Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon hit a new high in the first four months of the year, according to data released on Friday, a worrying trend after the devastation caused by record fires last year.

The UK’s new Consumer Rights Act ( the “CRA” ) becomes effective on the 1st October 2015. As we have previously mentioned whilst this consolidates existing UK consumer law it also brings in some significant changes to the laws appl...

The U.S. president became his own worst enemy over the course of 30 days.

Efforts to fast-track the opening of pubs next month have been delivered a body blow by Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan.

This has not been a good year for Iran in Syria.

PESHAWAR: On the directives of Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have intensified actions against drug peddlers and arrested 10,741 in the last four months.Besides, the force has eradicated poppy crop on 104 acres, says a press release. During the special...

Charles Li, one of the longest-serving chief executives of a global financial marketplace, has thrown in the towel after more than a decade as head of the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX), in a surprise announcement to let his contract lapse in October 2021.The former oilfield worker, journalist and banker, also known as Li Xiaojia, will not seek reappointment when his current term expires at the end of October next year, according to a statement. He will continue to lead Asia’s third-largest…

A Hong Kong decorator who suffered a loss of income during anti-government protests was sentenced to four months’ jail for attacking a man following a row over posting messages on a so-called Lennon Wall last year.Kwun Tong Court heard that around 10pm on August 26, Hui Ching-ngai engaged in a heated argument with Ho Chin-leng, who saw Hui tearing down posters from a Lennon Wall inside a pedestrian tunnel in Tseung Kwan O.Hui, 39, who was drunk, picked up a broom and an umbrella from the ground…

Two Hong Kong men found carrying weapons at an unauthorised protest last year were jailed for eight months on Friday.Fanling Court sentenced sales consultant Yung Wai-shing, 26, and clerk Chu Tsz-wan, 24, to jail for possessing an extendable baton, a laser pointer, a catapult and a packet of metal pellets at a march in Yuen Long on the night of July 27.The court sentenced co-defendant Vincent Chu Chun-hoi, a 19-year-old cook, to correctional training for carrying an air pistol at the same event…

It is about 7pm when Muslim community leader Raheel Ahmed, 57, gathers with his wife, two sons and daughter for a home-made meal of dates, rice and spicy curried chicken, salad, fresh fruit and juice.For this Hong Kong family of Pakistani origin, it is their first meal after fasting for more than 12 hours, as this is the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.The world’s 1.8 billion Muslims mark the month by abstaining from food or drink from sunrise to sunset, and gathering as a community in mosques to…

China Evergrande’s weekend sale of its Emerald Bay flats in Tuen Mun has flopped for the third time in as many months, as Hong Kong’s homebuyers shunned its meagre discounts in anticipation of further price declines.The developer managed to find buyers for 41 flats, or 12 per cent of the 335 units on offer at 8:30pm, according to sales agents.In March, the developer sold 49 of 141 flats when it launched the project in the midst of the city’s coronavirus outbreak, at a time when social…

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms, and Special Initiatives Asad Umer Friday said Pakistan would be manufacturing its own ventilators in next two months.Talking in a...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

NEW DELHI: Pakistan is projected to record five million births in the nine months since the COVID-19 was declared pandemic in March and these births expected to take place between March and December,...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Netflix says the first two seasons of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' are arriving next month

TEHRAN: Virus-hit Iran allowed worshippers to attend Friday prayers for the first time in more than two months, but the capital remains under restrictions amid the Middle East’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak. Since reporting its first cases in mid-February, the Islamic republic has...

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms, and Special Initiatives Asad Umer Friday said Pakistan would be manufacturing its own ventilators in next two months. Talking in a private news channel programme, he said Pakistan had taken all possible measures to fight against the...

An estimated 29 million babies will be born in South Asia in the nine months after the Covid-19 outbreak was classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), while five million births will be reported in Pakistan, according to a report released by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).

The report — released on May 6 — has predicted that an estimated 116 million babies will be born across the world in the 40-week period between March 11 and December 16, with almost a quarter of them in South Asia.

India is expected to report 20 million births, the highest in the region, during this period, the report said, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh (2.4 million) and Afghanistan (one million).

The report also warned that lockdown measures imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus may cause disruptions in life-saving health services "putting millions of pregnant mothers and their babies at great risk".

