AI companions present risks for young users, US watchdog warns
New York, United States -- AI companions powered by generative artificial intelligence present real risks and should be banned for...
Geostrategy
Pig kidney removed from US transplant patient, but she set record
Washington, United States - Doctors have had to remove the pig kidney implanted in an American woman after her body...
Science
Business
99 percent of world live in areas with air pollution levels above WHO guideline limits
DUBAI, UAE - According to World Health Organization data, 99 percent of the world’s population lives in places where air...
- Leading businesses recognize that they have an important role in reducing air pollution alongside greenhouse gas emissions.
- Business activity contributes significantly to air pollution globally but air pollution is not prioritized nor integrated into climate action.
Science
Vaping: lighting up, stubbing out
Developed in 2003 by the Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, concerns are growing over the risk of teens becoming hooked on...
- The birth of vaping comes in the year that Ireland bans smoking in workplaces, including pubs and restaurants, sparking a global clampdown on smoking indoors.
- Many doctors welcome the devices, which are tar-free, as a potential lifesaver in the fight against cancer, heart disease, strokes and other diseases.
COP28 UAE
Global Fund to allot 70% of its funding to countries hit by climate change
Dubai, UAE--The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) announced at COP28 that more than 70% of...
- Peter Sands, of the Global Fund, said the fight against deadly infectious diseases "must go hand in hand with addressing climate change”
- The fund will also invest over US$2.9 billion over the next three years in the 50 most climate-vulnerable countries to strengthen health systems
Geostrategy
250,000 people died in Europe due to air pollution, says agency
Stockholm, Sweden - Fine particle pollution caused the deaths of over 250,000 people in the European Union in 2021, according to...
- The figure represents an increase compared to 2020, when fine particles were attributed to the premature death of 238,000 people.
- Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is a term for fine particulates that are typically the by-product of car exhausts or coal-fired power plants.
Science
WHO says misuse of antibiotics undermining efficacy
Copenhagen, Denmark - Misuse of antibiotics is denting their efficacy and spawning resistant bacteria which could be responsible for 10 million...
- WHO warned that without immediate intervention, resistance to antimicrobials -- which includes antibiotics -- could lead to up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050
- It cited incorrect prescription as a "cause for concern," adding that in all the 14 countries, a third of the roughly 8,200 people surveyed had taken antibiotics without advice
Geostrategy
Nations start negotiations over global plastics treaty at Nairobi meet
Nairobi, Kenya -- Nations grappling with the plastic "suffocating" nature and leaching into food and the human body began fresh...
- Around 60 so-called "high ambition" nations have called for binding rules to reduce the use and production of plastic
- Kenyan President William Ruto described plastic pollution as "an existential threat to life, to humanity and everything in between."
Economy
Saudi Arabia to produce 80-90% insulin domestically
"More than 200 essential medications have been identified, making up about 40 percent of the total purchases by government health...
- Saudi Arabia is making strides in its pharmaceutical sector, with aims to produce 80 to 90 percent of its insulin domestically
- At the Global Health Forum, key agreements were inked, spotlighting the Kingdom's commitment to medical biotechnology
Business
Positive trial for Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-flu jab
Berlin, Germany - Germany's BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Thursday announced "positive" results from initial trials of their combined...
- The messenger RNA method made its debut with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, which was the first jab against Covid to be approved in the West in late 2020
- Pfizer and BioNTech first announced in November 2022 that they were planning to use the same technology to develop a combined Covid and flu vaccine
Business
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment inks 3 MoUs at FII7
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Kingdom’s Ministry of Investment signed three memoranda of understanding (MoU) in the fields of biotechnology,...
- The MoUs related to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors aim to explore, develop, manufacture and market a range of potential new medicines.
- The MoU of the financial services sector aims to provide an opportunity for investors to invest directly in key projects in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.
Science
Swedish researchers find snoozing in the morning isn’t bad
Stockholm, Sweden - You snooze, you lose? Swedish researchers said Wednesday that might not be the case, after their study even...
- Researchers at Stockholm University found that in general younger people were the ones snoozing and they were to a high degree night owls.
- In a second study, the researchers found that most of the respondents who snoozed for half an hour managed to get a lot of sleep during that half hour even though it was disturbed.
AI companions present risks for young users, US watchdog warns
New York, United States -- AI companions powered by generative artificial intelligence present real risks and should be banned for...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Newborn mortality and malnutrition surges in Gaza, says WHO
"From different doctors, particularly in the maternity hospitals, they're reporting that they're seeing a big rise in children born with...
Geostrategy
WHO says 9,000 patients need emergency evacuation from Gaza
"Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments,...
Geostrategy
Poorer countries need money before raising climate targets, says COP29 head
Copenhagen, Denmark - Developing countries should not have to set stricter targets for cutting their carbon emissions before funds are available...
Geostrategy
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Middle East poised to lead global crypto surge as Bitcoin eyes $100,000
Geneva, Switzerland - A major new study released by The Lancet Neurology shows that, in 2021, more than 3 billion people worldwide...
- Neurological conditions are now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide
- The overall amount of illness and premature death caused by neurological conditions has risen by 18% since 1990
Science
Nervous system disorders surpass heart ailments as top cause of illness
Paris, France - Conditions affecting the nervous system -- such as strokes, migraines and dementia -- have surged past heart disease...
- More than 3.4 billion people -- 43 percent of the global population -- experienced a neurological condition in 2021, far more than had previously been thought, the analysis found.
- The researchers looked at how 37 different neurological conditions affected ill health, disability and premature death across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021.
Global child deaths reach historic low in 2022: UN report
Geneva, Switzerland – The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to...
- The report reveals that more children are surviving today than ever before, with the global under-5 mortality rate declining by 51 percent since 2000
- The loss of life is primarily due to preventable or treatable causes, such as preterm birth, complications around the time of birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria