NEW YORK — California and several environmental groups sued ExxonMobil on Monday and accused the oil giant of engaging in a decades-long campaign that helped fuel global plastic waste pollution.  Speaking at an event during Climate Week in New York City, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state sued Exxon after concluding a nearly two-year … continue reading -> “California sues Exxon over global plastic pollution”

Moscow — A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair. The capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the ISS in an apparently trouble-free descent. In the last stage of the landing, … continue reading -> “Soyuz capsule with 2 Russians, 1 American from ISS returns to Earth”

Cairo — Cholera is spreading in war-torn Sudan, killing at least 388 people and sickening about 13,000 others over the past two months, health authorities said, as more than 17 months of fighting between the military and a notorious paramilitary group shows no sign of abating.   The disease is spreading in areas devastated by recent heavy … continue reading -> “Cholera spreading in Sudan as fighting between rival generals shows no sign of abating “

United Nations, United States — The United Nations on Sunday adopted a “Pact for the Future” aimed at addressing sprawling 21st-century challenges ranging from conflict to climate change and human rights, despite last-minute objections from a group of countries led by Russia. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who organized the “Summit of the Future,” had billed it as … continue reading -> “UN adopts pact promising to build ‘brighter future’ for humanity “

TEFE, Brazil — The carcass of a baby dolphin lay on the sand bank left exposed by the receding waters in an Amazon lake that has been drying up during the worst drought on record.  Researchers recovered the dead animal on Wednesday and measured water temperatures that have been rising as the lake’s level drops. In … continue reading -> “Dolphins dying in Amazon lake made shallow by drought”

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — On his first day of school at Newcomer Academy, Maikel Tejeda was whisked to the school library. The 7th grader didn’t know why. He soon got the point: He was being given make-up vaccinations. Five of them. “I don’t have a problem with that,” said the 12-year-old, who moved from Cuba early this … continue reading -> “This US city is hailed as a vaccination success. Can it be sustained?”

PORTLAND, Maine — Fall is back, and bringing with it jack-o’-lanterns, football, pumpkin spice everything and — in some parts of the country — especially vibrant foliage. Leaves around the northern United States are starting to turn orange, yellow and red, inspiring legions of leaf lovers to hop in their cars and travel to the countryside … continue reading -> “Parts of US Midwest could offer fall’s most vibrant foliage”

NEW YORK — Six years after a teenage Greta Thunberg walked out of school in a solitary climate protest outside of the Swedish parliament, people around a warming globe marched in youth-led protest, saying their voices are being heard but not sufficiently acted upon. Emissions of heat-trapping gases and temperatures have been rising and oil and … continue reading -> “Climate protesters say pace of change isn’t fast enough”

KOLKATA, INDIA — Striking junior doctors in India’s West Bengal state agreed to resume essential services, in a partial resumption of medical facilities, but they will continue their strike over the rape and murder of a colleague over a month ago. The rape and murder of the 31-year-old female doctor in West Bengal in August set … continue reading -> “Striking Indian doctors set to resume essential services”

KAVUMU, Congo — Health authorities have struggled to contain outbreaks of mpox in Congo, a huge central African country where a myriad of existing problems makes stemming the spread particularly hard. Last month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks in Congo and about a dozen other African countries a global health emergency. And in Congo, … continue reading -> “Congo struggles to contain mpox; here’s why”

Harare, Zimbabwe — A new report released by the main United Nations agency for action on AIDS and HIV says growing public debt is choking sub-Saharan African countries, leaving them with little fiscal room to finance critical HIV services. In the report, launched ahead of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, … continue reading -> “UN report: Debt crisis undermines AIDS eradication in Africa”

GENEVA — The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, warned Friday that children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak, with cases of this deadly, infectious disease spreading at an alarming rate among a young population. “Of the nearly 600 reported cases, two-thirds are in children under 19. The situation has escalated rapidly, … continue reading -> “Mpox spreads at alarming rate among children in Burundi”

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LONDON — Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they hope could allow them to trace the outbreak back to its source. Researchers analyzed genetic material gathered from the Chinese market where the first outbreak was detected and … continue reading -> “New analysis of 2019 Wuhan market animals may help find COVID-19 origin”

People from across the globe are convening on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City for Climate Week. On the agenda: the environmental impact of seabed mining. The discussion comes as tech companies seek ways to fuel the green revolution while minimizing environmental impacts. VOA’s Jessica Stone has more.] …

CHONBURI, Thailand — Only a month after Thailand’s adorable baby hippo Moo Deng was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became unstoppable both domestically and internationally. Zookeeper Atthapon Nundee has been posting cute moments of the animals in his care for about five years. He never imagined Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s newborn pygmy hippo would become an … continue reading -> “Baby hippo Moo Deng becomes internet sensation”

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — One of the hurdles to improving health care systems for African countries is the shortage of scientists and lack of meaningful medical research on the continent, experts say. An organization hopes to change that by enabling researchers and policymakers in three large African countries to develop more extensive and relevant research. According … continue reading -> “Africa needs its own medical research for its health issues, experts say”

Washington — When activists, policymakers and representatives from across the globe gather next week in New York to participate in climate week, one pressing issue on the agenda that is less frequently discussed and known will be the environmental impact of seabed mining.  As countries look for ways to lower emissions, critical minerals are playing a … continue reading -> “Climate week talks to include critical minerals and seabed mining debate”

washington — Two mighty beams of energy have been detected shooting in opposite directions from a supermassive black hole inside a distant galaxy — the largest such jets ever spotted, extending about 140 times the diameter of our vast Milky Way galaxy.  The black hole resides at the heart of a galaxy about 7.5 billion light-years … continue reading -> “Faraway black hole unleashes record-setting energetic jets”

Tuberculosis remains a critical public health issue in many countries and is a leading cause of death in South Africa. Over the past six years, the BEAT Tuberculosis study, conducted in South Africa and focused on children and pregnant women, has revealed a promising new oral treatment that could mark a significant breakthrough in the … continue reading -> “South African study transforms global TB treatment”

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new york — Get ready for a partial lunar eclipse and supermoon, all rolled into one.  The spectacle will be visible in clear skies across North America and South America Tuesday night and in Africa and Europe Wednesday morning.  A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the sun and moon, casting a shadow … continue reading -> “Partial lunar eclipse will be visible during September’s supermoon”

Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government has given in to pressure from rights groups and is now providing free treatment to women with obstetric fistula, a condition that makes it hard for mothers who went through difficult labor to control their bowels. For a closer look, VOA visited Chinhoyi, a farming and mining area about 150 kilometers … continue reading -> “Zimbabwe starts providing free treatment for women with obstetric fistula”

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LONDON — Less than two months ahead of the COP29 United Nations Climate Summit, the Azerbaijani leadership laid out its plans on Tuesday for what it hoped to achieve, as countries continue to wrestle with how to raise ambitions for a new financing target. The main task for the November summit is for countries to agree … continue reading -> “COP29 leaders unveil climate funding and energy storage goals”