Earth hits hottest summer on record, EU climate monitor says
The Earth has just experienced its hottest summer on record, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said Friday. It says the new record surpasses last year’s, driven by human-caused climate change and a temporary boost from the El Niño…
NASA astronauts stuck in space with nowhere to go … for now
A trip that should have lasted just over a week spirals into a roughly eight-month adventure. Plus, a pioneering teacher memorialized in bronze. And a robot proves its purpose by picking up pebbles. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week…
Female genital mutilation continues to endanger girls, women in Somalia
Despite global efforts to stop the practice of female genital mutilation, the harmful tradition continues to affect the lives and health of millions of women and girls in Somalia. Reporter Najib Ahmed has this story from the capital, Mogadishu, narrated…
First mpox vaccines due in DR Congo on Thursday
Kinshasa, Congo — The first delivery of almost 100,000 doses of mpox vaccines will arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, the African Union’s health watchdog said. The vast central Africa country of around 100 million people is…
WHO: Deaths from cholera jump 71% worldwide
The number of cholera deaths reported last year worldwide ballooned from the previous year by 71% to more than 4,000, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lamented the death toll from a disease he described…
Empty capsule to return to Earth soon; 2 astronauts will stay behind
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Boeing will attempt to return its problem-plagued capsule from the International Space Station later this week — with empty seats. NASA said Wednesday that everything is on track for the Starliner capsule to undock from the…
Australian researchers plan new generation of biodegradable plastic
SYDNEY — Global concerns over plastic pollution and cuts to fossil fuel use are behind a new Australian-led initiative to develop a new generation of 100 percent compostable plastic. Experts estimate that more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic are…
Experts blame Africa’s mpox outbreaks on neglect, world’s inability to stop epidemics
LONDON — The growing mpox outbreaks in Africa that triggered the World Health Organization’s emergency declaration are largely the result of decades of neglect and the global community’s inability to stop sporadic epidemics among a population with little immunity against…
Egyptian team specializes in moving elephants
When it comes to the niche business of moving elephants, Dr. Amir Khalil and his team might be the best. The Egyptian veterinarian’s résumé includes possibly the most famous elephant relocation on the planet. In 2020, Khalil’s team saved Kaavan,…
Health authorities begin large-scale polio vaccinations in war-ravaged Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian health authorities and United Nations agencies on Sunday began a large-scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip, hoping to prevent an outbreak in the territory that has been ravaged by the…