai historian of the Catholic Church.

Francis touched down in Bangkok on Wednesday and was met by adoring worshipers eager to catch a glimpse of the 82-year-old Argentine.

His first mass on Thursday night -- replete with hymns, prayers and traditional Thai performances -- drew an estimated 60,000 people, some crying as the Pontiff passed in his Popemobile. 

There he urged respect for the downtrodden, including prostitutes and trafficking victims. 

He heads to Japan on Saturday for the second and final leg of his Asia tour, which will include visits to Nagasaki and Hiroshima, both devastated by atomic bombs by the US during World War II.

The Pope, who years ago had hoped to be a missionary in Japan, is expected to chastise the use of "immoral" nuclear weapons.

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Schoolchildren throng streets in vast global climate strike

NEW YORK, United States—Huge numbers of children skipped school Friday to join a global strike against climate change that teen activist Greta Thunberg hopes will mark a turning point in persuading leaders to act against environmental disaster.

Chanting slogans and waving placards, youngsters and adults filled the streets of cities across the world in what was expected to be the biggest ever protest against the threat posed to the planet by warming temperatures.

Demonstrations across Asia and the Pacific kicked off the day of action, which spread to Africa and Europe, with crowds turning out in Paris, London and Berlin, before nearing their completion in the United States where Thunberg rallied.

"I hope this will be another social tipping point that we show how many people are engaged, how many people are putting pressure on leaders," the 16-year-old told AFP in New York.

Organizers forecast protests in more than 5,000 locations across 137 countries. In Australia alone, they said more than 300,000 children, parents and supporters rallied.

Although there was no official turnout, Thunberg said "millions" had participated.

"It can't go on any longer. We are at the end of our planet," said Bernie Waldman, 14, one of thousands to protest in New York, where 1.1 million students were permitted to skip school for the event.

In Slovakia, 5-year-old Teo asked a crowd of 500 "not to cut down forests, and reduce garbage production and not to use so many petrol-fuelled cars."

"Stop climate change now" and "There is no planet B" read some of the signs brandished by demonstrators in a trendy central shopping district of Tokyo.

"We adults caused this planet emergency. We should take our responsibilities for the next generation," said Chika Maruta, 32.

'WE DESERVE BETTER'

Swedish schoolgirl Thunberg called on leaders to act now to curb gas emissions.

"Now we have proven what we can do, now they have to prove what they can (do). They need to take their responsibility," she said. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel used Friday to pledge at least 100 billion euros by 2030 to tackle emissions in the energy and industrial sectors, boost zero tailpipe emission electric vehicles and get passengers out of planes and onto trains.

About 200 marched in Ghana's capital Accra, where some 44 percent of the country's population has not heard of climate change, according to a study by Afrobarometer.

"Developing countries like Ghana are the most affected. We don't have the resources to adapt to climate change," said 26-year-old protest organizer Ellen Lindsey Awuku.

Hundreds also took to the streets in Kenya and Uganda.

Events began in the deluge-threatened Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, the Solomons and Kiribati, where children chanted: "We are not sinking, we are fighting."

The defiance message was heard across Asia.

"We are the future and we deserve better," 12-year-old Lilly Satidtanasarn, known as "Thailand's Greta" for her campaign against plastic bags in malls, told AFP in Bangkok.

'YOU'RE BEING LIED TO'

In Australia, some local authorities, schools and businesses encouraged people to participate in the strikes.

Australia has been struck in recent years by droughts, more intense bushfires, devastating floods and the blanching of the Great Barrier Reef—phenomena blamed on a changing climate.

Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown a link between human-made gas emissions and climate change.

But the protests also highlighted resistance from those who question the threat.

Australian ruling coalition parliamentarian Craig Kelly told children Thursday that "everything you're told is a lie."

"The facts are, there is no link between climate change and drought, polar bears are increasing in number."

BUSINESSES TAKING ACTION

An increasing number of businesses backed the protests.

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos pledged Thursday to make the US retail giant carbon neutral by 2040 and encouraged other firms to do likewise.

Friday's mass action set the scene for a range of high-profile climate events in New York.

A Youth Climate Summit will take place at the United Nations on Saturday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will then host an emergency summit on Monday in which he will urge world leaders to raise their commitments made in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The agreement saw countries pledge to limit the long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels, and if possible, to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn that global warming and pollution are ravaging Earth's oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale.

