With no end in sight to the Zimbabwe doctors’ strike over salaries and poor working conditions, desperate patients have looked to church-run mission hospitals for much-needed healthcare. Karanda Mission Hospital, about 200 kilometers north of the capital Harare, is overwhelmed by patients seeking treatment. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Mount Darwin, …

Rhino poaching in Namibia dropped to 41 individuals killed in all of 2019 so far, compared with nearly 72 during the same period last year, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism said Saturday.Namibia has the second-largest population of white rhinos in the world after South Africa and, according to NGO Save …

U.N. climate talks in Madrid dragged into a second day of extra time Sunday, with officials from almost 200 countries unable to break the deadlock on key points of difference.The chair of the meeting, Chilean Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt, told weary delegates to examine new agreements drafted by her team …

Green activists dumped horse manure and staged a mock hanging outside the venue of a U.N. climate summit in Madrid on Saturday, airing their frustration at the failure of world leaders to take meaningful action against global warming.Led by grass-roots group Extinction Rebellion, the actions were timed to coincide with the closing …

 As Delhi chokes on air so dirty that many struggle to breathe or develop niggling coughs or far more serious respiratory problems, some residents are heading to an upscale mall for a brief respite.   At the city’s first so-called oxygen bar, they fork out $4 to $7 for a …

U.S. health regulators approved a second drug for a debilitating form of muscular dystrophy, a surprise decision after the medication was rejected for safety concerns just four months ago.The ruling marks the second time the Food and Drug Administration has granted preliminary approval for the disease based on early results …

Central American countries are teaming up to conserve the region’s five great forests as part of a regional climate action plan released at U.N. climate talks in Madrid this week, the alliance behind the effort said.The coalition of governments, indigenous people, green groups and others announced a plan to protect …

A measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 5,000 people this year, according to a report by the World Health Organization.  The agency says there are a quarter million suspected measles cases in the country and all provinces have been affected, making it one of world’s fastest …

The World Health Organization warns that gains made in tackling the Ebola epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are being threatened by ongoing insecurity in the region.As of Dec. 10, WHO reported 3,340 cases of Ebola, including 2,210 deaths. Over the last week, 27 new confirmed cases of Ebola …

Marine biologist Lara Muaves witnessed the impact of climate change firsthand this year, when two devastating cyclones tore through her native Mozambique, leaving hundreds dead, including her best friend.Nigerian social entrepreneur Mahmood Maishanu sees its footprint in crippling droughts that have hit his homeland. So has French-Moroccan activist Ayoub Makhloufi, …

Freweini Mebrahtu remembers when she returned to her home village in northern Ethiopia and saw women squatting over holes in the ground. Without any sanitary pads to use during their menstrual period, they were stuck in this undignified position.“How is that possible? And they were telling me that they don’t …

Central Africa is fighting for the survival of the African forest elephant, with more than 70% of the population wiped out in the last 15 years.Gabon, home to more than half of Africa’s forest elephants, recently has seen a surge in poachers. Countries such as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic …

European Union leaders on Thursday will push to agree to make their bloc climate neutral by 2050, luring reluctant eastern member states with promises of extra money for their heavily-polluting economies.The bloc’s 27 national leaders will meet in Brussels from 1400 GMT, a day after the bloc’s executive proposed a …

The climate talks in Madrid may be the last in which the United States government fully participates — at least under the Trump administration. But more local coalitions have been stepping up to fill the gap during the two-week conference, which ends Friday. From the Spanish capital, Lisa Bryant takes …

The Trump administration got bashing from its own countrymen during the 25th United Nations climate conference in Spain. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Democratic presidential contender, former Secretary of State John Kerry, and actor Harrison Ford all criticized the administration for abandoning the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate.  …

EBOLOWA, CAMEROON — Members of measles vaccination teams in southern Cameroon have been attacked and beaten by locals who say the serums triggered side effects that sent 12 children to local hospitals.Many rural Cameroonians distrust vaccination campaigns, which have been organized as part of a national initiative to stop a …

A new rehab technology company helps patients maximize physical therapy and regain movement after paralysis – through gaming. Deana Mitchell checks it out. …

The Supreme Court appeared likely Tuesday to rule that insurance companies can collect $12 billion from the federal government to cover their losses in the early years of the health care law championed by President Barack Obama. Several justices indicated their agreement with arguments from the insurers that they are entitled …

American billionaire and Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg says that the next U.S. president should halt fossil fuel subsidies altogether.Bloomberg, who launched his campaign less than three weeks ago, is attending a United Nations global climate conference in Madrid that is kicking into high gear.Ministers from nearly 200 countries are …

Thick reindeer fur boots and a fur hat covering most of his face shielded Niila Inga from freezing winds as he raced his snowmobile up to a mountain top overlooking his reindeer in the Swedish arctic.                     His community herds about 8,000 reindeer year-round, moving them between traditional grazing …

A conservation group trying to protect the world’s most endangered marine mammal said Monday that hundreds of fishermen massed in dozens of boats to fish illegally in Mexico’s Gulf of California.Activists with the Sea Shepherd group said they witnessed about 80 small fishing boats pulling nets full of endangered totoaba …

Older adults who are exposed to tiny particles in air pollution for just a day or two are more likely to be hospitalized for a wide variety of common health problems, a U.S. study suggests.Researchers focused on so-called PM 2.5, a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets smaller than …

Malaysia began a vaccination campaign in a rural town on Borneo island after a 3-month-old boy was confirmed to have polio in the country’s first case of the highly infectious virus in 27 years.                 The infant from Tuaran town in Sabah state …

MARANCHON, SPAIN — The air was bone chilling on a recent afternoon, as blades from dozens of wind turbines lining the ridge cut through a milky sky. Not so long ago, Maranchon was Spain’s largest wind farm, its 104 machines capable of powering a mid-size city.But today it faces competition, …

Celebrity environmentalist Greta Thunberg is urging media to pay more attention to other young climate activists.                     The 16-year-old Swede has drawn huge crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year.                     “Our stories have been told over and over again,” Thunberg said as …