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United Nations pledges to fight drug-resistant superbugs

United Nations member countries pledged for the first time on Wednesday to take steps to tackle the threat posed by drug-resistant superbugs in a coordinated effort to curb the spread of infections by pathogens that defy antimicrobial medicines. The pledge during the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York followed years of warnings by global health officials about the rise of drug-resistant infections, which threaten to wipe out all effective antibiotics and antifungal medicines, leaving the world vulnerable to simple infections that once could be easily cured.

Hollande to meet ministers over Alstom’s plans for Belfort plant

French President Francois Hollande will meet Prime Minister Manuel Valls and ministers in charge of economic and transport policy on Monday morning to discuss trainmaker Alstom's sudden decision to scale down its Belfort plant, the president's office said. Alstom said on Wednesday it planned to stop making trains at Belfort and transfer production to its plant in Reichshoffen in eastern France by the end of 2018. Valls said on Sunday Alstom's decision was unacceptable.

U.S. fights Zika mosquitoes with limited arsenal

Over Wynwood, the Miami neighborhood where Zika gained a foothold in the continental United States, low flying planes have been spraying naled, a tightly controlled pesticide often used as a last resort. It appears to be working, killing at least 90 percent of the target mosquitoes. Across the Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, wind and high-rise buildings make aerial spraying challenging.

European safety agency moves toward toughening up pilot screening

The European Commission will propose laws to toughen screening for new pilots by the end of this year after aviation safety authorities called for stricter medical requirements. Among the proposals put forward by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Tuesday were a comprehensive mental health assessment during initial screening, as well as drug and alcohol checks. Directly after the 2015 crash, EASA introduced a rule requiring two crew members to be in the cockpit at all times.

Nigeria reports two new polio cases: WHO

Geneva (AFP) – The Nigerian government has reported two new polio cases in the first reemergence of the disease since 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.

Queen Latifah, grannies join mass anti-AIDS rallies in S.Africa

US singer and actress Queen Latifah joined a mass anti-AIDS march in the South African city of Durban Saturday, where grandmothers bringing up children orphaned by the disease also took to the streets. Holding up signs that read “I care, do you?”, around a thousand grandmothers walked in a colourful procession to draw attention to their plight, as the coastal city readies to host a global AIDS conference from Monday.

China tightens controls on paid-for internet search ads

China's internet regulator said on Saturday that search engines should tighten management of paid-for ads in search results, making clear which results are paid-for and limiting their numbers. Chinese regulators last month imposed limits on the number of lucrative healthcare adverts carried by Baidu Inc following the death of a student who underwent an experimental cancer treatment which he found using China's biggest internet search engine. Wei Zexi, 21, died in April of a rare form of cancer, and the case sparked widespread public anger.

Feeding Peace: This Week In Daily Giving

This week at The Pollination Project, we recognize seven grantees whose projects are bringing peace to their communities. Volunteers in Maryland engage in sustainable gardening to provide to the less fortunate while in North Carolinian youth affected by incarceration are provided leadership opportunities. With visions of compassionate…

U.S. jury finds Immunosyn ex-CEO Ferrone guilty of fraud

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2011 had charged California-based Immunosyn with misleading investors about the regulatory status of the company’s sole product, a drug derived from goat blood called SF-1019, that was intended to treat a variety of ailments. “We are pleased with the jury’s finding that Stephen Ferrone defrauded Immunosyn’s investors with misleading statements in the company’s filings and press releases and his own speeches and interviews,” Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC’S Division of Enforcement said in a statement.