Record high temperatures reportedly measured in Antarctica will take months to verify, the U.N. weather agency said Sunday.A spokesman for the World Meteorological Organization said the measurements made by researchers from Argentina and Brazil earlier this month have to undergo …

U.S. health officials are preparing for a second wave of the winter flu season, complicated this year by similarities between flu symptoms and those of the coronavirus that has killed more than 1,500 in China and spread fear around the …

A U.S.-funded charity has started installing solar panels to provide electricity to the maternity wards of rural hospitals in Zimbabwe. The move should come as a relief to new and expecting mothers, as power cuts have left many Zimbabwean hospitals …

(Warning: This story includes content of a sexual nature and descriptions that some may find disturbing.) Cynthia, who for privacy does not wish to use her real name, was 12 years old when a senior female teacher announced that girls at …

Last month was the warmest January ever recorded, U.S. government forecasters say, with human-led climate change the leading cause.Global temperatures were 1.13 degrees Celsius higher than the 20th century average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday — the …

After the death of a young girl in upper Egypt during a botched circumcision, women and doctors in Cairo launched a number of protests in recent days to decry the practice, which has been officially outlawed since 2008. Government officials …

A World Health Organization Emergency Committee warns the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo remains a global health threat despite significant progress in containing the spread of this deadly virus.   WHO reports a total of 3,431 cases of …

Epilepsy,  a neurological disorder typically associated with seizures, affects millions in the United States alone.  Now, patients are helping scientists find new treatments by donating living brain tissue for research.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi takes us into the operating room. …

The tiny southern African mountain nation of Lesotho made history in 2017 by becoming the first on the continent to issue licenses for the production of medical cannabis. It made history again, when it signed tens of millions of dollars …

Chinese health officials reported Wednesday the number of dead from a coronavirus outbreak has risen to more than 1,100.The National Health Commission figures included 97 new deaths and a total of 44,653 people confirmed infected since the outbreak began last …

China’s health care system is struggling to cope with the surging number of patients infected by the deadly coronavirus despite that Chinese President Xi Jingping has re-emerged in public to call for greater confidence in his government.   FILE – A …

As the death toll from the coronavirus continues to mount in China and elsewhere, thousands of African students in China count the hours hoping that their governments will evacuate them.Solomon Yohannes of Ethiopia, a third-year engineering student at Wuchang Technology …

The head of the World Health Organization’s says there are “concerning instances” of coronavirus transmission from people who have not traveled to China, a development that could mean there is a bigger problem. This comes as a WHO team of …

While waiting for his 5-year-old twins to get out of school one afternoon, Raj Rajoo got their child safety seats ready. “My kids, their lives are very important for me so I invested in the car seats,” he said.Malaysia has …

Two experimental drugs failed to prevent or slow mental decline in a study of people who are virtually destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease at a relatively young age because they inherited rare gene flaws.The results announced Monday are another disappointment …

The World Health Organization reports progress is being made in combating the Ebola epidemic in the conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  The latest number of reported cases stands at 3,429, including 2,251 …

With a knife, a razor blade, scissors or a needle, half of Indonesia’s girls are circumcised, and a new study found that it is a tradition more rooted in family folkways than religion.“Cultural reproduction occurs in the household,” said Sri …

The World Health Organization is scaling up measures to keep Africa free of the deadly coronavirus by shoring up the continent’s fragile health system and increasing preparedness efforts to tackle the potential spread of the dangerous virus to the continent.   …

A new spacecraft built jointly by U.S. and European space agencies is ready for a blazing journey to the sun to capture an unprecedented view of its two poles, an angle that could help researchers understand how the star’s vast …

A smoking ban in all Malaysian eateries is sparking controversy particularly now that it’s being enforced. The ban officially began a year ago, but violators started being penalized only recently. Dave Grunebaum has the story.   …

About 4,000 meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean hides the Midnight Zone.  It’s barely lit but beaming with life, and scientists hope to gauge the effects of climate change there. …

Researchers at a base in the Antarctic say they have recorded the hottest temperature there since readings began more than 60 years ago.The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday the Argentine research base recorded a high of 18.3 C (64.9 …

U.N. agencies warn that the widespread prevalence of female genital mutilation is exacting a heavy toll in both human and economic terms. The U.N. is calling for an end to the practice by 2030. Around 200 million girls and women alive …

February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The practice, also known as female circumcision or cutting, poses serious health risks but remains common in many countries, particularly in West Africa.More than 200 million women …