Thousands die every year in Kenya amid scarce snakebite treatments
MWINGI, Kenya — Esther Kangali felt a sharp pain while on her mother’s farm in eastern Kenya. She looked down and saw a large snake coiling around her left leg. She screamed, and her mother came running. Kangali was rushed…
Ivory Coast sets up mobile enrollment for problematic health coverage program
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Health authorities in Ivory Coast launched mobile enrollment centers for the country’s universal health coverage program, which has been criticized since its 2019 inception over difficulties accessing benefits. Ivory Coast is one of a handful countries…
How does heat kill? It confuses your brain, overworks your heart, shuts down your organs
As temperatures and humidity soar outside, what’s happening inside the human body can become a life-or-death battle decided by just a few degrees. The critical danger point outdoors for illness and death from relentless heat is several degrees lower than…
Gas company finds 3,300-year-old ship off Israel’s coast
TEL AVIV, Israel — A company drilling for natural gas off the coast of northern Israel discovered a 3,300-year-old ship and its cargo, one of the oldest known examples of a ship sailing far from land, the Israel Antiquities Authority…
Climate change intensifies US, Mexico heat wave, study finds
A recent study shows that intense and perpetual heat in the United States, Mexico and Central America is the result of human-caused climate change. Daytime temperatures that cause heat stroke cases in the United States were found to be 35…
African leaders, French president seek vaccines for Africa
African leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron have partnered on an approximately $1-billion project to make vaccines more available in Africa after the COVID-19 pandemic revealed global inequity in vaccine access. The project, known as the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator,…
Indian toxic alcohol brew kills at least 34
Mumbai, India — A batch of toxic illegal alcohol in India has killed at least 34 people with more than 100 others rushed to hospital, Tamil Nadu state officials told reporters Thursday. The deadly mix of locally brewed arrack drink…
Fossil fuel use, emissions hit records in 2023, report says
LONDON — Global fossil fuel consumption and energy emissions hit all-time highs in 2023, even as fossil fuels’ share of the global energy mix decreased slightly on the year, the industry’s Statistical Review of World Energy report said on Thursday….
Abortion looms in US presidential election 2 years after key ruling
Two years ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its 1973 ruling that legalized abortion. Now, abortion looms as a major issue in this year’s elections. VOA’s senior Washington correspondent Carolyn Presutti looks at how the issue is charging…
Nearly a third still get no early warning of disaster, poll finds
Millions of people worldwide get no early warning when disaster is about to strike, according to a new survey. The World Risk Poll, conducted by the Gallup polling organization, found that in 2023, 70% of those surveyed received an early…