ethics

'We're already living in science fiction': The neurotech revolution

BY JULIEN DURY

  • Many experts are concerned about the ethical implications of neurotechnology -- particularly because some companies are looking well beyond healthcare applications, instead hoping to use computers to improve our cognitive abilities.
  • From translating thoughts into words to allowing paralysed people to walk, the field of neurotechnology has been quietly surging ahead, raising hopes of medical breakthroughs -- and profound ethical concerns.
  • Many experts are concerned about the ethical implications of neurotechnology -- particularly because some companies are looking well beyond healthcare applications, instead hoping to use computers to improve our cognitive abilities.
From translating thoughts into words to allowing paralysed people to walk, the field of neurotechnology has been quietly surging ahead, raising hopes of medical breakthroughs -- and profound ethical concerns.
Some observers even think that neurotech could end up being as revolutionary as the far more hyped rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
"People do not realise how much we're already living in science fiction," King's College London researcher Anne Vanhoestenberghe told AFP.
The scientist leads a laboratory developing electronic devices which are implanted into a person's nervous system -- not just the brain, but also the spinal cord that transmits signals to the rest of the body.
It has been a big couple of years for neurotech research. In June, Californian scientists revealed that a brain implant they developed could translate the thoughts of a man with the neurodegenerative disease ALS into words almost instantly, in just one-fortieth of a second.
Swiss researchers meanwhile have enabled several paralysed people to regain significant control of their body -- including walking again -- by implanting electrodes into their spinal cords. 
These experiments, and other trailblazers in the field, are still far from restoring full capability to patients who have lost the ability to talk or walk.
It also remains to be seen how such technology, some of which requires invasive brain surgery, could be made available to people in need across the world.
But still, "the general public is unaware of what is already out there and changing lives," Vanhoestenberghe said.
And these devices are becoming more effective at a remarkable rate, she emphasised.
"Previously it took thousands of hours of training before someone could compose several words using their thoughts," she said. "Now it only takes a couple."

Musk wants human-AI 'symbiosis'

Neurotechnology has been propelled by a combination of scientific advances -- including growing understanding of the human brain -- and technological progress which has shrunk devices down so small they can slot into our skulls.
Algorithms using artificial intelligence have significantly sped things along, helping to interpret and transform the data coming from brains.
Numerous start-ups that have emerged since the late 2000s have raised tens of billions of dollars for research that has only recently started translating into concrete achievements.
The most publicised company is billionaire Elon Musk's Neuralink, which says that it has now implanted 12 people with its chip.
While Musk has made characteristically lofty claims, experts have remained cautious about his firm's accomplishments.
"Neuralink is currently just smoke and mirrors, with a lot of hype," Herve Chneiweiss, a neurologist and expert in ethics at France's research organisation INSERM, told AFP.
However, "the day they manage to produce commercial products -- and it won't be long -- it will be too late to worry about it," he cautioned.
Many experts are concerned about the ethical implications of neurotechnology -- particularly because some companies are looking well beyond healthcare applications, instead hoping to use computers to improve our cognitive abilities.
Musk, for one, has repeatedly said he ultimately wants Neuralink to allow humans to achieve "symbiosis" with AI.

'Innermost thoughts under threat'

Against this background, the United Nations' agency for science and culture UNESCO recently approved recommendations for how nations can regulate neurotechnology. 
These recommendations -- which are not legally binding -- are due to come into effect on Wednesday.
The authors, who include Chneiweiss, adopted a broad definition of neurotech. It includes devices already widely available such as smartwatches and headsets that do not directly interact with the brain, but instead measure indicators providing an idea of the user's mental state.
"Today, the main risk is invasion of privacy: our innermost thoughts are under threat," Chneiweiss said.
He warned, for example, that neurotech data could "fall into the hands of your boss", who could then decide that you are not spending enough time thinking about work.
Some have already started trying to address such concerns.
Late last year, the US state of California, a global hub of neurotech research, passed a law protecting the brain data of consumers.
jdy-dl/rlp/kjm

UN

Demand for air con set to triple by 2050, warns UN

  • "Installed cooling capacity is on a trajectory to triple by 2050...
  • Global demand for air conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, calling for more sustainable cooling solutions.
  • "Installed cooling capacity is on a trajectory to triple by 2050...
Global demand for air conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, calling for more sustainable cooling solutions.
The UN Environment Programme said demand could surge due to increases in population and wealth around the world, combined with more extreme heat.
Rising demand for more polluting and inefficient cooling systems "would almost double cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions over 2022 levels", said UNEP.
UNEP launched its Global Cooling Watch 2025 report on the sidelines of the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem in the Brazilian Amazon.
"Installed cooling capacity is on a trajectory to triple by 2050... Yet billions will still lack adequate protection from heat. We must reimagine cooling -- not as a source of emissions, but as a cornerstone of heat resilience and sustainable development," it said.
The most rapid growth in cooling demand is projected in Africa and South Asia.
"As deadly heat waves become more regular and extreme, access to cooling must be treated as essential infrastructure alongside water, energy and sanitation," UNEP chief Inger Andersen said in a statement.
"But we cannot air condition our way out of the heat crisis, which would drive greenhouse gas emissions higher and raise costs."
UNEP highlighted so-called "passive cooling" options, including better wall and roof designs, shading, solar off-grid solutions and ventilation.
The potential impact on indoor temperatures from passive cooling strategies range from 0.5 to 8 degrees Celsius.
"Passive, energy efficient and nature-based solutions can help meet our growing cooling needs and keep people, food-chains and economies safe from heat as we pursue global climate goals," said Andersen.
The Cooling Report suggested adopting such measures could reduce emissions to 64 percent below the levels otherwise expected in 2050.
ag/rjm/phz

