Health & Fitness

Some of Japan’s famed cherry blossoms, also known as sakura, have bloomed unexpectedly this autumn. The famous pink and white flowers are typically visible for about two weeks in the spring – a phenomenon tourists from around the world come to witness. But more than 300 people have reported cherry …

The World Health Organization says it is convening a meeting on Wednesday to determine whether Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. Aid organizations have expressed alarm as the rate of new cases has more than doubled this month and community resistance to Ebola containment …

Recycling is nearly a national pastime in Germany. There’s a blue bin for paper, a brown or green bin for biodegradables, a yellow one for plastic and a black one for the rest. Additionally, Germans return their deposit bottles to the supermarket, and drop glass bottles at public collecting points. …

A U.N. employee in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the first such incident during the current outbreak, according to the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission. “I am writing today to inform you that my leadership team and I have regretfully just received news …

Artists are putting the finishing touches on an 82-foot-long (24-meter-long) blue whale made from discarded plastic that will be on display near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge to raise awareness about ocean pollution. The Monterey Bay Aquarium said Friday a blue whale can weigh 300,000 pounds (136,000 kilograms) — about …

Rates of caesarean section births almost doubled between 2000 and 2015 – from 12 to 21 per cent worldwide – new research has found, with the life-saving surgery unavailable to many women in poor countries while often over-used in richer ones. The research, published in The Lancet medical journal on …

Although nail polish manufacturers have begun removing some toxic ingredients, their labels are not always accurate and the reformulated products aren’t necessarily safer, suggests a new study. “We were trying to learn more about what ingredients were in nail polish, and the more we dug deep into the labels, the …

A final tuna auction has been held at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, before it moves to a new site. The 83-year-old market – the world’s largest – has long been a drawcard for locals and tourists. The Tsukiji fish market, one of the most popular tourist attractions in …

A new method of analyzing images from CT scans can predict which patients are at risk of a heart attack years before it occurs, researchers say. The technology, developed by teams at Oxford University and institutions in Germany and the United States, uses algorithms to examine the fat surrounding coronary …

People who regularly engage in light to moderate physical activity — like walking four hours a week or swimming two hours weekly — might have less severe strokes than individuals who aren’t as active, a Swedish study suggests. Researchers examined data on 925 patients who were treated for strokes at …