Around 224 million women still don’t access family planning

The increased use reflects a major health success that has allowed millions of young people to avoid unintended pregnancy and exercise choice over their futures, but UNFPA said that “for far too many, the basic human right to choose whether to have children continues to be undermined.” ‘Contraceptives save lives’ The unavailability of contraception leads […]

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How chemicals are deemed safe enough or too harmful

If you’ve sat in a nail salon recently, you may well have encountered TPO or trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide to give it its full chemical name. You won’t have seen the name on the bottle. But if you’ve had your gelled fingers under a blue-violet lamp, TPO could well have been part of the process. TPO […]

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why it’s never a good idea to mess around with fireworks

Around 2,000 people visit A&E every year due to injuries caused by fireworks. Although fireworks are an essential part of Bonfire Night celebrations for many revellers, these colourful pyrotechnics can be as dangerous as they are spectacular. And the injuries you might sustain from them can range from minor to downright gruesome if you aren’t […]

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Fresh push to fight toxic mercury pollution underway

Mercury is a toxic metal that can harm the brain, lungs, kidneys and immune system. It is especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Mercury pollution often results from industrial activities, including small-scale gold mining, and can travel long distances through air and water. The citizens of Minamata in Japan suffered for decades from mercury […]

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As global crises deepen, leaders in Doha urge shift from promises to action

The discussions took place at the Doha Solutions Forum for Social Development and the first leaders’ meeting of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, held on the margins of the Second World Summit for Social Development. Learn from each other Opening the Solutions Forum, President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said the […]

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Eli Lilly’s Tirzepatide Becomes World’s Top-Selling Drug

Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, has overtaken Merck’s cancer therapy Keytruda to become the world’s best-selling medicine, reflecting surging global demand for GLP-1-based weight loss treatments. Record-Breaking Sales Eli Lilly reported third-quarter 2025 sales of $10.1 billion for tirzepatide, surpassing the $8.1 billion in sales posted by Merck’s […]

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Building healthier, more prosperous communities – UKRI

This investment will help to address an urgent health challenge. It will support the NHS’s shift from ‘sickness service’ to prevention while driving economic growth, supporting local enterprise, and aligns with the government’s Plan for Change. By backing projects that help people to eat well and move more, Innovate UK is creating new opportunities for […]

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Why stigmatising ultra-processed food could be doing more harm than good

The 2025 Joe Wicks documentary on “killer protein bars” highlights how even well-intentioned attempts to raise awareness about food can sometimes oversimplify complex public health issues. The show’s premise – to develop and market a supposedly “dangerous” additive-laden “ultra-processed” food to prompt government action – aims to spark debate about the modern food system. But […]

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How space exploration pushes the human body to its limits

On January 14 2004, the United States announced a new “Vision for Space Exploration”, promising that humans would not only visit space but live there. Two decades later, Nasa’s Artemis programme is preparing to return astronauts to the Moon and, eventually, send humans to Mars. That mission will last around three years and cover hundreds […]

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The psychological toll of hurricanes – major storms leave more than wreckage behind

When a hurricane strikes, the first images we see are of roofs ripped off, trees uprooted and streets turned into rivers. But the psychological toll is just as real, and it often lasts far longer than the physical damage. In countries such as Jamaica, each storm hits communities that are already vulnerable, disrupting sleep, hope […]

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