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Groups call for climate justice, urgent action on global climate crisis

Thousands of students gather at Berlin's Brandenburg gate to protest for climate protection. Meanwhile, in Asia, the global-climate strikes began in earnest, with groups calling for more concrete action from governments and the private sector. As Bruce Rodriguez reports, more companies in the Philippines are also taking part in sustainable initiatives.

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Nailed it: Sanders teams with Cardi B to push US youth vote

WASHINGTON - US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders teamed up with rapper Cardi B Monday to encourage young voters to turn out for the 2020 election.

The unlikely duo met at a nail salon in Detroit to film a campaign video aimed at younger voters -- a fitting spot for Cardi B, who is known for her elaborate manicures in addition to chart-topping hits.

"We (are) working on a way to involve more young people in the political process," Sanders, 77, told CNN before filming began.

"They are voting in large numbers, but not enough numbers."

Democratic polling shows Sanders is the number 2 candidate in a crowded field seeking the party's nomination to defeat Donald Trump, although Sanders has about half the support of the leader Joe Biden.

After the shoot, Cardi B posted a picture on Instagram of her interviewing the Vermont senator in the salon.

"Thank you Senator Bernie Sanders for sitting with me and sharing your plans on how you will change this country," the Grammy-winning artist captioned the image.

She added she had asked her followers to suggest questions for the left-wing Sanders and advised them to "stay tuned to see how he will fight for economic, racial and social justice for all."

According to Sanders, he and the 26-year-old rap superstar discussed a range of issues, including raising the minimum wage, canceling student debt, and climate change.

This is not Cardi B's first foray into the political arena. Earlier this month she was vocal in her support for Sanders, tweeting, "We let him down in 2016," when he lost to Hillary Clinton.

In January, Cardi B, born Belcalis Almanzar, posted a profanity-laced video on Instagram blasting Trump and the US government shutdown.

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K-Pop stars at UN urge world's youth to 'just speak yourself'

K-Pop sensation BTS brought their star power to the United Nations on Monday, telling the world's youth to listen to their inner voice and resist pressure to conform. 

"No matter who you are, where you're from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak yourself," group leader Kim Nam-jun told a packed hall at the launch of a UNICEF youth campaign.

Dubbed "Generation Unlimited", the campaign to promote education, training and employment kicked off during the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

Wearing business suits and ties, the septet joined UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and Rwandan President Paul Kagame for the event -- that was oddly devoid of screaming fans. 

Kim Nam-jun, who also calls himself RM, spoke of growing up in Ilsan, South Korea, imagining he was a superhero and being "just a normal little boy" until self-doubt settled in at the age of nine or ten.

"I think that's when I began to worry about what other people thought of me and started seeing myself though their eyes," he said. "I tried to jam myself into the molds that other people made."

The lead singer of the world's most popular boy band said there were times when he wanted to quit music but he overcame his insecurities by listening to the "small voice that said, wake up man, and listen to yourself."

"I have many faults and I have many more fears but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can and I am starting to love myself," he said.

Among South Korea's best known and most lucrative musical exports, BTS made music history this year by becoming the first K-Pop group to top the Billboard 200 music charts.

"BTS has become artists performing in huge stadiums and selling millions of records right now, but I am still an ordinary 24-year-old guy," said Kim Nam-jun.

"We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to 'speak yourself'."

BTS is bringing its "Love Yourself" tour to New York for a series of concerts including its first-ever US stadium performance.

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Less-cool Facebook losing youth at fast pace: survey

WASHINGTON - With mom, dad and grandma signing up in increasing numbers, Facebook is losing younger users in the United States at a faster pace than previously estimated, researchers said Monday.

A report by eMarketer said Snapchat is drawing youths away from Facebook at a quicker clip than Facebook-owned Instagram.

Facebook is still growing in the US market, according to research firm, mainly due to increases in usage by older age groups.

The report is the latest to highlight Facebook's problem with attracting and keeping young people, who have long been a core user base for the world's biggest social network.

The research firm said it expected the first-ever decline in the 18-24 age group in the US, a drop of 5.8 percent this year.

It also said that for the first time since its research began, less than half of the 12-17 age group in the United States would be on Facebook, with a 5.6 percent drop in that segment. 

The under-12 age group meanwhile will see a decline of 9.3 percent this year, eMarketer said.

The same trend is expected to continue into 2019 and 2020, with declines in all segments of US users under 25, the report added.

