Author: Gulf News Week

Last year, President Donald Trump told pregnant women not to take Tylenol as he promoted unproven ties between the fever reducer and autism and touted an old generic drug as a treatment for the developmental condition.For nearly three months after that, new research found, Tylenol orders for pregnant women showing up in emergency rooms dropped and prescriptions of the generic drug for children rose. This happened despite sharp criticism of the president’s message from doctor groups saying that the drug, leucovorin, shouldn’t be broadly used for autism and Tylenol is safe during pregnancy.“It just shows that in our country right…

Cnews agenciesE CANAVERAL, Fla. (news agencies) — NASA issued a welcomed all-clear Thursday, saying there’s now zero chance that asteroid 2024 YR will crash into the moon in 2032.The space agency had been predicting a 4.3% chance of a direct hit. But observations by the Webb Space Telescope in February helped scientists refine the asteroid’s orbit. This new information indicates that the asteroid will miss the moon by 13,200 miles (21,200 kilometers) on Dec. 22, 2032. Discovered at the end of 2024, the asteroid at first looked like it might threaten Earth. Scientists last year ruled out a collision with…

The blockbuster GLP-1 drugs that have reshaped the treatment of diabetes and obesity may help prevent multiple substance use disorders — and reduce the tragic outcomes they cause, a large new study finds. An analysis published Wednesday in a medical journal looked at electronic health records from more than 600,000 U.S. Veterans Affairs patients with diabetes. It found that those treated with medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro were less likely to develop addictions to alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, opioids and other substances than those treated with a different class of drugs.In those already addicted, the GLP-1 drugs were linked to…

Tehran insists it respects Turkish sovereignty following conflicting reports over ballistic missile tracked over eastern Mediterranean DUBAI – A fresh diplomatic rift emerged between Tehran and Ankara on Thursday after Iran’s Armed Forces formally denied launching a missile toward Turkish territory, directly contradicting claims made by Turkey’s defense ministry a day earlier. In a statement carried by state media, Iran’s military said it “respects the sovereignty of Turkiye and denies firing any missile toward its territory.” The denial comes just 24 hours after Turkish defense officials announced that a ballistic missile fired from Iran—having passed through Syrian and Iraqi airspace—was…

The Proteas embrace favourites tag but face familiar knockout fears against a Black Caps side eyeing another upset LAHORE – Form guides and tournament statistics often go out the window when the knockout lights flicker on. South Africa, the only unbeaten side in the T20 World Cup, will put their flawless record on the line Wednesday when they face a battle-hardened New Zealand in the first semi-final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. While India and England prepare for their marquee clash on Thursday, the Proteas find themselves in a familiar yet uncomfortable position: overwhelming favourites with everything to prove. Embracing the…

Everything you need to know about airport status, airline policies, refunds, and rebooking as 20,000+ passengers receive support SHARJAH – The UAE’s aviation sector is operating in a limited capacity as regional carriers focus on repatriating stranded passengers following the outbreak of military conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran. With thousands of residents and visitors awaiting clarity on their travel plans, authorities have released detailed guidelines on flight status, refunds, and rebooking. Here is the complete guide to navigating flight disruptions in the UAE. Airport Status: What’s Open? All major UAE airports have resumed limited operations, primarily facilitating repatriation…

Thousands of students remain stranded as authorities set up 24/7 aid camps at Taftan border following Israeli, US strikes SHARJAH – Pakistan has accelerated the repatriation of its citizens from Iran amid escalating regional tensions, with over 650 nationals evacuated in the last two days following sustained Israeli and US military strikes on Iranian cities. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established round-the-clock immigration counters at the Taftan border crossing to process the influx of returnees, who face a grueling three-to-four-day journey covering nearly 1,800 km from the Iranian capital to the Pakistan border. Emergency Response at the Border Following…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — The Food and Drug Administration’s top drug regulator, Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, is working to hire a researcher and friend who wants the agency to add new warnings to antidepressants about unproven pregnancy risks, media has learned.Dr. Adam Urato, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and critic of antidepressant safety, is pressing the FDA to add a boxed warning to SSRIs, the drugs most commonly prescribed for depression. Urato’s petition says the medications can cause pregnancy complications, including miscarriages and fetal brain abnormalities that may lead to autism and other disorders in children.That proposed labeling change has become…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Fewer U.S. women died around the time of childbirth in 2024, a government analysis shows, and provisional data suggests the trend may have continued last year.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported that 649 mothers died in 2024 during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. That is down from 669 deaths in 2023, and a continued drop from 2022 and 2021 — when it was the highest level in more than 50 years.Available preliminary data suggests the trend continued in 2025, said Eugene Declercq, a Boston University researcher who studies federal…

Technological frontiers are now more consequential than the geographic leverage. The real question is not whether artificial intelligence will redefine power, but who will shape its trajectory — and under what principles. By Ahmed Fawad Farooq In the first week of February this year, the skyline of Lahore was seen dotted with a plethora of colourfull kites, after a hiatus of almost two decades. The much-awaited official Basant festivity returned to the mega cultural metropolis as an officially-sanctioned three-day event, which had been suspended in 2007, largely due to safety hazards. Though the government remained upbeat from the announcement to the…