Gaza’s Al-Amal hospital ‘virtually out of service’: WHO
The Al-Amal Hospital in Gaza, one of the few still operating in the Palestinian territory, is now "virtually out of...
Science
AI tool selfies predict biological age, cancer survival
FaceAge, a deep learning algorithm described Thursday in The Lancet Digital Health, converts a simple headshot into a number that...
Science
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.
Market Report
Markets fall as Biden set for Middle East diplomacy drive
US and European stock markets mostly fell and oil prices rose as US President Joe Biden prepared for a trip...
- Wall Street opened in the red, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq shedding more than one percent, while Frankfurt and Paris fell 0.6 percent afternoon deal.
- "Understandably, not many people are in the mood to put their hard-earned cash at risk in these uncertain economic times," said an expert.
Gaza’s Al-Amal hospital ‘virtually out of service’: WHO
The Al-Amal Hospital in Gaza, one of the few still operating in the Palestinian territory, is now "virtually out of...
Science
Company News
UNFPA and corporate partners drive reproductive justice in workplaces
World Economic Forum
Latest News
Improving healthcare in the intelligent age requires cultural change and collaboration
Leaders can utilize AI tools to streamline this challenging process by efficiently identifying individuals who are qualified matches to participate...
Saudi Arabia to host largest health event with global participation on Oct 21-23
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia is preparing to host the seventh edition of the Global Health Forum under the...
Global fears spread about Mpox- How worried should you be?
The World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Europe warned on Thursday that Mpox could spread to other countries after...
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Business
Iraq father begins legal action against BP over son’s cancer death
Rumaylah, Iraq - Hussein Julood is taking legal action against British energy giant BP after he lost his son to...
- The bereaved father, who lives near the Rumaila field in the southern province of Basra, is demanding that the firm compensate him for his son Ali's medical expenses
- He said no amount of money would make up for his son's death. But "what I am claiming is my right", added the 55-year-old father of seven, from his modest home
Geostrategy
From polar bears to groundwater, nature is riddled with ‘forever chemicals’
Paris, France - They didn't exist a century ago but today PFAS "forever chemicals" contaminate the environment from groundwater to Antarctic...
- On Thursday, a French legislator will introduce a bill to address what he calls the health "emergency" posed by exposure to PFAS in the environment
- Widely used in everyday items, highly durable, and very slow to break down, PFAS have been detected in water, air, fish and soil in the remotest corners of the globe
Geostrategy
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...
- WHO said that at Kamal Adwan, the only pediatric hospital in northern Gaza, at least 15 malnourished children are coming in per day.
- The organization is unable to establish precise statistics on child mortality because of the devastation in the Palestinian territory after six months of war.