UN

Brazil tries to avoid climate bust up at COP30 summit

  • The United Nations summit narrowly avoided a so-called "agenda fight" at its Monday opening in Belem only because Brazil promised to hear these demands informally and broker an amenable solution.
  • COP30 hosts Brazil will seek to land a compromise on Wednesday as some nations seek to put ambitious climate action and financial obligations on the summit agenda -- flashpoints that have stalled past negotiations.
  • The United Nations summit narrowly avoided a so-called "agenda fight" at its Monday opening in Belem only because Brazil promised to hear these demands informally and broker an amenable solution.
COP30 hosts Brazil will seek to land a compromise on Wednesday as some nations seek to put ambitious climate action and financial obligations on the summit agenda -- flashpoints that have stalled past negotiations.
The United Nations summit narrowly avoided a so-called "agenda fight" at its Monday opening in Belem only because Brazil promised to hear these demands informally and broker an amenable solution.
Four divisive issues are being considered: trade, transparency and reporting measures, climate finance obligations, and efforts to slash heat-trapping pollution.
The latter two are the most sensitive, with rich countries unenthusiastic about reopening bitter fights over financial aid, and oil-producing giants against any focus on the role of fossil fuels in climate change.
Brazil is expected to reveal Wednesday whether it has been successful in finding a middle ground when it wraps up two days of backroom consultations in Belem.
The rotating hosts of these annual Conference of the Parties do not have decision-making power, but still play a crucial role in forging compromise.
Any decision at the COP summits must be reached by consensus among the 197 countries and the European Union that are members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
One close observer of the consultations told AFP that a few countries were "still not on board" but the dialogue had been "clearly constructive."
There is a growing sense that Brazil could be warming to the idea of a "cover decision" -- an overarching text, delivered at the COP's close, that provides space for articulating a compromised stance.
One diplomat attending Belem's closed-door discussions expects a "slightly more innovative" format where the specific proposals in question are considered on their own.

Flashpoints

The most incendiary of the four comes from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which wants countries attending Belem to acknowledge their collective failure to keep global warming to safer levels.
Scientists say a temporary breach of 1.5 Celsius -- the lower limit of the Paris Climate Agreement's goal on global temperature rise -- is inevitable because nations have not cut planet-heating emissions fast enough to meet this target.
Other country blocs -- including the European Union and Latin American states -- support the push by AOSIS, whose members are some of the most threatened by rising seas. 
Brazil's presidency had "finally found the courage to tackle this issue head-on," the diplomat told AFP.
This has agitated the Arab Group -- a collection of 22 nations including major petrostates -- which has criticised Brazil for opening this discussion, observers say. 
The other major bone of contention is the provision by richer nations of financial support to help poorer ones cope with climate change.
The third issue concerns "unilateral" trade measures -- notably Europe's carbon border tax, which is fiercely opposed by China and India.
A fourth relates to an EU demand for greater transparency around how countries report key climate data.
jmi/np/mlm

menopause

US to remove warnings from menopause hormone therapy

  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) replaces estrogen that the female body stops producing during menopause with the aim of alleviating symptoms including hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, night sweats and joint pain.
  • The United States will remove strong safety warnings on many hormone therapies used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, saying the risks have been exaggerated, authorities announced Monday.
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) replaces estrogen that the female body stops producing during menopause with the aim of alleviating symptoms including hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, night sweats and joint pain.
The United States will remove strong safety warnings on many hormone therapies used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, saying the risks have been exaggerated, authorities announced Monday.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) replaces estrogen that the female body stops producing during menopause with the aim of alleviating symptoms including hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, night sweats and joint pain.
Previously used routinely, prescription and use of the therapies have plummeted worldwide since a landmark trial in the early 2000s pointed to risks associated with specific HRT formulations.
Since then "black box warnings" -- the strongest warning the US Food and Drug Administration can require on prescription drugs -- have sounded alarm over increased HRT risks including of certain cancers, cardiovascular conditions and probable dementia.
But critics have pointed to flaws with the early 2000s Women's Health Initiative, whose trials were halted as risks appeared: namely it focused on women who were a decade-post-menopause and in their 60s, when cardiovascular risks increase regardless.
Today guidance generally indicates that healthy newly menopausal or perimenopausal women -- people broadly in their 40s or 50s -- are among potential candidates for treatment.
There also are newer, more localized or lower-dose forms of the therapies available.
"We're challenging outdated thinking and recommitting to evidence-based medicine that empowers rather than restricts," US health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr said in introducing the measure.
Many experts had urged revisiting the black box label, which they say can scare women for whom benefits may outweigh risks.
Others have voiced concern that changes shouldn't come without a rigorous review process.
"The warnings on hormone products for menopause had become outdated and it was time to update them," said Diana Zuckerman, president of the nonprofit National Center for Health Research. 
But she told AFP "these products still have clear risks and the benefits are mostly for hot flashes and related symptoms of menopause, not for general health."
FDA head Marty Makary dismissed that notion of an independent review committee, saying they are "bureaucratic, long, often conflicted and very expensive."
Over the summer Makary convened a panel of experts overwhelmingly in favor of HRT, which included people with ties to pharmaceutical lobbying.
Adriane Fugh-Berman, who directs a project that promotes rational prescribing at Georgetown University, told AFP that Monday's announcement was "embarrassing" as it was ahead of any consensus and was "not how regulation should happen."
There could be benefits of HRT for some people, she told AFP, but cautioned that real risks remain, and more high-quality study is needed.
But the president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Steven Fleischman, commended the FDA's move, saying "the updated labels will better allow patients and clinicians to engage in a shared decision-making process."
Fleischman noted it was important to distinguish between systemic estrogen products -- including methods taken orally or via patches -- and low-dose vaginal estrogen.
"Like all medications, systemic estrogen products are not without risk, and their use should be based on an individualized conversation between patients and their clinicians," Fleischman said.
The FDA said it is not seeking to remove the boxed warning for endometrial cancer for systemic estrogen-alone products. 
Sarah Shealy -- a nurse-midwife, who is also a certified practitioner by the nonprofit organization the Menopause Society -- welcomed the shift.
She told AFP she hoped it signaled "the tide is turning" in terms of treatment access as well as education.
"We largely have a medical community that doesn't have a broad knowledge or confidence in prescribing hormone therapy, and this has left women feeling gaslit," Shealy said.
mdo/sla-bgs

