Decriminalization dominates Australian drug summit
SYDNEY — Australian authorities are being criticized for ruling out drug decriminalization at an international summit in Sydney this week, ignoring a call by many experts and health groups for a health care response to drug use and addiction rather…
Maternal mortality review panels are in the spotlight. Here’s what they do
Efforts to reduce the nation’s persistently high maternal mortality rates involve state panels of experts that investigate and learn from each mother’s death. The panels — called maternal mortality review committees — usually do their work quietly and out of…
Mexico study finds that heat kills young people more than elderly
A surprising study of temperature-related deaths in Mexico upends conventional thinking about what age group is hit hardest by heat. Researchers found at higher temperatures and humidity, the heat kills far more young people under 35 than those older than…
NASA delays next moon mission to April 2026
The U.S. space agency, NASA, is leading an effort to return astronauts to the surface of the moon and establish a routine presence on the lunar surface. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, NASA says it will push the next mission…
Big polluters fear UN court case will fuel compensation demands
LONDON — As a landmark climate change case reached its halfway mark Friday at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, clear divisions have emerged over whether nation states can be held legally liable for global warming under international…
Iran launches heaviest space payload into orbit: media
Tehran, Iran — Iran successfully launched on Friday its heaviest space payload, which includes a satellite and a space tug, using a domestically developed satellite carrier, official media reported. Weighing 300 kilograms, the payload consisted of the Fakhr-1 telecommunications satellite…
Congo says it’s ‘on alert’ over mystery flu-like disease that killed dozens
KINSHASA, CONGO — Public health officials in Africa urged caution Thursday as Congo’s health minister said the government was on alert over a mystery flu-like disease that in recent weeks killed dozens of people. Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa…
Sierra Leone begins nationwide rollout of Ebola vaccine
FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE — Authorities in Sierra Leone on Thursday started a nationwide rollout of the single-dose Ebola vaccine, the first such campaign in West Africa, where a deadly outbreak 10 years ago resulted in the death of thousands. The…
Transgender rights case lands at US Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments Wednesday in just its second major transgender rights case, which is a challenge to a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming health care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months,…
Transgender attorney to argue before Supreme Court, challenging health care ban for minors
WASHINGTON — When the Supreme Court this week wades into the contentious issue of transgender rights, the justices will hear from an attorney with knowledge that runs deep. Chase Strangio will be the first openly transgender attorney to argue before…