US EPA proposes tighter rules for lead exposure in residential buildings

By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed stricter regulations for lead exposure in residential buildings and childcare facilities. Any amount of lead found in a building will be regarded as hazardous, according to the proposed rule from the EPA that would lower its lead dust hazard level…

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With 735 million people hungry, UN says world is ‘off track’ to meet its 2030 goal

By Leah Douglas (Reuters) – About 735 million people worldwide faced chronic hunger in 2022, a figure much higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic and which threatens progress towards a global goal to end hunger by 2030, said the United Nations on Wednesday. A multi-year upward trend in hunger rates leveled off last year as…

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Trans advocates in Russia brace for proposed gender surgery ban

(Reuters) – Elle Solomina is 36, but she says her life truly began in 2021, when she changed her gender to female in her official Russian identification documents. The IT worker is now watching the path she took to self-acceptance crumble, as Russia is poised to outlaw gender changes in IDs and gender-affirming medical care,…

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Racism underlies disparities in maternal mortality in Americas -UN report

By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) – High rates of pregnancy-related deaths among women of African descent in North and South America are likely due largely to racism in the form of verbal and physical abuse from health care providers, denial of quality care, and refusal of pain relief, a U.N. report found. The new analysis by…

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Biden’s pick for top U.S. general warns on Republican blocking promotions

By Phil Stewart and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden’s nominee to become the top U.S. general warned on Tuesday that a Republican senator’s blockade of military promotions could have a far-reaching impact across the U.S. armed forces, affecting troops and their families. “We will lose talent,” General Charles “CQ” Brown, the outgoing Air…

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VP Kamala Harris unveils proposed rule change to cut US childcare costs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced new steps to lower the cost of childcare for American families with a proposal that would cap co-payments under a block grant program that serves 1.5 million children and their families each month. “This is a critical issue for almost every family in our country,”…

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