virus

Deadly measles surge sees Canada lose eradicated status

BY BEN SIMON

  • Health Canada, a government agency, said in a statement that it has officially been informed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) "that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
  • Canada has lost its measles elimination status, health officials said Monday, a major setback caused by a year-long resurgence of the disease largely among unvaccinated groups.
  • Health Canada, a government agency, said in a statement that it has officially been informed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) "that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Canada has lost its measles elimination status, health officials said Monday, a major setback caused by a year-long resurgence of the disease largely among unvaccinated groups.
Canada was formally declared measles-free in 1998, an achievement credited to years of consistently high childhood vaccination rates.
But an outbreak that began in the eastern part of the country in October 2024 has since spread nationwide, notably among certain groups of Mennonite Christians who have refused to vaccinate their children on religious grounds.
Canada has recorded 5,138 measles cases so far in 2025, with the provinces of Ontario and Alberta the hardest hit.
Two newborns, born to unvaccinated mothers, have died from the virus.
Health Canada, a government agency, said in a statement that it has officially been informed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) "that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
The update came after PAHO, the UN's regional health office, confirmed "sustained transmission of the same measles virus strain in Canada for a period of more than one year."
Provincial health ministers are "discussing coordinated actions, including strategies to build trust (in vaccines) through community engagement," Health Canada said.
The agency noted that while measles transmission "has slowed recently," the outbreak has persisted "primarily within under-vaccinated communities."
Samira Jeimy, from Western University's Schulich School of Medicine, told AFP that Canada lost its status "because two-dose vaccine coverage dropped below the 95 percent threshold required to stop sustained transmission."
The spread of the virus in under-vaccinated communities was, for experts, "easily visible as a signal of system fragility," Jeimy said.
Pediatric doctors in Ontario have stressed that the outbreak is not confined to Mennonite groups.
Infections have also occurred among new immigrants from the developing world who, for various reasons, did not keep up with immunizations after settling in Canada -- including due to an acute shortage of family doctors.

Regional spread

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus spread through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or simply breathes.
It causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a rash, but can also lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.
In a regional update Monday, PAHO confirmed Canada was the only country in the Americas to lose its elimination status, but said several others were facing active measles transmission, including the United States.
In 2025, the United States experienced its worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years, with over 1,600 confirmed cases.
A September Washington Post poll found that one in six American parents has delayed or skipped some or all of the standard childhood vaccines.
Some nine percent have opted out of administering polio or MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shots to their children, the poll found.
Vaccine resistance has mushroomed in the United States in recent years, stoked in large part by debunked claims linking vaccines to autism.
The US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has played a significant role in fueling those fears by repeating the false claims.
bs/des

drugs

No link between paracetamol and autism, major review finds

  • On Monday, an "umbrella" review of all the scientific research yet conducted on the subject was published in the British medical journal BMJ. "Existing evidence does not show a clear link between in utero exposure to paracetamol and autism and ADHD in offspring," the UK-lead team of researchers wrote in the review.
  • There is no clear link between pregnant women taking the common painkiller paracetamol and autism in their children, despite repeated claims otherwise by Donald Trump, according to the most comprehensive review of the existing evidence published Monday.
  • On Monday, an "umbrella" review of all the scientific research yet conducted on the subject was published in the British medical journal BMJ. "Existing evidence does not show a clear link between in utero exposure to paracetamol and autism and ADHD in offspring," the UK-lead team of researchers wrote in the review.
There is no clear link between pregnant women taking the common painkiller paracetamol and autism in their children, despite repeated claims otherwise by Donald Trump, according to the most comprehensive review of the existing evidence published Monday.
In September, the US president sparked outrage among the medical community by claiming that paracetamol -- also known as acetaminophen -- was associated with higher rates of autism.
Trump urged pregnant women to "tough it out" rather than take paracetamol, comments which health researchers warned could scare women off their safest option to treat pain -- and risked further stigmatising autistic people.
The World Health Organization has emphasised that there is no robust evidence showing that paracetamol -- which is the main ingredient in massively popular painkillers such as Tylenol and Panadol -- causes autism.
On Monday, an "umbrella" review of all the scientific research yet conducted on the subject was published in the British medical journal BMJ.
"Existing evidence does not show a clear link between in utero exposure to paracetamol and autism and ADHD in offspring," the UK-lead team of researchers wrote in the review.
There have been several previous studies which suggested a possible link between paracetamol and autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
However the quality of those studies was "low to critically low", the review said, partly because they did not take adequate steps to rule out potentially misleading factors such as whether autism runs in the family.
These controversial previous studies also could not establish exactly how paracetamol might cause autism.
The umbrella review called for better research, pointing out that there has been a "historical and ongoing underinvestment in women's health research".

