WHO asks China for more information about rise in illnesses and pneumonia clusters
23 November 2023 - The World Health Organization says it has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. The U.N. health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. In a statement late Wednesday [22 November], WHO said it was unclear whether those were linked to a rise in respiratory infections reported by Chinese authorities. (more)

Dogs are coming down with an unusual respiratory illness in several US states
21 November 2023 - Veterinary laboratories in several states are investigating an unusual respiratory illness in dogs, and encouraging people to take basic precautions to keep their pets healthy as veterinarians try to pin down what's making the animals sick. (more)

It's not yet summer in Brazil, but a dangerous heat wave is sweeping the country
20 November 2023 - It's still spring in Brazil, but a dangerous heat wave is sweeping across large swathes of the country, forcing Rio de Janeiro's vendors off the streets due to health alerts and driving up energy demand amid reports of power outages. Most Brazilian states face 'great danger' from the heat, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (more)

Microplastics could trigger cloud formation and affect the weather, new study suggests
15 November 2023 - Microplastics are turning up in unusual places increasingly often as they filter into nearly every facet of life on Earth. They've been discovered in drinking water, food, air, and even in blood. Now, scientists have found that these tiny particles might even be able to influence the weather. Researchers reported Wednesday [15 Nov] they detected microplastics in a majority of cloud samples taken from a mountaintop in China, in a study published in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science [and] Technology Letters. (more)

Many Americans say their household expenses are outpacing earnings this year, AP-NORC poll shows
27 October 2023 - About 2 in 3 Americans say their household expenses have risen over the last year, but only about 1 in 4 say their income has increased in the same period, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. As household expenses outpace earnings, many are expressing concern about their financial futures. What's more, for most Americans, household debt has either risen in the last year or has not gone away. (more)

Rapid melting in West Antarctica is 'unavoidable,' with potentially disastrous consequences for sea level rise, study finds
23 October 2023 - Rapid melting of West Antarctica's ice shelves may now be unavoidable as human-caused global warming accelerates, with potentially devastating implications for sea level rise around the world, new research has found. Even if the world meets ambitious targets to limit global heating, West Antarctica will experience substantial ocean warming and ice shelf melting, according to the new study published Monday [23 October] in the journal Nature Climate Change. (more)

Olive oil theft on the rise in Greece
14 October 2023 - From the Peloponnesian peninsula -- famous for its purple Kalamata olives-- to mountain villages in Crete, thefts of oil have proliferated. (more)

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns this is 'the most dangerous time' for the world in decades
13 October 2023 - JPMorgan Chase delivered strong profits for the third quarter along with a stern warning Friday [13 October] from its top executive about the perils the world faces from multiple threats. 'This may be the most dangerous time the world has seen in decades,' CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement that accompanied the bank's earnings news release. (more)