Facebook will lose an estimated two million users under 25 this year, with Snapchat and Instagram the main beneficiaries.

The report said Snapchat will add 1.9 million users under 25 in 2018 and Instagram will add 1.6 million.

Snapchat, which is known for its disappearing messages, will continue to have more users aged 12 to 24 than Instagram, the researchers said.

But Snapchat could end up facing a similar problem as it seeks to increase its user base and reach all ages.

"Snapchat could eventually experience more growth in older age groups, since it's redesigning its platform to be easier to use," eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson said. 

"The question will be whether younger users will still find Snapchat cool if more of their parents and grandparents are on it. That's the predicament Facebook is in."

Facebook remains the most popular social network in the US market with an estimated 169.5 million users this year, according to eMarketer.

But faster-growing Instagram will be used by 104.7 million Americans and Snapchat will reach 86.5 million users, according to the forecast.

Last year, eMarketer predicted Facebook would see declines among some youths for the first time in its history.

A report last year by investment firm Piper Jaffray showed Snapchat is the preferred social network for US teens, with 47 percent using the platform.

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Boy Scouts of America to begin accepting transgender boys

The Boy Scouts of America said on Monday the group would begin accepting transgender boys, bucking its more than a century-old practice of using the gender stated on a birth certificate to determine eligibility.

"Starting today, we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application," Boy Scouts of America communications director Effie Delimarkos said in an emailed statement.

Delimarkos' cited shifting definitions of gender under state laws, which can "vary widely from state to state," in explaining the change.

Delimarkos said while the organization offers programs for all youths, its Cub and Boy Scout programs are specifically for boys. The change will allow children to apply even if male is not listed on their birth certificate.

In 2013, the Boy Scouts voted to lift a ban on openly gay scouts that had been in place throughout the organization's history. Two years later, the organization lifted its blanket ban on gay adult leaders after its president called the ban unsustainable.

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Pope urges Brazil's youth to seek change, fight apathy

RIO DE JANEIRO - Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged Brazil's young people, who have protested against corruption in their country, to continue their efforts to change society by fighting apathy and offering "a Christian response."

The 76-year-old pope spoke to a crowd estimated by the Vatican to be more than 2 million people gathered on Rio's famed Copacabana beach for an evening rally where he also urged young people to shun fleeting fads and be "athletes of Christ."

Francis, nearly concluding his first overseas trip, received yet another rapturous welcome when he arrived at the crescent-shaped beach. He stopped his popemobile several times to kiss babies and an Argentine flag that was waved at the car.

Most participants planned to spend the night on the sand and adjacent pavement to hold their places for Sunday's closing Mass on the same spot, making the place a giant campsite.

Brazil, Latin America's largest nation, was rocked by massive protests against corruption, the misuse of public money and the high cost of living. Most of the protesters were young.

Francis told the gathering he knew that young people had taken to the streets in Brazil and elsewhere "to express their desire for a society that is more just and fraternal."

Speaking from a giant white stage, he encouraged them to fight apathy and be "protagonists of change" and offer "a Christian response to the social and political concerns arising in many parts of the world."

In his prepared text, he had added that they should do it in an "an orderly, peaceful and responsible way" but he improvised and did not read that part of his address.

The Vatican says that when the pope departs from his prepared text and omits phrases, his thoughts are considered valid nonetheless.

Francis has dedicated much attention in his speeches to the problems, the prospects and the power of young people.

On Friday night he urged them to change a world where food is discarded while millions go hungry, where racism and violence still affront human dignity, and where politics is more associated with corruption than service.

The day before, during a visit to a Rio slum, he urged them to not lose trust and to not allow their hopes to be extinguished. Many young people in Brazil saw this as his support for peaceful demonstrations to bring about change.

STRANGE BEACH FELLOWS

The Copacabana events were to have taken place on a pasture on the outskirts of Rio, but days of unseasonable rain turned the area into a field of mud.

Before Saturday's event, young people in jeans and nuns in their habits shared the beach with Rio residents who had streamed out of their homes to welcome back the sun after days of clouds and downpours.

The nuns wet their feet in the surf next to women playing volleyball in bikinis. Young people carrying flags from dozens of nations sat in the sand in groups to pray and play music.

In his address to the young, the pope asked them to hone and perfect their faith like athletes who train for a match.

"Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup," he told them, saying they could have a "fulfilled and fruitful life" if they followed him and not "momentary fashions and fads."

He asked them to be "true athletes of Christ."

