China to ban all variants of deadly drug
China announced it will ban all variants of a powerful opioid responsible for many of the deaths in America’s opioid crisis.
Nations
HPV vaccine linked to ‘dramatic’ drop in cervical disease in Scotland
Researchers said the vaccine has nearly wiped out cases of cervical pre-cancer in young women since an immunization programme was introduced 10 years ago.
Sanitation coverage in India hits 99%, up 60% in 5 years
Three infants die every two minutes in India due to lack of access to adequate water and sanitation services. The Swachh Bharat Mission aims to achieve 100% sanitation by October 2019.
Germany awards 505 MW in first ever large-scale solar PV tender
Germany’s Federal Network Agency has announced the winners of its first special tender for large-scale solar PV, in which 121 contracts were awarded totaling 505 megawatts (MW) of capacity at an average price of €0.065 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
U.K. greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3% in 2018
Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 3 per cent in the UK, finds provisional statistics released by the Government.
Saudi Arabia planning 2.6 gigawatt solar project near Mecca
Middle Eastern oil giant Saudi Arabia is set to develop a mammoth 2.6 gigawatt (GW) solar park in the Makkah Region, providing enough energy for nearly 2 million homes.
74% of U.S. coal production is now more expensive than renewables
211 gigawatts of current US coal capacity, 74% of the coal fleet, is providing electricity that’s more expensive than wind or solar. By 2025, nearly the entire US coal system will be out-competed on cost by renewables.
Finnish innovation boosts EV battery recycling rate to over 80%
Present recycling solutions for EV batteries are not able to recover these scarce metals. To combat this, Fortum has a unique recovery process, involving chemical precipitation methodology that allows these minerals to be recovered and delivered to battery manufacturers to be reused in producing new batteries.
U.S. FDA approves first ever treatment for postpartum depression
The newly-approved drug, sold under the brand name Zulresso, was shown to relieve depressive symptoms within hours of being administered in three different clinical trials — and it continued to show success throughout their 30-day followups.
UV-LED water purification partnership to save 6 billion water bottles from landfills in the Philippines
Acuva Technologies, based out of British Columbia, Canada, has announced its partnership with Quezon City-based Kooler Industries, in an effort to make a significant difference in the war against plastic waste in the Philippines.