Global cruise industry sees growing demand, wary of port protests
MADRID — The global cruise industry expects to carry 10% more passengers by 2028 than the 31.7 million who took cruise holidays in 2023, when the sector surpassed pre-pandemic levels, but sees some routes exposed to protests over overtourism. Long…
Judge’s ruling temporarily allows for unlicensed Native Hawaiian midwifery
HONOLULU — A Hawaii judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law requiring the licensing of practitioners and teachers of traditional Native Hawaiian midwifery while a lawsuit seeking to overturn the statute wends its way through the courts….
Experts: Volunteering has health benefits, especially for older adults
After retiring from 35 years as a teacher, Jeff Kellert began volunteering as a tutor and helped with monthly dinners at his synagogue. Later, he got certified to lead support groups every other week for the National Mental Health Alliance,…
US claims TikTok collected user views on issues like abortion, gun control
WASHINGTON — In a fresh broadside against one of the world’s most popular technology companies, the Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like…
Ukrainian adviser says agreement with Russia is ‘deal with the devil’
KYIV, Ukraine — Signing an agreement with Russia to stop the war with Ukraine would amount to signing a deal with the devil, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as pressure mounts on the country to seek…
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
washington — NASA’s rover Perseverance on Mars has made what could be its most astonishing discovery to date: possible signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The six-wheeled robotic explorer came across an intriguing, arrow-shaped rock dubbed “Cheyava Falls”…
Advocates hail sub-Saharan Africa’s lead in global HIV response
washington — Thousands of policymakers, health care professionals and advocates gathered this week in Munich, Germany, to take stock of the global fight against HIV as they try to meet the 2030 deadline set by world leaders for eliminating AIDS…
Astronomers use Webb telescope to discover new planet
A team of astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, to observe a new, Jupiter-like planet outside our solar system – known as an “exoplanet.” It was the first new planet observed and imaged with the telescope that…
Recycled Russian conspiracy theories falsely accuse Ukraine of child organ harvesting
Ukrainian children continue to pay what the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) called “an extraordinary price in lives lost and upended” due to Russia’s invasion. UNICEF said the war has had “a devastating impact on the country’s 7.5…
For Ukrainian athletes, joy mixes with sorrow at the Paris Olympics
Paris — For Ukrainian competitors in Paris for the Olympics, joy goes hand in hand with sorrow. Athletes are striving to enjoy the dream of competing at one of the world’s most prestigious sports events while carrying the burden of…