Intensifying heat waves prompt health warnings for Europe, US

By Liliana Salgado PHOENIX (Reuters) -A global pattern of heat waves scorching parts of Europe, Asia and the United States intensified on Tuesday, with the World Meteorological Organization warning of an increased risk of deaths linked to excessively high temperatures. Americans were facing a medley of extreme weather, from blazing heat from Texas to Southern…

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Switzerland fights to contain forest fire near Italy border as winds pick up

By Denis Balibouse BITSCH, Switzerland (Reuters) -Swiss firefighters on Tuesday were battling a forest fire that has forced more than 200 people to evacuate, and authorities warned winds were making the blaze difficult to contain. The fire broke out on Monday on the forested flank of a mountain in Bitsch in the Valais canton near…

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Meta opens AI model to commercial use, throwing nascent market into flux

By Katie Paul NEW YORK (Reuters) -Meta is releasing a commercial version of its open-source artificial intelligence model Llama, the company said on Tuesday, giving start-ups and other businesses a powerful free-of-charge alternative to pricey proprietary models sold by OpenAI and Google. The new version of the model, called Llama 2, will be distributed by…

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Pfizer, Flagship Pioneering to invest $100 million in drug discovery

(Reuters) -U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and venture firm Flagship Pioneering on Tuesday said they would invest $100 million together to develop up to 10 new potential drugs for areas including internal medicine, oncology, infectious diseases and immunology. Flagship, which has incubated biotech companies, most famously Moderna Inc , and Pfizer will each invest $50 million. Flagship’s…

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Childhood vaccination rates begin to recover post-pandemic – but not everywhere, U.N. says

By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) – Efforts to vaccinate children worldwide against deadly diseases such as measles and diphtheria began to recover in 2022 after a historic backslide caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). But the recovery remains uneven,…

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China may launch next-generation crewed spacecraft as early as 2027

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s next-generation crewed spacecraft, which can transport up to seven astronauts, may fly for the first time between 2027 and 2028, a veteran Chinese astronaut said. China’s manned space flights began in 2003 when former fighter pilot, Yang Liwei, was sent into orbit in a small bronze-coloured capsule, the Shenzhou-5, becoming China’s…

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Florida’s rising water temperatures raise concerns for health of coral reefs -scientists

By Maria Alejandra Cardona MIAMI/KEY WEST, Florida (Reuters) – Rising temperatures in Florida’s waters due to climate change have sparked an extreme stressor for coral reefs causing bleaching, which has scientists concerned. “In the last year, it’s been really depressing because we’ve seen a lot of changes, and we’ve been monitoring sites from Miami for…

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