San Francisco - (dpa) - Although the relationship between eating dairy and the risk of cancer has not been scientifically proven conclusively yet, Western studies conducted in this field indicated that eating dairy may reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer and increase the risk of prostate cancer. For example.

However, these results may not be true for non-Western societies that have different dietary habits with regard to eating dairy, as well as the ability of non-Western bodies to digest and absorb this type of product. The Chinese, for example, do not consume large quantities of cheese and butter, and they also eat milk and yogurt in much smaller quantities than Western societies, and their ability to digest dairy is not entirely good due to the lack of the enzyme lactase, which helps digest milk sugar known as lactose.

In order to investigate this relationship between dairy intake and the risk of cancer among the Chinese, a team of researchers from the Oxford Institute of Public Health, Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences conducted a study involving more than 510,000 people in the age group between 30 and 79 years during The period was from 2004 to 2008 and covered ten different geographical regions in China.

By conducting a questionnaire on the participants, the study, which was reported in the scientific journal "BMC Medicine", revealed that 20% of the participants eat dairy on a daily basis, 11% on a monthly basis, and 69% do not eat it regularly.

During the study period, 29,277,000 cancer cases were recorded among the participants, including 6,282 lung cancer, 2,582 breast cancer, 3,577 stomach cancer, 3,350 colorectal cancer, and 3,191 liver cancer.

And it was found that people who regularly eat dairy have an increased risk of liver and breast cancer, as consuming 50 grams per day of dairy increases the risk of developing the two types by 12% and 17%, respectively. The study, which was reported by the website "Medical Express", which specializes in medical sciences, did not find a relationship between dairy consumption and prostate, colorectal, or any other types of cancer included in the research.

Although the study does not reveal a clear causal relationship between dairy intake and cancer, the research team stresses that there are several accepted biological mechanisms that may explain the relationship between cancer and dairy.

Geneva - (AFP) - The largest white diamond ever auctioned will go up for sale in Geneva, along with a historic canary yellow diamond, part of which will go to the Red Cross.

The head of the jewelry department at Christie's in Geneva, Max Faust, told AFP that "The Rock", which weighs 228.31 carats, "is the largest white diamond ever offered at auction," noting that it is "a polished pear-shaped diamond that is really distinctive." ".

Expectations indicated that the price of this precious stone, which belongs to a person from North America whose identity was not disclosed, may reach record levels.

Fawcett confirmed that the stone is "exactly the same," estimating its price at "between 20 and 30 million dollars." It is likely that the competition to acquire it will be fierce and lead to "high bids".

The expert explained that there are only a "handful" of such diamonds. The last record price recorded by a similar white diamond (163.41 carats) at an auction by Christie's dates back to November 2017 in Geneva, when it was sold on that day for $33.7 million.

The Rock, taller than a golf ball, was mined in South Africa in the early 2000s and sold by Christie's by negotiation to a private collector.

Participants in Wednesday's auction can also seek possession of The Red Cross Diamond, a cushion-shaped canary yellow diamond weighing 205.07 carats.

Faust said that the price of this diamond was "estimated at between seven and ten million Swiss francs," and he expected the auction to achieve "excellent results." He pointed out that "a large part of its proceeds will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross."

The rough gemstone from which this diamond was made was extracted in 1901 from a De Beers mine in South Africa and weighed 375 carats, according to Christie's. This diamond is considered among the largest in the world, and is also characterized by the natural shape of its wing resembling a Maltese cross.

The diamond was first offered for sale at Christie's in London on April 10, 1918 by the Diamond Syndicate for the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (commonly known as the Order of Malta).

The diamond was sold at the time for ten thousand pounds sterling (equivalent to about 600 thousand pounds today, or more than 737 thousand dollars), and was bought by the famous jeweler, "SJ Phelps" in London.

It was put up for sale again on November 21, 1973, at Christie's in Geneva, for 1.8 million francs, and the house is offering it today for the third time.
The diamond seller wished to keep his identity secret, but issued a statement saying: "Nearly half a century ago, our family had the honor of keeping the Red Cross diamond. (...) At this appropriate moment in history, we respect the call made by others before us."

Wednesday's auction includes a number of other diamonds, in addition to a crown that belonged to the Princess of Fürstenberg (1867-1948), one of the most important aristocratic families in the Habsburg Empire. Its price was estimated at between 400,000 and 600,000 francs.

Max Faust said, "The diamond market is characterized by amazing resilience this year. Despite the difficult geopolitical situation and inflationary pressures, diamond prices have not reached such a high level for seven or eight years."

The Russian invasion of Ukraine had a significant impact on this market.

Faust explained that more than 40 percent of diamonds are extracted from Russia, especially from the Alrosa mine, but international markets can no longer obtain Russian gems.

The expert pointed out that the war in Ukraine "has great repercussions because of this strong restriction of supply in the current market, by causing strong price increases."

It is expected that the continuation of international sanctions against Russia will lead to "continued price hikes."

Mecca - (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan performed Umrah rituals at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Friday, on the second day of his first visit to Saudi Arabia since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.

Erdogan walked among a group of his companions and guards in the courtyards of the mosque, along with large numbers of worshipers, whose numbers usually increase dramatically on the last Friday of Ramadan.

The Turkish president had discussed with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday evening the development of relations between the two countries, following a bitter dispute in the wake of the murder of the Saudi journalist.

And the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) published pictures of the two leaders embracing, in what appeared to be a prelude to turning the page on tension between the two regional powers after the assassination of Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul at the hands of Saudi agents.
Erdogan, who seeks to improve his country's relations with regional powers in the midst of great economic difficulties, met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the start of his first visit to the wealthy kingdom in nearly five years, then met with Crown Prince Mohammed.
During the meeting between Erdogan and the young prince, they reviewed the Saudi-Turkish relations, and opportunities for developing them in various fields, in addition to discussing developments in the regional and international situation and the efforts made in this regard, according to the agency.
Erdogan's last visit to the Kingdom dates back to 2017, when he tried to mediate in the diplomatic conflict between several Gulf states and Qatar, an ally of Ankara.
The Gulf states reconciled last year, while the region has witnessed diplomatic rapprochement in recent months, with economies particularly weak in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.