Known Pathogens Cause Rise in China’s Respiratory Illness, Official Says

Known Pathogens Cause Rise in China’s Respiratory Illness, Official Says

SHENZHEN, China —  China’s surge in respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens and there is no sign of new infectious diseases, a health official said Saturday as the country faces its first full winter since lifting its strict COVID-19 restrictions. The spike in illness in the country where COVID emerged in late 2019 attracted … Read more

Flu on Rise, RSV Infections May Be Peaking, US Says

Flu on Rise, RSV Infections May Be Peaking, US Says

NEW YORK —  Flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections that can hit kids and older people hard may be peaking, U.S. health officials said Friday. COVID-19, though, continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory illnesses — about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every week, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, … Read more

Maghreb Farmers Embrace Drones to Fight Climate Change

Maghreb Farmers Embrace Drones to Fight Climate Change

Nabeul, Tunisia —  A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near Nabeul, eastern Tunisia. The black unmanned aircraft, equipped with a multi-lens camera and sensors, has been enlisted by Tunisian farmers to help adapt to years of drought and erratic weather patterns caused by climate change. “The seasons are … Read more

Lacking Counselors, US Schools Turn to Booming Business of Online Therapy

Lacking Counselors, US Schools Turn to Booming Business of Online Therapy

Trouble with playground bullies started for Maria Ishoo’s daughter in elementary school. Girls ganged up, calling her “fat” and “ugly.” Boys tripped and pushed her. The California mother watched her typically bubbly second-grader retreat into her bedroom and spend afternoons curled up in bed. For Valerie Aguirre’s daughter in Hawaii, a spate of middle school … Read more

NASA Celebrates 25th Birthday of International Space Station

NASA Celebrates 25th Birthday of International Space Station

NASA celebrates a quarter century of human cooperation in space. Plus, a busy week of space launches, and ‘America’s Dad’ wants you to see the moon like those who’ve been there. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space Read original article here Denial of responsibility! Pioneer Newz is an automatic aggregator of the … Read more

Draft COP28 Text Includes Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

Draft COP28 Text Includes Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

DUBAI —  Countries at the COP28 climate conference are considering calling for a formal phase-out of fossil fuels as part of the U.N. summit’s final deal to tackle global warming, a draft negotiating text seen on Tuesday shows. The proposal is set to spark heated debate among the nearly 200 countries at the two-week conference … Read more

Time to Hike Alcohol, Sugary Drinks Tax

Time to Hike Alcohol, Sugary Drinks Tax

Geneva —  Countries need to increase their taxes on alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, saying too few states were using tax to incentivize healthier behaviors. After studying taxation rates, the WHO said the average global tax rate on such “unhealthy products” was low, and hiking taxes could result in healthier … Read more

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Admits to Making Mistakes But Defends COVID Record

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Admits to Making Mistakes But Defends COVID Record

London —  Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his handling of COVID-19 on Wednesday at a public inquiry into the pandemic, saying his government “got some things wrong” but did its best. Johnson began two days of questioning under oath by lawyers for the judge-led inquiry about his initial reluctance to impose a national … Read more

After Fast Start, COP28 Climate Talks in Murky Middle Between Hope, Roadblocks

After Fast Start, COP28 Climate Talks in Murky Middle Between Hope, Roadblocks

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES —  After a first-day blur of rare quick action and agreement, negotiators at a critical United Nations climate summit finished their first week Wednesday in a more familiar place: the murky middle where momentum and roadblocks intertwine. “Negotiations … are a mixed picture right now. We see big differences between individual … Read more