Surrogacy debate comes to a head in Rome
ROME — An international campaign to ban surrogacy received a strong endorsement Friday from the Vatican, with a top official calling for a broad-based alliance to stop the “commercialization of life.” A Vatican-affiliated university hosted a two-day conference promoting an…
Activist Greta Thunberg detained at climate demonstration in The Hague
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among dozens of people detained Saturday by police in The Hague as they removed protesters who were partially blocking a road in the Dutch city. Thunberg was seen flashing a victory…
Mercury exposure widespread among Yanomami tribe in Amazon, report finds
BRASILIA, Brazil — Many Yanomami, the Amazon’s largest Indigenous tribe in relative isolation, have been contaminated with mercury coming from widespread illegal gold mining, according to a report released on Thursday by Brazil’s top public health institute. The research was…
Universe’s expansion might be slowing, findings indicate
paris — The universe is still expanding at an accelerating rate, but it may have slowed down recently compared with a few billion years ago, early results from the most precise measurement of its evolution yet suggested Thursday. The preliminary…
23 storms predicted for ‘extremely active’ Atlantic hurricane season
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be “extremely active,” weather forecasters at Colorado State University said Thursday. Out of 23 projected storms, five of 11 total hurricanes could become major, with winds above 178 kph. This estimate is…
Slashing methane emissions: A quest on land and in space
On Earth and in space, efforts are underway to curb emissions of the super-pollutant methane, a greenhouse gas. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at the latest innovations and policies, as the International Energy Agency warns the clock is ticking to…
Negotiator for South Korean walkout doctors sees ‘no future’ after Yoon meeting
Seoul, South Korea — A much-heralded first meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and a negotiator for young doctors who walked off the job in February appeared to have made little progress on Thursday after the latter expressed…
Zimbabwe appeals for $2 billion to avert food insecurity
Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe appealed to the United Nations, aid agencies and individuals on Wednesday for $2 billion to avert food insecurity caused by an El Nino-induced drought. At the State House in Harare, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a nationwide…
Egg producing plant shut down after discovery of H5N1 bird flu
A producer of fresh eggs in the United States has temporarily shut down a plant in the southwestern state of Texas after the H5N1 strain of bird flu was detected in chickens. Cal-Maine Foods issued a statement Tuesday that it…
New York inmates sue to watch solar eclipse after state orders prisons locked down
Inmates in New York are suing the state corrections department over the decision to lock down prisons during next Monday’s total solar eclipse. The suit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York argues that the April 8 lockdown…