"The continuing rapid spread of Covid-19 across South Asia means new mothers and newborns will be greeted by harsh realities, including global containment measures such as lockdowns and curfews, health centres overwhelmed with response efforts, supply and equipment shortages, and a lack of sufficient skilled birth attendants as health workers [...] are redeployed to treat Covid-19 patients.

"Unicef cautions that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not more affected by Covid-19 than others, countries need to ensure they still have access to antenatal, delivery and post-natal services.

"Likewise, sick newborns need emergency services as they are at high risk of death. New families require care to ensure the health and well-being of mothers, support to start breastfeeding, and to get medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy," the report said.

The UN body urged governments and healthcare providers to take a few steps to save lives in the coming months by:

• Helping women receive regular checkups during their pregnancy, skilled delivery care and post-delivery care
• Ensuring health workers are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment and priority testing and vaccination for Covid-19 when it becomes available
• Ensuring that all infection prevention and control measures are being followed at health facilities
• Allowing healthcare workers to reach pregnant women through home visits, encouraging women living in rural areas to visit maternal waiting homes, and using mobile health strategies for tele-consultations
• Training, protecting and equipping health workers with kits to attend to home births
• Allocating resources to lifesaving services and supplies for maternal and child health

The report also urged pregnant women to take precautionary measures by practicing social distancing, avoiding physical gatherings and using online health services.

Read: Mothers may pass coronavirus to unborn children, say Chinese doctors

It also advised them to continue breastfeeding their children even if they are infected as "the virus has not been found in samples of breast milk".

"Mothers with Covid-19 should wear a mask when feeding their baby, wash hands before and after touching the baby, and routinely clean and disinfect surfaces," it cautioned.

With the 2019 National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) upon us, we decided to get the latest download on the state of cybersecurity in the automotive industry from HARMAN’s Vice President & General Manager of Automotive Cybersecurity, Asaf Atzmon....

Special-Edition JBL Flip 5 Eco is made from 90% Recycled Plastic and Features an Eco-Friendly Case By Andy Tsui    April 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, so environmental stewardship is top of mind for consumers, companies and...

The US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani has raised fears of nuclear conflict, but Iran has been on the road to building nuclear weapons for some time

After standing empty for two months, Greece's ancient sites, including the Acropolis hill towering over Athens, will reopen to visitors on May 18, authorities said on Thursday.

An analysis of a classic Monty Python sketch suggests the Minister of Silly Walks has a walking style 6.7 times more variable, or silly, than normal walking

Our top photos from the past month.

Title: By 9 Months, Baby's Visual Learning Kicks In: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2014 12:00:00 AM

Title: Autism Diagnoses Reliable at 14 Months, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Multimonth dispensing (MMD) of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a differentiated model of care that can help overcome health system challenges and reduce the burden of HIV care on clients. Although 3-month dispensing has been the standard of care, interest has increased in extending refill intervals to 6 months. We explored client and provider experiences with MMD in Malawi as part of a cluster randomized trial evaluating 3- versus 6-month ART dispensing.Methods:Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 ART providers and 62 stable, adult clients with HIV on ART. Clients and providers were evenly divided by arm and were eligible for an interview if they had been participating in the study for 1 year (clients) or 6 months (providers). Questions focused on perceived challenges and benefits of the 3- or 6-month amount of ART dispensing. Interviews were transcribed, and data were coded and analyzed using constant comparison.Results:Both clients and providers reported that the larger medication supply had benefits. Clients reported decreased costs due to less frequent travel to the clinic and increased time for income-generating activities. Clients in the 6-month dispensing arm reported a greater sense of personal freedom and normalcy. Providers felt that the 6-month dispensing interval reduced their workload. They also expressed concerned about clients' challenges with ART storage at home, but clients reported no storage problems. Although providers mentioned the potential risk of clients sharing the larger medication supply with family or friends, clients emphasized the value of ART and reported only rare, short-term sharing, mostly with their spouses. Providers mentioned clients' lack of motivation to seek care for illnesses that might occur between refill appointments.Conclusions:The 6-month ART dispensing arm was particularly beneficial to clients for decreased costs, increased time for income generation, and a greater sense of normalcy. Providers' concerns about storage, sharing, and return visits to the facility did not emerge in client interviews. Further data are needed on the feasibility of implementing a large-scale program with 6-month dispensing.

Background:

Care services have not been sufficiently adapted to meet the comprehensive care needs of women living with HIV. Our study objective was to engage patients and providers in codesigning care recommendations to improve care for this population in the province of Quebec.