Iraq rainstorm flooding kills hikers, officials say
Sulaimaniyah, Iraq — Floods caused by torrential rainstorms have killed four hikers in the Sulaimaniyah region of northern Iraq, local officials told AFP. “Four members of a hiking team drowned because of heavyRead More…
Pakistan records its wettest April since 1961 with above average rainfall
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has recorded its wettest April since 1961, with more than double the usual rainfall for the month, the national weather center said. The country experienced days of extreme weather inRead More…
What could a woman president in Mexico mean for abortion rights?
MEXICO CITY — If a woman wins Mexico’s presidency on June 2, would she rule with gender in mind? The question has been raised by academics, humans rights organizations and activists ahead ofRead More…
China sending probe to less-explored far side of moon
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored regionRead More…
Arizona’s governor signs bill to repeal 1864 abortion law
phoenix — Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has relegated a Civil War-era ban on most abortions to the past by signing a bill Thursday to repeal it. Hobbs said the move was justRead More…
New Boeing capsule heading to International Space Station
NASA may soon have another way to get astronauts into space. Plus, the agency reconnects with an old friend and how to train a dog for a walk … on the moon.Read More…
UnitedHealth says hackers potentially stole data from a third of Americans
WASHINGTON — Hackers who breached UnitedHealth’s tech unit in February potentially stole data from a third of Americans, the largest U.S. health insurer’s CEO told a congressional committee on Wednesday. Two congressional panelsRead More…
Biden campaign criticizes Trump over new Florida abortion law
The U.S. state of Florida has a new law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. In this presidential campaign, Donald Trump is defending the right of states to regulate reproductiveRead More…
Report: Climate change set to cut average income by 19%
London — Climate change will cut the average income of people around the world by one-fifth by 2050, according to a new report published in the journal Nature by the Potsdam Institute forRead More…
Climate change set to cut average income by 19%, report warns
The average income of people around the world will be cut by one-fifth because of climate change by the middle of the century, according to a new report by Germany’s Potsdam InstituteRead More…
Chinese scientist who published COVID-19 virus sequence allowed back in his lab after sit-in protest
BEIJING — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China said he was allowed back into his lab after he spent days locked outside, sitting in protest. ZhangRead More…
Reuters/Ipsos poll: Most Americans see TikTok as a Chinese influence tool
Washington — A majority of Americans believe that China uses TikTok to shape U.S. public opinion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted as Washington moves closer to potentially banning the Chinese-owned short-video app.Read More…
Kenya’s Ruto orders evacuations after deadly floods
Mai Mahiu, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday deployed the military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas in a nation where 171 people have been killed since March by torrentialRead More…
Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
SHANGHAI — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a signRead More…
G7 ministers: Energy storage is key to global renewable goals
Paris, France — G7 environment ministers committed on Tuesday to ramp up the production and deployment of battery storage technology, an essential component for increasing renewable energy and combating climate change. HereRead More…
Talks on global pandemic agreement are in race against time
geneva — Countries trying to negotiate a new global agreement on combating future pandemics began bridging their differences Monday, but they’re racing against time to seal a deal. The 194 nations in theRead More…
Study: Add timekeeping to the list of climate change victims
Not only is climate change responsible for sea level rise and extreme weather events, but a new peer-reviewed study signals it may also impact global timekeeping. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has theRead More…
African farmers look to the past and the future to address climate change
HARARE — From ancient fertilizer methods in Zimbabwe to new greenhouse technology in Somalia, farmers across the heavily agriculture-reliant African continent are looking to the past and future to respond to climate change.Read More…
Climate change is bringing malaria to new areas. In Africa, it never left
LAGOS, Nigeria — When a small number of cases of locally transmitted malaria were found in the United States last year, it was a reminder that climate change is reviving or migrating theRead More…
Georgia to host development summit; climate change, aging on agenda
SYDNEY — The Asian Development Bank holds its annual meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, next week, with discussions on climate change and the world’s aging population high on the agenda. The four-day summit, startingRead More…
About 1 in 4 older US adults expect they will never retire
washington — About one-quarter of U.S. adults age 50 and older who are not yet retired say they expect to never retire, and 70% are concerned about prices rising faster than their income,Read More…
Methane-measuring satellite could help slow global warming
Methane leaking from fossil fuel production is among the top contributors to climate change. Now a leading environmental scientist is hoping to provide more accurate and consistent findings of methane emissions withRead More…
Soaring prices threaten Nigeria’s malaria control
Abuja, Nigeria — Thursday, April 25, marked World Malaria Day, a day to mark progress against the deadly disease. In Nigeria, that progress is being threatened by soaring drug costs caused by inflation,Read More…
Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone launch malaria vaccination programs
COTONOU, Benin — Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone launched large-scale malaria vaccine programs on Thursday under an Africa-focused initiative that hopes to save tens of thousands of children’s lives per year across Africa.Read More…
Malaria remains public health challenge in Kenya, but progress may be coming
MIGORI, Kenya — As the coffin bearing the body of Rosebella Awuor was lowered into the grave, heart-wrenching sobs from mourners filled the air. Her sister Winnie Akinyi, the guardian to Awuor’s orphanedRead More…
‘Extreme’ climate blamed for world’s worst wine harvest in 62 years
Paris, France — World wine production dropped 10 percent last year, the biggest fall in more than six decades, because of “extreme” climate changes, the body that monitors the trade said Thursday. “ExtremeRead More…
Russia blocks UN resolution on peaceful use of outer space
new york — Russia blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday reaffirming the need to prevent a nuclear arms race in outer space. The measure was proposed jointly by the United States, aRead More…
Pakistan’s Malaria Surge Linked to Climate Change
April 25 marks the global observance of World Malaria Day. Pakistan saw the world’s largest increase in malaria cases in 2022 following that year’s catastrophic flooding, according to the latest World HealthRead More…
‘Green’ Energy Observer vessel docked in NYC for Earth Day
Before the creation of engines, the ocean was full of low-emission vessels — they were called sailboats. Now a next-generation zero-emissions laboratory vessel called the Energy Observer recently docked in New York City toRead More…
European Space Agency adds new astronauts in only fourth class since 1978
cologne, germany — For the past year, five fit, academically superior men and women have been spun in centrifuges, submerged for hours, deprived temporarily of oxygen, taught to camp in the snow, andRead More…