Confirmation

Several researchers praised the new study.
Dimitrios Siassakos, professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at University College London, said the review "confirms what experts around the globe have been saying". 
"Autistic and neurodivergent people are more likely to experience chronic pain, and they are also much more likely to have neurodivergent children -- but paracetamol doesn't cause neurodivergence," said Steven Kapp of the University of Portsmouth.
"As a researcher and autistic person with ADHD, I think we should not be trying to prevent neurodivergence anyway, but make life better for neurodivergent people," he added.
Beyond paracetamol, Trump and his vaccine-sceptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr have repeatedly made unfounded claims about autism, including that there is an "epidemic" of cases.
However experts maintain that the recent increase in autism rates is due to improved, broadened diagnosis methods along with growing awareness.
jdy-dl/phz

environment

Countries agree to end mercury tooth fillings by 2034

BY ROBIN MILLARD

  • But countries came together and agreed a phase-out by 2034.
  • Countries agreed Friday to phase out the use of mercury-based dental amalgams in tooth fillings by 2034, in a move that will change dentistry around the world.
  • But countries came together and agreed a phase-out by 2034.
Countries agreed Friday to phase out the use of mercury-based dental amalgams in tooth fillings by 2034, in a move that will change dentistry around the world.
At a conference in Geneva, signatories to a treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from mercury pollution called time on mercury amalgams.
Nations agreed "to end the use of dental amalgam by 2034, marking a historic milestone in reducing mercury pollution", the conference announced in its closing statement.
The World Health Organization considers mercury one of the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern, calling it "toxic to human health".
Some countries have already banned its use in dental amalgam, a common filling material used for more than 175 years.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury and mercury compounds.
More than 150 countries are party to the convention, which was adopted in 2013 and came into force in 2017.
Parties at this week's conference adopted amendments "establishing a global phase-out of dental amalgam by 2034", the closing statement said.
"This science-based, time-bound agreement marks a decisive step toward the total elimination of mercury use in dentistry and a safer future for all communities."

African initiative

The treaty already stipulated that signatories must take measures to phase out the use of mercury-based dental amalgams.
However, a bloc of African countries wanted a deadline, with a ban on their production, import and export, starting in 2030.
As the conference opened Monday, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked why mercury was deemed "dangerous in batteries, in over-the-counter medications and make-up", but acceptable in dental fillings.
"It's inexcusable that governments around the world still allow mercury-based compounds in healthcare -- and safe alternatives exist," he said in a video message.
A few countries opposed the idea of a phase-out by 2030, including Iran and India, and Britain, which said it was too soon.
But countries came together and agreed a phase-out by 2034.
"We have just opened the door to another chapter of the mercury history book," said the convention's executive secretary Monika Stankiewicz.
"Mercury pollution is a scourge."
However, "by understanding one another and bridging our differences, we can make a difference in the lives of people everywhere".
The European Union's representative called it "an important milestone in making mercury history: a step that will bring lasting benefits for human health and the environment globally".
Mexico, speaking for the Latin American and Caribbean countries, called it an "ambitious but realistic step towards a future free from mercury".

Skin-lightening cosmetics

Overall, the conference adopted 21 decisions aimed at better protecting human health and the environment from mercury pollution.
Countries also agreed to step up efforts to eliminate skin-lightening cosmetics containing mercury, through curbing illegal trade and strengthening enforcement.
When added to cosmetics, mercury lightens the skin by suppressing melanin production. However, the process is not permanent and is dangerous to health.
The conference heard that sales of such products have soared, especially online.
Countries also moving away from the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining, and the feasibility of mercury-free catalysts for the production of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) -- a key component of PVC plastic.
The conference's president Osvaldo Alvarez Perez said: "We have set ambitious new goals, and left mercury a little further behind."
rjm/dhw

agriculture

Brazil welcomes China lift of ban on poultry imports

  • Brazil said in June it was free of bird flu and would resume exports.
  • Brazil, the world's biggest exporter of chicken meat, on Friday welcomed China's move to lift a ban on imports of the product after an outbreak of bird flu earlier this year.
  • Brazil said in June it was free of bird flu and would resume exports.
Brazil, the world's biggest exporter of chicken meat, on Friday welcomed China's move to lift a ban on imports of the product after an outbreak of bird flu earlier this year.
China and the European Union suspended imports of chicken meat from Brazil in May after the outbreak.
Brazil said in June it was free of bird flu and would resume exports.
"Gradually, all major importers of chicken meat resumed purchases," the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) wrote on its website on Friday.
"Recently, the European Union announced the resumption of shipments. Today, China ...reopened its ports to Brazilian products."
The ABPA said there had been a "broad and intense diplomatic effort" by the Brazilian government to resume exports.
Before the suspension, China had been the largest importer of chicken meat from Brazil.
Between January and May, China imported 228,200 tons of chicken meat, generating revenue of $545.8 million, according to the ABPA.
Avian flu has spread globally in recent years, leading to mass culling of poultry, some human deaths, and rising egg prices.
Infections in humans can cause severe disease with a high mortality rate, according to the World Health Organization, but the virus does not appear to move easily from person to person.
Human cases detected so far were mostly in people who had close contact with infected birds and other animals, or contaminated environments. 
fb/md

