Indonesia aims to build cutting-edge spaceport but faces obstacles
Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesia aims to launch 19 satellites into low-Earth orbit next year, part of an ambitious plan to move the country into the forefront of the world’s growing space industry and reduce its reliance on other countries for…
Supreme Court rejects US opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma
Washington — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but also would…
Supreme Court halts enforcement of the EPA’s plan to limit downwind pollution from power plants
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is putting the Environmental Protection Agency’s air pollution-fighting “good neighbor” plan on hold while legal challenges continue, the conservative-led court’s latest blow to federal regulations. The justices in a 5-4 vote on Thursday rejected arguments…
2 pandas en route from China to US under conservation partnership
SAN DIEGO — A pair of giant pandas are on their way from China to the U.S., where they will be cared for at the San Diego Zoo as part of an ongoing conservation partnership between the two nations, officials…
US health agency issues dengue virus infection advisory
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health advisory warning the public and health care officials about the increasing risk of dengue virus infections in the United States. The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has declared…
Hilton tells Congress youth care programs need more oversight
WASHINGTON — Reality TV star Paris Hilton called for greater federal oversight of youth care programs at a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing on Wednesday as she described her traumatic experience in youth care facilities. Hilton, 43, the great-granddaughter…
Report: Supreme Court seems poised to allow emergency abortions in Idaho
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appears poised to allow emergency abortions in Idaho when a pregnant patient’s health is at serious risk, according to Bloomberg News, which said a copy of the opinion was briefly posted Wednesday on the court’s…
Delhi grapples with water woes amid heat wave
New Delhi — Mushrat Parveen, a resident of a low-income neighborhood in the Indian capital, New Delhi, perches atop a tanker truck delivering water to her neighborhood to escape the chaos that ensues. “Everyone keeps fighting for water, so I…
Nigeria declares cholera crisis, launches emergency measures
Nigerian authorities have declared a national emergency and activated response operations to control the spread of a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 50 people. The Nigerian Center for Disease Control, or NCDC, said Tuesday that its decision to…
WHO: 3 million die each year from drugs, alcohol
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are more than 3 million drug- and alcohol-related deaths annually, most of which are among men. A report released Tuesday says 2.6 million people (2 million of them men) die from something related…