Earlier in the day, a group of feminists bared their breasts on the beach in a protest against the Church's restrictive views on female sexuality and abortion.

But most Rio residents were happy to have a visit by the pope, who leaves for Rome on Sunday night.

"The Brazilians have welcomed us so warmly. The only hiccup has been the crammed public transport," said Father Martin O'Reilly who led a group of 60 young people from the Diocese of Clogher in Ireland.

With hundreds of buses still arriving in Rio bringing more pilgrims, security officials said they expected the crowd to peak at 1.5 million people during Sunday morning Mass.

Police and soldiers were deployed on waterfront streets while warships patrolled off shore. (Writing by Philip Pullella; Editing by Philip Barbara)

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Bullying eases for lesbian, gay teens as they age: study

It does get better for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth, with bullying in their early teens fading away as they grow older, according to a study of the name calling, threats and violence faced by teens in England.

Researchers, whose results appeared in Pediatrics, found that while more than half of non-heterosexual teens reported getting bullied at ages 13 and 14, fewer than one in ten was still being victimized six years later.

"This study provides strong empirical support for the idea that it does get better," said lead researcher Joseph Robinson, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Even though you're bullied in high school, chances are you won't be bullied in young adulthood."

But not all the news was good. Gay and bisexual men, in particular, reported that they were still bullied much more often than heterosexual men when surveyed at age 19 to 20. And bullied LGB youth said those experiences contributed to their feelings of depression and worthlessness years later as young adults

The new data are based on a study of 4,135 teens in England who were surveyed every year between 2004 and 2010. Of those, 187, or 4.5%, identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

At the start of the study period, when the youths were 13 and 14 years old, 52% of gay and bisexual boys and 57% of lesbian and bisexual girls said they were called names or experienced threats or violence.

Six years later, 9% of non-heterosexual men and 6% of women were bullied.

By then, heterosexual and non-heterosexual women had a similar chance of being bullied, but gay and bisexual men were four times more likely to be victimized than their straight peers.

"Prior studies suggest that the general public has stronger negative feelings toward gay and bisexual males than toward lesbian and bisexual females," Robinson told Reuters Health.

Other experts noted that while the findings supported the idea that teens grow more tolerant as they age, discrimination still existed at aged 18 and 19, especially for boys.

Even when the name-calling and threats of violence had stopped, many LGB teens in the study continued to feel emotional distress, in part related to past bullying.

"There's a lingering effect into early adulthood... from what has happened earlier in life," said Anthony D'Augelli, who studies LGB youth at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park.

"Despite what would appear to be a decrease (in bullying), we should not assume that all is well in the lives of these young people," added D'Augelli, who was not part of the study.

Andrea Roberts, who studies trauma and health at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said that bullying trends have a lot to do with local culture and acceptance of LGB people, so it's hard to know whether the findings would apply elsewhere.

"It would be really beneficial to have this study done in the United States," she said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Youth voters told to register for 2013 polls

MANILA, Philippines - Young voters who registered and voted during the 2010 Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections should register anew for the May 13, 2013 elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said there is a prevailing misconception among SK members that they no longer have to register anew.

"We call on the leadership of Sanggunian Kabataan Federations nationwide and the National Youth Commission (NYC) to help us in encouraging the youth, especially the SK voters of 2010, to register," he said in a press statement.

He said voters' registration is open at Comelec offices until October 31, 2012; Mondays to Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registrants need only bring a valid ID when they register.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Priest urges youths to protect selves by enrolling in self-defense class

MANILA, Philippines - Expressing disappointment over the failure of authorities to ensure the safety of youths, Episcopal Commission on Youth Executive Secretary Fr. Conegundo Garganta urged students and teenagers to enroll in a self-defense class this summer.

But for those who can't afford to pay for the classes that range from P2,500 to P4,000, Garganta said young people could also follow practical tips and advices to ensure their safety.

"Young people must avoid staying late outside, avoid dark places. [They] must see to it that they are in a group, heed the reminders of their parents" Garganta told reporters in an interview.

The priest also advised parents to closely monitor the activities of their children and "provide them additional care."

Garganta made the statement after another student of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna was killed by robbers last Sunday, March 4.

Ray Bernard Penaranda, 19, was walking with his two friends on their way to their dormitory when they were attacked by two motorcycle-riding men.

Penaranda's friends were able to flee but he was chased down by the robbers and was stabbed on the chest using a knife.

source: interaksyon.com