economy

MSF accuses powerful nations of weakening S.Africa's G20 health text

  • "I have to say we are disappointed to note that a time of particular importance for G20 countries, for them to be uniting in support of global access for health for all, many of them instead focused on doing the opposite, pushing for less obligation, less coordination, and less support," Abdelmoneim said. 
  • Powerful G20 nations are pushing back on efforts to promote global access for health at this month's summit in South Africa, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned Friday, calling the move disappointing.
  • "I have to say we are disappointed to note that a time of particular importance for G20 countries, for them to be uniting in support of global access for health for all, many of them instead focused on doing the opposite, pushing for less obligation, less coordination, and less support," Abdelmoneim said. 
Powerful G20 nations are pushing back on efforts to promote global access for health at this month's summit in South Africa, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned Friday, calling the move disappointing.
South Africa chose "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability" as the theme for its presidency of the group of leading economies but has faced some resistance, including from the G20's wealthiest member, the United States.
There has been a "significant watering down of key elements" in the health ministers' draft declaration to be presented to the November 22-23 summit, newly elected MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim said. 
Changes affect areas like global pandemic preparedness and the role of the World Health Organization, the Sudanese-Iranian doctor told reporters in Johannesburg.
MSF is a member of the health working group of the G20, which is made up of 19 nations and two regional organisations that account for more than 80 percent of world economic output.
"I have to say we are disappointed to note that a time of particular importance for G20 countries, for them to be uniting in support of global access for health for all, many of them instead focused on doing the opposite, pushing for less obligation, less coordination, and less support," Abdelmoneim said. 
"It's a pity that in this case it's been weaponised by powerful countries to weaken a previously bold ministerial declaration that stood strong in the themes identified by the South African government," he said.
Abdelmoneim did not say which countries had blocked South Africa's recommendations.  
Pretoria wants to use its presidency to champion Global South priorities, including boosting climate resilience and tackling debt in developing countries, before handing the baton to the United States next year. 
The United States has labelled South Africa's G20 theme as "anti-American" and President Donald Trump, who has falsely accused South Africa of discrimination, said he will skip the summit. 
ho/br/giv

obesity

Trump unveils deals to lower costs of some weight-loss drugs

BY BEIYI SEOW

  • "Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are committing to offer Zepbound and Wegovy at 'Most Favored Nation' rates for American patients," Trump added, saying this would lower the costs of products for those eligible.
  • US President Donald Trump announced deals Thursday with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of some popular weight-loss drugs, in exchange for relief from threatened tariffs.
  • "Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are committing to offer Zepbound and Wegovy at 'Most Favored Nation' rates for American patients," Trump added, saying this would lower the costs of products for those eligible.
US President Donald Trump announced deals Thursday with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of some popular weight-loss drugs, in exchange for relief from threatened tariffs.
Both companies "have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight-loss drug," Trump said at the White House, "at drastic discounts."
"Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are committing to offer Zepbound and Wegovy at 'Most Favored Nation' rates for American patients," Trump added, saying this would lower the costs of products for those eligible.
During the announcement event in the Oval Office, a company representative standing behind Trump collapsed. He was later examined by Mehmet Oz, Trump's administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who said he was okay.
The new generation of appetite-suppressing drugs using GLP-1 agonists -- which include the brands Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro -- have exploded in popularity in recent times due to their ability to help people lose weight.
But the sky-high prices of such drugs, which can cost more than $1,000 a month in the United States, have raised concerns.

'A triumph'

The latest move is set to cut costs of starting oral doses of GLP-1s to as low as around $150 for certain groups of people once approved, a senior US official said.
"It's a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans," Trump told reporters. 
This price would apply to those on Medicare -- which is for seniors -- the safety net Medicaid, or via the direct-to-consumer website TrumpRx once it launches, the official added.
But the costs for injectables would be higher.
US officials said that the direct-to-consumer channel will see costs of injectable GLP-1s start at an average of $350 per month, and that this should scale down over time.
This would apply to drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, according to a White House fact sheet.
Starting around the middle of next year, Medicare and Medicaid coverage for the injectable drugs will be at $245 for those meeting certain medical criteria. Medicare copayment for eligible beneficiaries will be $50.
The starting point for each Medicaid program depends on each state's participation.
"These low prices will enable Medicare to cover Wegovy and Zepbound for patients with obesity and related comorbidities for the first time," the White House said.
In exchange, the pharmaceutical companies will have certainty around tariff issues and access to beneficiaries who otherwise would not be covered by Medicare for obesity issues, an official added.

