US reconstructive surgeons step up to help Ukrainian counterparts
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West responded, sending military weaponry and aid to the embattled nation. But as the war drags on, there is also a need for doctors. One nonprofit is sending American surgeons to Ukraine, and Ukrainian surgeons to train in the United…
Netflix’s recipe for success includes ‘secret sauce’ spiced with tech savvy
LOS GATOS, California — Although its video streaming service sparkles with a Hollywood sheen, Netflix still taps its roots in Silicon Valley to stay a step ahead of traditional TV and movie studios. The Los Gatos, California, company, based more than 300 miles away from Hollywood,…
Some US families opt to raise teens sans social media
WESTPORT, Connecticut — Kate Bulkeley's pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie…
Growing community of breast milk donors in Uganda gives mothers hope
KAMPALA, Uganda — Early last year, Caroline Ikendi was in distress after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section to remove one stillborn baby and save two others. Doctors said one of the preterm babies had a 2% chance of living. If the babies didn't get breast milk…
UN: More aquatic animals farmed than fished in 2022
ROME — The total global volume of fish, shrimp, clams and other aquatic animals that are harvested by farming has topped the amount fished in the wild from the world's waters for the first time ever, the United Nations reported Friday. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture…
US lawmakers call for scrutiny of NewsBreak app over Chinese origins
WASHINGTON AND LONDON — Three U.S. lawmakers have called for more scrutiny of NewsBreak, a popular news aggregation app in the United States, after Reuters reported it has Chinese origins and has used artificial intelligence tools to produce erroneous stories. The Reuters story drew upon previously…
Climate crisis creates a health crisis, WHO reports
GENEVA — Scientific evidence documented in a series of articles presented by the World Health Organization this week highlights the harmful impact of climate change at key stages of the human life cycle. “These provide important scientific evidence on how the health of pregnant women, newborns,…
In many US cities, Black and Latino neighborhoods have less access to pharmacies
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Parts of the north side of Montgomery are defined by what it has lost: restaurants, grocery stores and a convenient pharmacy, the latter of which closed five years ago. People who still live in the historically Black neighborhood of Newtown, like Sharon Harris,…
22 Chinese nationals sentenced to prison in Zambia for cybercrimes
LUSAKA, Zambia — A Zambian court on Friday sentenced 22 Chinese nationals to long prison terms for cybercrimes that included internet fraud and online scams targeting Zambians and other people from Singapore, Peru and the United Arab Emirates. The Magistrates Court in the capital, Lusaka, sentenced…
Man died with bird flu; US officials remain focused on another form of it
NEW YORK — The mysterious death of a man in Mexico who had one kind of bird flu is unrelated to outbreaks of a different type at U.S. dairy farms, experts say. Here's a look at the case and the different types of bird flu. What…
Former astronaut who took iconic photo of Earth dies in plane crash
seattle, washington — Retired Major General William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic "Earthrise" photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off…
UN development agency installing solar energy at Zimbabwean clinics, hospitals
Zimbabwe is facing long hours of power cuts due to its dilapidated infrastructure and the impact of recurring droughts on hydropower. To help, the United Nations Development Program is installing solar panels on government-owned health facilities. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Bulawayo. ...
AU, ILRI collaborate to make informal food markets in Africa safer
nairobi, kenya — An estimated 70 percent of Africa's urban households buy food from informal sources, such as street vendors, kiosks, and traditional market sellers, recent studies have found. Now, the African Union and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), are joining forces to design the…
SpaceX’s mega rocket completes its fourth test flight from Texas without exploding
Boca Chica, Texas — SpaceX's mega Starship rocket completed its first full test flight Thursday, returning to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas. The previous three test flights ended in explosions of the rocket and the spacecraft. This time, both managed to splash down…
In Eswatini, questions linger one year after HPV vaccine program launch
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in the southern African nation of Eswatini, while globally it's the fourth most common. Despite this, a vaccination program in Eswatini that aims to prevent cervical cancer is meeting resistance. Nokukhanya Musi reports from Manzini, Eswatini.…
War traumatizes, haunts both Israeli and Palestinian children
Many Israeli and Palestinian children are suffering from trauma because of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing eight months of war between the two sides. Therapists in both communities say the emotional scars could linger for years. Linda Gradstein reports from…
Novo Nordisk braces for generic challenge to Ozempic, Wegovy in China
SHANGHAI, China — Novo Nordisk is facing the prospect of intensifying competition in the promising Chinese market, where drugmakers are developing at least 15 generic versions of its diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss treatment Wegovy, clinical trial records showed. The Danish drugmaker has high hopes…
WHO: First fatal human case of H5N2 bird flu identified
Geneva — The World Health Organization said Wednesday a person in Mexico had died in the first confirmed human case globally of infection with the H5N2 variant of bird flu. The patient, who died on April 24 after developing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea and nausea,…