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Plastic pollution treaty talks deadlocked
Negotiations on a global treaty on plastic pollution are being blocked by oil-producing countries and getting bogged down in a "dialogue of the deaf", sources at the talks told AFP on Thursday.
Americans eating (slightly) less ultra-processed food
Americans still get most of their calories from ultra-processed foods, but consumption is trending down among both adults and children, official data showed Thursday.
Plastic pollution treaty talks stuck in 'dialogue of the deaf'
Negotiations aimed at forging a global treaty on plastic pollution are being blocked by oil-producing countries and getting bogged down in a "dialogue of the deaf", sources in and around the talks told AFP.
Chikungunya in China: What you need to know
Cases of chikungunya fever are rising in southern China, prompting local authorities to take measures to curb its spread.
US axes mRNA vaccine contracts, casting safety doubts
President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday announced it would terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, questioning the safety of a technology credited with helping end the Covid pandemic and saving millions of lives.
Summer 2025 already a cavalcade of climate extremes
Record heat, massive fires, deadly floods... August has barely begun, but the summer of 2025 is already marked by a cascade of destructive and deadly weather in the northern hemisphere.
UN experts call for GHF to be dismantled
United Nations special rapporteurs called Tuesday for the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be immediately dismantled, saying aid was being "exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas".
Decision time as plastic pollution treaty talks begin
Countries were to start the clock Tuesday on 10 days of talks aimed at hammering out a landmark global treaty on combating the scourge of plastic pollution.
New push to reach plastic pollution pact
Negotiators will take another stab at reaching a global pact on plastic pollution at talks opening Tuesday in Geneva but they face deep divisions over how to tackle the health and ecological hazard.
What are all these microplastics doing to our brains?
Tiny shards of plastic called microplastics have been detected accumulating in human brains, but there is not yet enough evidence to say whether this is doing us harm, experts have said.
US plan to destroy contraceptives sparks uproar
The US administration's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of women's contraception products has sparked furious condemnation from doctors and aid groups, who have slammed the move as a wasteful attack on women's rights.
US bans vaccine ingredient targeted by anti-vaxxers
The US health department said Wednesday it would end the use of a vaccine ingredient long targeted by conspiracy theorists over debunked claims it causes autism.
UK battles anti-vax misinformation after child's death
A child's death from measles has sparked urgent calls from British public health officials to get children vaccinated, as the UK faces an onslaught of misinformation on social media, much of it from the United States.
French petition against return of bee-killing pesticide passes 1mn
More than a million people Sunday had signed a petition urging the French government to ditch a law allowing the reintroduction of a banned pesticide experts say is deadly to bees.
In rural Canadian town, new risk of measles deepens vaccine tensions
In the Canadian town of Aylmer, where Mennonites in traditional dress walk down the main street alongside secular locals, bitter divisions over vaccine skepticism that arose during Covid have intensified with the reemergence of measles.
US may revise hormone replacement therapy warnings
US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary signaled Thursday that he is open to revising strict warning labels on Hormone Replacement Therapy, following testimony from experts who said the treatment's risks have long been exaggerated.
Trump diagnosed with vein issue after leg swelling and hand bruising
US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a common, benign vein condition, the White House said Thursday, following speculation about his heavily bruised hand and swollen legs.
Trump diagnosed with vein issue after leg swelling, hand bruising
US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a long-term but benign vein condition, the White House said Thursday following speculation about his heavily bruised hand and swollen legs.
'Benign' vein issue behind Trump's swollen legs: White House
US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a chronic but benign vein condition after seeking medical examination for swollen legs, the White House said Thursday.
US health experts reassess hormone replacement therapy risks
US health authorities on Thursday began a reassessment of the risks surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a treatment used by menopausal women around the world but long clouded by fear over its side effects.
US health experts to reassess hormone replacement therapy risks
US health authorities are set Thursday to reassess Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a treatment used by menopausal women around the world but long clouded by debate over its risks.
US ice cream makers to scoop out synthetic dyes under RFK Jr. push
Major US ice cream makers on Monday announced plans to phase out their use of artificial dyes following pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to eliminate unnecessary additives from the American diet.
German 'doctor death' goes on trial for 15 murders
A German doctor will go on trial Monday for killing 15 patients with lethal injections, in what investigators fear may just be the tip of a deadly iceberg.
MSF warns acute malnutrition soaring in Gaza
Doctors Without Borders warned Friday that its teams on the ground in Gaza were witnessing surging levels of acute malnutrition in the besieged and war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
US measles epidemic its worst of 21st century
The United States in 2025 has recorded its worst measles epidemic in more than 30 years, according to a count released Monday by Johns Hopkins University, highlighting a crisis that President Donald Trump's vaccine-skeptic US health secretary is accused of fueling.
French court dismisses government Covid response probe
A French court on Monday dropped a case investigating the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by three former government officials, including former prime minister and 2027 presidential hopeful Edouard Philippe.
In already precarious industry, US musicians struggle for health care
In 2019, American musician Jon Dee Graham suffered a heart attack that left him "dead" for several minutes -- a scare that inspired his album, "Only Dead For a Little While."
US Supreme Court to weigh transgender athlete bans
The US Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to wade into the hot-button issue of transgender athletes in girls and women's sports.
New Delhi says fuel ban on old vehicles not feasible
Two days after India's capital stopped fuel sales to ageing vehicles to tackle the sprawling megacity's hazardous air pollution, authorities on Thursday said the ban was not practical.
Australian man dies from 'extremely rare' bat bite virus
An Australian man has died from an "extremely rare" rabies-like infection transmitted by a bat bite, health officials said Thursday.
Shock study: Mild electric stimulation boosts math ability
Struggle with math? A gentle jolt to the brain might help.
UK arrests three in Lucy Letby hospital probe
British police on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found to have murdered seven babies, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.