Fine print

Scott Kahan, director of a clinic called the National Center for Weight and Wellness, said the announcement "has the potential to be very valuable for many people."
But the final price to consumers once commercial insurance is factored in remains "unclear as yet," he added.
The three-year grace period from expected pharmaceutical tariffs threatened by Trump is similar to deals struck by Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Both had also reached agreements to lower drug costs in exchange for tariff relief.
Trump has revived drug pricing efforts from his first presidential term, taking steps since returning to the White House to pressure pharmaceutical companies into voluntarily lowering their prices.
Over the summer, he sent letters to 17 drugmakers, calling for them to lower prices or face punishment -- a move meant to give Americans relief from medicine costs much higher than elsewhere in the world.
Trump has previously threatened tariffs of 100 percent for branded pharmaceutical products unless companies were building manufacturing plants in the United States.
The prevalence of obesity among American adults is estimated at 40 percent, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
cha-bys/dw

Trump

Trump event paused in Oval Office when guest faints

  • As one of the bosses of the two drug companies invited to announce the price deal was speaking, the man crumpled to the ground behind him.
  • A representative of a pharmaceutical company fainted Thursday during a White House announcement on slashing the cost of weight-loss drugs, forcing President Donald Trump to suspend the event.
  • As one of the bosses of the two drug companies invited to announce the price deal was speaking, the man crumpled to the ground behind him.
A representative of a pharmaceutical company fainted Thursday during a White House announcement on slashing the cost of weight-loss drugs, forcing President Donald Trump to suspend the event.
As one of the bosses of the two drug companies invited to announce the price deal was speaking, the man crumpled to the ground behind him.
Trump, who was seated at the time, quickly stood up and remained behind his desk while several people attended to the man, whose identity was not made public.
One of those helping him was Mehmet Oz, Trump's administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a medical doctor.
"The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The event resumed about an hour later.
aue/sst/mlm

health

Zuckerbergs put AI at heart of pledge to cure diseases

  • The first investment announced by the Zuckerbergs when the initiative debuted nearly a decade ago was for the creation of a Biohub in Silicon Valley where researchers, scientists and others could work to build tools to better study and understand diseases.
  • The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a nonprofit launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife aimed at curing all disease, on Thursday announced it was restructuring to focus on using artificial intelligence to achieve that goal.
  • The first investment announced by the Zuckerbergs when the initiative debuted nearly a decade ago was for the creation of a Biohub in Silicon Valley where researchers, scientists and others could work to build tools to better study and understand diseases.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a nonprofit launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife aimed at curing all disease, on Thursday announced it was restructuring to focus on using artificial intelligence to achieve that goal.
The move narrows the focus of the philanthropic organization founded in 2015 with a vow to devote most of the couple's significant wealth to charitable causes, including social justice and voter rights.
Zuckerberg is among the high-profile tech figures who has backed away from diversity, equality and fact-checking initiatives after US President Donald Trump took office in January.
The organizaiton this year ended its diversity efforts, curbed support of nonprofits that provide housing and stopped funding a primary school that gave education and health care to underserved children, according to media reports.
The philanthropic mission created by the Meta co-founder and his spouse, Priscilla Chan, said that its current priority invovles scientific teams centralized in a facility called Biohub.
"This is a pivotal moment in science, and the future of AI-powered scientific discovery is starting to come into view," Biohub said in a blog post.
"We believe that it will be possible in the next few years to create powerful AI systems that can reason about and represent biology to accelerate science."
Biohub envisions AI helping advance ways to detect, prevent and cure diseases, according to the post.
The mission includes trying to model the human immune system, potentially opening a door to "engineering human health."
"We believe we're on the cusp of a scientific revolution in biology -- as frontier artificial intelligence and virtual biology give scientists new tools to understand life at a fundamental level," Biohub said in the post.
The first investment announced by the Zuckerbergs when the initiative debuted nearly a decade ago was for the creation of a Biohub in Silicon Valley where researchers, scientists and others could work to build tools to better study and understand diseases.
Shortly after it was established, the initiative bought a Canadian startup which uses AI to quickly read and comprehend scientific papers and then provide insights to researchers.
"Our multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers have built incredible technologies to observe, measure and program biology," Biohub said of its progress.
Meta is among the big tech firms that have been pouring billions of dollars into data centers and more in a race to lead the field of AI.
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earnings

Drugmaker AstraZeneca profit jumps as US business grows

  • Trump last month announced a deal with AstraZeneca for significantly lower drug prices in the United States.
  • British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced surging quarterly profit Thursday on strong sales of cancer drugs and as the group zones in on the United States, pressured by President Donald Trump. 
  • Trump last month announced a deal with AstraZeneca for significantly lower drug prices in the United States.
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced surging quarterly profit Thursday on strong sales of cancer drugs and as the group zones in on the United States, pressured by President Donald Trump. 
Net profit jumped 77 percent to $2.53 billion in the third quarter compared with the July-September period one year earlier, AstraZeneca said in a statement.
Group revenue grew 12 percent to $15.2 billion, driven by oncology drugs.
"We are... delivering on our strategy to strengthen our operations in the United States to power our growth," chief executive Pascal Soriot said in the earnings statement.
"This includes a historic agreement with the US government to lower the cost of medicines for American patients, and broadening our US manufacturing footprint."
Trump last month announced a deal with AstraZeneca for significantly lower drug prices in the United States.
In exchange, the Trump administration agreed to a three-year delay on new tariffs.
In July, AstraZeneca announced plans to invest $50 billion by 2030 on boosting its US manufacturing and research operations.

