US charity trains medics to improve health care in rural Kenya
Experts say one of the health care challenges in Africa is a shortage of training and education for workers. To help, a U.S. charity called Mission to Heal is training local workers who serve patients in remote locations. Juma Majanga…
Earth Day puts focus on conservation efforts
Monday marks Earth Day, which for more than 50 years has placed a focus on clean air and water, addressing pollution and championing conservation efforts. U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson led the creation of Earth Day in April 1970, seeking to…
Will there be a ‘superbloom’ in California this year?
Carpets of yellow, orange and gold flowers are beginning to cover southern California’s vast deserts, the Bay Area’s dramatic bluffs, and even near Los Angeles International Airport. But do they add up to a “superbloom?” There is no single definition…
Report: 2023 a record year for wind installations
The world installed 117 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023, a 50% increase from the year before, making it the best year for new wind projects on record, according to a new report by the industry’s trade association….
Ancient snake might have been 15 meters long, weighed 1,000 kilos
WASHINGTON — A ancient giant snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton, researchers reported Thursday. Fossils found near a coal mine revealed a snake that stretched an estimated 11 meters to 15…
Australian researchers develop prototype device to devour carbon dioxide to make electricity
Sydney — Australian researchers have built an electrical generator that consumes carbon dioxide, generates electricity and admits no exhausts. They say the technology could create a new industrial-scale carbon capture method. Scientists say too much carbon dioxide, or CO2, in…
4/20 grew from humble roots to marijuana’s high holiday
SEATTLE — Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides…
Reproductive rights elusive 1 year after Japan’s approval of abortion pill
Osaka, Japan — Wider access to abortion in Japan has largely remained elusive a year after the historic approval of medical abortion pills. In April last year, lawmakers approved the use of the two-step abortion pill — MeFeego Pack —…
US emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women
WASHINGTON — One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to check her in. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a…
WHO urges heightened vigilance on potential spread of bird flu in cows
Geneva — In the wake of a recent outbreak of avian influenza detected in dairy cows and goats in the United States, the World Health Organization is calling on governments to increase their surveillance and to “remain vigilant” regarding the…