Man injured after early morning stabbing by fellow patient at Montreal hospital

LONDON (AP) — More than 8 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis last year, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, the highest number recorded since the U.N. health agency began keeping track.

About 1.25 million people died of TB last year, the new report said, adding that TB likely returned to being the world’s top infectious disease killer after being replaced by COVID-19 during the pandemic. The deaths are almost double the number of people killed by HIV in 2023.

WHO said TB continues to mostly affect people in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Western Pacific; India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Pakistan account for more than half of the world’s cases.

“The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

TB deaths continue to fall globally, however, and the number of people being newly infected is beginning to stabilize. The agency noted that of the 400,000 people estimated to have drug-resistant TB last year, fewer than half were diagnosed and treated.

Tuberculosis is caused by airborne bacteria that mostly affects the lungs. Roughly a quarter of the global population is estimated to have TB, but only about 5–10% of those develop symptoms.

Advocacy groups, including Doctors Without Borders, have long called for the U.S. company Cepheid, which produces TB tests used in poorer countries, to make them available for $5 per test to increase availability. Earlier this month, Doctors Without Borders and 150 global health partners sent Cepheid an open letter calling on them to “prioritize people’s lives” and to urgently help make TB testing more widespread globally.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

NASA confirmed Tuesday its sun-observing spacecraft captured the moment when the comet Atlas broke into chunks this week as it passed close to the sun.

Astronomers have been tracking the so-called Halloween comet, also known as C/2024 S1, since it was discovered in September by a telescope in Hawaii.

As it raced toward the sun, a space observatory operated by NASA and the European Space Agency spied its demise.

The comet is thought to be part of a family of comets that pass incredibly close to the sun.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Walking from his apartment to classes and then to the University of Florida’s basketball facility, Olivier Rioux poses for dozens — sometimes hundreds — of pictures a day.

Vertical shots, of course. Rioux won’t fit in the frame any other way.

At 7 feet, 9 inches, Rioux is the ultimate BMOC. He’s actually the Biggest Man On Campus — any campus.

The Florida freshman, a happy-go-lucky Canadian who owns a spot in the Guinness record book as the world’s tallest teenager, also will make basketball history when he plays for the 21st-ranked Gators this season. The cheerful guy known as “Oli” will become the tallest to play college hoops, supplanting 7-foot-7 Kenny George of UNC Asheville (2006-08).

He’s 2 inches taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and 3 inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley.

“You get asked questions every day,” said Rioux, who likes to draw in his spare time. “You don’t have a single three seconds to yourself when you’re outside, which I was fine with because my brother and my dad are tall. And, as a family, we used to go out. That’s just how it was, and you can’t change that because people are curious.”

His college teammates have gotten used to it by now.

“It’s really weird looking up to someone,” said 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten. “But being around him just about every day, it’s just different when you’re out in public with him. People normally ask me, ‘You’re so tall. Do you play basketball?’ No one says a word to me (now). Everyone just looks to him. It’s kind of crazy. He doesn’t shy away from it.”

Rioux actually embraces it. He welcomes the stares, the questions and all the requests.

“It does help to be Canadian,” he quipped. “You just get used to it. Talking to people is nice because they are curious, and you can’t change that.”

Rioux has worked hard to prepare for Division I basketball, but no one expects him to be a star at this level, certainly not right away. The Gators do expect Rioux to be a fan favorite, beginning with their season opener against USF on Monday night. Coach Todd Golden predicts it will be like nothing he’s ever experienced, with chants for Rioux late in games.

“That one we can see coming from a mile away,” Golden said. “About 95% of my conversations with random people about our team are about him. It’s the first time we’ve been ranked since 2019 and it’s like, ‘Hey, Coach, we’re really excited to see Oli out there this year.’ And I get it, man. He’s a very unique individual.”

Rioux grew up in Terrebonne, Quebec, and realized at an early age he was different. He was taller than most of his teachers in elementary school, crossed the 6-foot mark by age 8 and topped 7 feet the summer before seventh grade.

His mom is 6-2, dad is 6-8 and his older brother is 6-9.

“At my meemaw’s house, we had the wall (where) me and my brother used to measure ourselves. And then one day, poof, my brother was gone,” Rioux said, recalling the day he “officially” outgrew his entire family.

Back home in Canada, Rioux has a number of custom-made items to make life more comfortable, most notably his bed. On campus, though, he barely fits diagonally across a queen-sized mattress.

He has to duck to get through near every doorway and often hits his head. He wears a size 20 shoe, gets most of his wardrobe from team gear and won’t dare ride a scooter because “I don’t trust myself.” And squeezing into a classroom desk is more comical than a point guard trying to box him out.

He started playing basketball at age 5 and ended up at IMG Academy in Sarasota, about three hours south of Gainesville, for high school. He had offers from UC Irvine and Morehead State but ended up at Florida as a preferred walk-on.

He’s one of six international players on Golden’s roster and a clear project despite having played in several FIBA events with the Canadian national team, including the 2024 U18 FIBA AmeriCup and the 2023 U19 World Cup.

“The great thing in our minds is we think he has potential to play at some point,” Golden said. “He’s more than just a 7-9 guy. He’s had some really good moments in practice, super coachable and I’m excited for him to get to this point next year and kind of see where we’re at.”

Rioux has made strides in just a few months. His mobility and coordination have improved — he can wrap his leg around his head — along with his conditioning. Golden still wants him to use his 305-pound frame to become “more of a butt-kicker” in the low post.

“He has flashes in practice where he’ll make some plays and you’re like, ‘Whoa,’” Golden said. “Like, obviously, we can’t do that with anybody else.”

Rioux can dunk without leaving his feet and has a nearly unstoppable hook shot. He wears No. 32 because of his affection for Pro Basketball Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal, a fellow 7-footer.

He’d like to pattern his game after former Purdue center Zach Edey (7-4) and French superstar Victor Wembanyama (7-3), who is currently considered the gold standard for 7-footers.

“Oh my God,” Rioux gushed.

Most people have the same reaction when seeing Rioux for the first time. He towers over teammates and classmates, and just about every picture taken of him goes viral.

“He doesn’t seek the attention, but he also doesn’t get annoyed at the people that ask,” Handlogten said. “He embraces it because it’s part of him, and he loves that. If someone comes up and asks for pictures, he’s like, ‘Yeah, of course.’ And he always has that bright smile on his face. It’s awesome.”

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