Europe challenged

"The US is half of our potential revenue by 2030," Soriot later pointed out in a conference call with media.
While he said Europe would maintain "a large industrial base... future products rely on new technologies that require new manufacturing tools to produce those products. 
"And these technologies are going to the US and they are going to China and other parts of the world. So in 15, 20 years, Europe could easily lose its health sovereignty," Soriot warned.
Highlighting the increasing importance of the US market to AstraZeneca, the group in late September said it planned to list its shares directly on the New York Stock Exchange to attract more investors.
AstraZeneca shareholders on Monday voted in favour of the move.
Britain's largest drugmaker will remain headquartered in the UK and keep its primary listing on London's top-tier FTSE 100 index. 
AstraZeneca's share price edged up 0.1 percent in late morning deals following Thursday's earnings update.
"Cancer treatment sales remain robust, accounting for almost 44 percent of overall revenues during this latest quarter," noted Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Interactive Investor.
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fire

Who is setting fire to the Amazon?

BY ANNA PELEGRI WITH DATA ANALYSIS BY LUIZA AGNOL AND MICHELLY NERIS IN SAO PAULO

  • But Red John is a worker who cannot be controlled -- and an unprecedented drought in 2024 linked to climate change sent fires blazing out of control, scorching nearly 18 million hectares (44.5 million acres) of the Brazilian Amazon.
  • "Red John" is an old acquaintance of landowners and ranchers in the Brazilian Amazon.
  • But Red John is a worker who cannot be controlled -- and an unprecedented drought in 2024 linked to climate change sent fires blazing out of control, scorching nearly 18 million hectares (44.5 million acres) of the Brazilian Amazon.
"Red John" is an old acquaintance of landowners and ranchers in the Brazilian Amazon.
He helps clears pastures cheaply, but also leaves blackened earth and charred trees in his wake -- threatening the planet's largest tropical forest.
In northern Brazil's cowboy country, fire is so entrenched in ranching that locals nicknamed it "Joao Vermelho" (Red John).
Abandoning it is almost unthinkable.
"Fire is a cheap way to maintain pasture. Labor is expensive, pesticides are expensive. Here we don't have any public funding," Antonio Carlos Batista, who owns 900 head of cattle in the municipality of Sao Felix do Xingu, told AFP.
During dry season, a bit of gasoline and a match are enough to get the job done.
When someone goes to light a fire, they say, "I'm going to hire the worker Red John!" said Batista, 62.
But Red John is a worker who cannot be controlled -- and an unprecedented drought in 2024 linked to climate change sent fires blazing out of control, scorching nearly 18 million hectares (44.5 million acres) of the Brazilian Amazon.
Deforestation has declined for the fourth straight year in a row, falling 11 percent in the 12-month period ending in July, the government said, in an update of preliminary data, while adding the figure would have been far lower if it were not for the fires.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to eradicate deforestation by 2030.
For the first time, more tropical forest burned than grassland. Most of the fires began on cattle ranches and spread through dry vegetation to forested areas. 
Sao Felix do Xingu recorded the highest number of fire outbreaks in Brazil -- more than 7,000. 
In the Amazon, today "the big challenge is deforestation caused by fires," Environment Minister Marina Silva told AFP. 
Experts say solving it will require firefighters, stricter sanctions, and, above all, a cultural shift.

Fire 'devoured everything'

Sao Felix is in Para state, which will host the COP30 UN climate conference next week -- the first to take place in the Amazon -- in its capital Belem.
Para is almost the size of Portugal, with 65,000 inhabitants and the largest herd of cattle in Brazil, with 2.5 million head, partly for export. 
The municipality is also responsible for Brazil's worst carbon dioxide emissions due to deforestation, according to 2023 data.
In 2019, Sao Felix took center stage on the so-called "Fire Day," when landowners deliberately set blazes to support the climate-skeptical policies of then-president Jair Bolsonaro, sparking international outrage. 
Here, miles of dusty roads stretch past vast, deforested expanses. 
Many of the biggest ranches, their headquarters in distant cities like Sao Paulo, do not identify themselves.
Some -- like the Bom Jardim ranch, home to 12,000 cattle -- are identified only by a wooden fence.
Bom Jardim's young foreman Gleyson Carvalho, seated in the shade outside the stable in a black cowboy hat, with a silver buckle glinting on his belt, admits that using fire is increasingly risky.
"On the one hand, it's good," he said, because the burned vegetation acts as a natural fertilizer, enriching soil and stimulating growth of more nutritious grass for cattle to eat.
However, last year, the fires -- which Carvalho insists came from outside the ranch -- "devoured everything."
"There was no food, the cattle lost weight. We had to fight hard to prevent any animals from dying," he said.
According to satellite data from the Mapbiomas monitoring network analyzed by AFP, more than two-thirds of the ranch burned. 
The property belongs to the former mayor of Sao Felix, Joao Cleber, who has been repeatedly fined for deforestation and other environmental crimes. 
Located on the banks of the Xingu River, it borders a Kayapo Indigenous village, whose families suffered from the clouds of toxic smoke from the fires. 
"There were days when you couldn't even breathe," said Maria de Fatima Barbosa, a teacher at the village school.
"During the night, it was difficult to sleep because the sheets, the bed, everything smelled of smoke."
A 2021 Greenpeace report notes that the ranch has indirectly sold cattle to Brazilian meatpacking giants Frigol and JBS, which export some of the meat abroad, especially to China in the case of Frigol.
- 'They alert you' - 
Flying over Sao Felix during the dry season, clouds of smoke can be seen rising over patches of scorched pasture. 
"It's very sad because you arrive in a region where everything is green, and then the fire comes and destroys everything," said Jose Juliao do Nascimento, a 64-year-old small-scale rancher in the rural neighborhood of Casa de Tabua, north of the Bom Jardim ranch. 
He was like many farmers in the region, who arrived in the Amazon from the south of the country from the 1960s and 1970s onwards, encouraged by the military regime to clear the land, exploit it and enrich themselves. 
"A land without men, for men without land," read the slogan of the time. 
Last year, the out-of-control flames reached his pasture, as did terrified cows from other properties that had traveled for kilometers in search of food.
The lush forest visible from his small wooden house was burned to the ground. 
Although Para state completely banned pasture maintenance fires last year to avoid a major catastrophe, enforcement is weak.
"Everyone has WhatsApp, a phone. When a police car or a car from (environmental watchdog) Ibama shows up, they alert you. That way, even if someone is working with a tractor, they can hide the machine and flee," he told AFP.
Government representatives are scarce in the region.
Ibama president Rodrigo Agostinho told AFP that when officials from the watchdog are called to issue fines, they receive "threats."

