Sell expensive insurance, then drop those who fall ill. What a business.“Shortly after his diagnosis, however, his insurance company, Fortis, revoked his policy.”“Fortis had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder…
Melting sea ice may sound like a regional or local problem, but NOAA’s new Arctic Future Web site shows that changes in the Arctic can also influence weather in the mid-latitudes, where a large part of the global human population lives. These research efforts are part of the climate services that…
AUSTIN, TX – Climate change threatens to further imperil hundreds of species of migratory birds, already under stress from habitat loss, invasive species and other environmental threats, a new report released today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar concludes.The State of the Birds: 2010…
DOHA, Qatar – Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland today said the United States will support trade restrictions on bluefin tuna, polar bears, and imperiled corals and sharks among other proposals at the meeting of the Convention on International Trade…
The photovoltaic (PV) market now has an eye-popping, interactive bevy of maps and charts that can let anyone know where PV panels are being installed, how big they are, how much they cost and how fast the industry is booming.Interested in where PV is installed in the U.S. and how it has grown over…
The Ministry of Health has reported a new confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. This case was confirmed at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE).
Transport experts and municipal authorities from major cities across Asia have gathered today at a United Nations meeting in Seoul to examine how a well integrated system of buses, subways and trains can contribute to sustainable development.
Russian authorities need to better assess the impact of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and tourism projects on the local ecosystem and put in place appropriate mitigation measures, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced in a report released today.
Climate change, food insecurity, decreasing water availability and unemployment are among the multiple challenges facing the Arab region, according to a new assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which calls for rational and sustainable use of resources and inclusion of the…
Countries responsible for more than four fifths of global emissions of greenhouse gases have now backed the accord that emerged from last year's climate change summit in Copenhagen, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling this a critical step forward towards the next major gathering on…
The Paralympic Games currently under way in Vancouver, Canada, highlight the contribution sport can make in promoting the inclusion and well-being of people with disabilities, a senior United Nations official said today.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide is travelling to West Africa to identify how national and sub-regional bodies can help prevent the scourge.
An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation.Researchers at DOE’s’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed, fabricated and demonstrated a PHEV traction drive power electronics system that provides significant mobile power…
by Nicole Stricker, DOEBiorefineries may soon rely on a process akin to roasting coffee beans to get more energy-dense biomass. The process is called “torrefaction” — heating biomass above 250 degrees C in an oxygen-free environment. A new collaborative study between DOE’s Idaho National…
With five years to go before the deadline for halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) warn in a report released today that without stepped-up efforts, nearly one…
United Nations agencies and the Afghan health ministry are conducting a three-day campaign aimed at vaccinating an estimated 7.7 million children under the age of five against polio.
The head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has helped kick off Haiti's spring planting season, distributing seeds, fertilizer and tools to farmers in a village near the epicentre of January's devastating earthquake.
An independent United Nations human rights expert who recently visited Myanmar said today that there is no indication that the Government is willing to release political prisoners ahead of national elections scheduled for later this year.
A United Nations human rights group today will begin reviewing more than 200 cases of disappearances around the world, as the body commemorates its 30th anniversary.
The many instances of harrowing and horrific human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will continue unless certain measures at the national and international levels are taken, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the country said today.