'No one helps us'

Small farmers say they feel powerless while large agricultural corporations thrive.
"They call us criminals of the Amazon, responsible for the fires and deforestation, but no one helps us," said Dalmi Pereira, a 51-year-old small-scale farmer living in Casa de Tabua. 
"Here we have no rights. When the police come, we have to hide." 
Facing some of the small farmers is Agro SB, an agricultural giant in the region. 
The company bought land in 2008 to build its Lagoa do Triunfo complex, a ranch the size of a large city. 
The ranch has received six environmental fines since 2013, and has yet to pay any of them.
The property recorded more than 300 fires in 2024, according to data analyzed by AFP. 
That same year, it received the "More Green Integrity" seal from Brazil's ministry of agriculture and livestock for "its social responsibility and environmental sustainability practices." 
Pereira complains that Agro SB receives preferential treatment when dealing with the government, while "we remain at the door."
He and other ranchers are engaged in a standoff with Agro SB over land titles, claiming right of ownership of some of the company's land by usucapion, a legal process that allows people to claim land they have occupied and used for a certain period.
Agro SB told AFP the ranchers are "invaders" who it is suing for allegedly starting all the fires recorded on its farm.

No fire brigade

In the Amazon, traditional communities and small producers use fire culturally.
However, the main offenders in razing trees are large farms, followed by illegal miners, said Cristiane Mazzetti, forest coordinator for Greenpeace Brazil.
The mayor of Sao Felix do Xingu, Fabricio Batista, emphasized that most people do not have titles for their land.
"The first thing we must do is document the people," he told AFP at a parade of cowboys on horseback.
"People who are documented will be careful with their heritage, because when they don't have documents, they sometimes do illegal things."
Batista also owns a ranch and was himself fined for deforestation in 2014. 
He appealed, and the fine was canceled. 
He said Sao Felix needs more federal support to fight fires.
"There isn't a single fire brigade here. When there's a fire, who puts it out? We need infrastructure," he said.
Regino Soares, a 65-year-old farmer and president of the Agricatu small-scale livestock association, lost a fifth of his animals in a fire last year.
He called for controlled burning to be done in a better way.
"You have to light the fire at the right time, make firebreaks" by removing dry vegetation around the pasture, "let neighbors know when something's going to burn," he said.

'Back turned to the Amazon'

This year, the Amazon is experiencing a reprieve, with fires at their lowest level since records began in 1998.
Ane Alencar, scientific director of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, attributes this to a combination of the climate and human factors.
"The drought persists in some areas, but rainfall has been more evenly distributed this year because the Amazon is in a neutral phase, unaffected by either El Nino or La Nina," she said.
"There was also greater oversight by authorities and the effect of trauma on some producers, who were more cautious after what happened in 2024." 
The Ibama president, Agostinho, said the state has intensified surveillance in the Amazon since Lula's return to office, which followed years of a hands-off approach under Bolsonaro.
Despite deploying record numbers of firefighters, vehicles and aircraft, the effort still looks small against the immensity of a territory spanning five million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles).
Finding and punishing the person who lights the match is also an uphill battle for authorities.
"You have to conduct an expert report, find someone responsible and consult satellite images," said Agostinho, adding that Ibama is making progress thanks to artificial intelligence.
Enforcing fines remains a challenge.
Greenpeace showed in 2024 that five years after "Fire Day," the large majority of fines imposed were not paid. 
During Lula's first two terms (2003-2010), monitoring and control policies led to a 70 percent drop in deforestation in the Amazon. 
"The solution always starts with good public policy," journalist and filmmaker Joao Moreira Salles, author of an investigative book on the Amazon, "Arrabalde," told AFP.
But he warns that no public policy will succeed without popular support.
"What matters most is not that the world sees what's being done, but that Brazil and Brazilians see it," he said.
"The problem is that Brazil has its back turned to the Amazon."
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