Health

Youth-led demonstrators in Morocco took to the streets on Thursday for a sixth straight night despite fears of more violence after police killed three people the night before. Story by Eliza Herbert. ]

Argentina's struggling President Javier Milei suffered a new setback Thursday as Congress overturned his vetoes of laws increasing funding for public universities and pediatric care. Story by Daniel Quinlan. ]

It’s a promising medical discovery that could help researchers fight cancer. New research published in the journal Nature has found that patients with some forms of advanced cancer who received a COVID mRNA vaccine lived significantly longer than those who didn't. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Christiano Marconi, cancer researcher at the University of Florida. ]

Mount Athos, in northern Greece, is the beating heart of the Orthodox Christian faith and home to 2,000 monks. But for the past year, it has also become a place of refuge and pilgrimage for Ukrainian soldiers. For these men, wounded at war and suffering from deep trauma, Mount Athos's retreats offer them a respite from the front lines. The goal is to heal their trauma through faith and soothe their invisible wounds before returning to battle. Eric de Lavarène and Alexandros Kottis report. ]

Preliminary research published in Nature suggests that COVID-19 vaccines, particularly Pfizer and Moderna, may offer unexpected benefits for cancer patients. People with advanced lung or skin cancer who received the vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived significantly longer. Researchers found that the mRNA in the vaccines might enhance the immune system’s response to cancer treatments, independent of any virus-related effects. ]

Israel's military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory that killed 104 people, including 46 children, according to local health officials.  The strikes — the deadliest since the ceasefire was enacted on Oct. 10 — marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date.  ]

Celebrated Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai has just been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature which casts a spotlight on the power of books, even as surveys show that fewer people are reading. Yet neuroscience is clear: reading is a mental workout that strengthens the brain. “It forges new neural pathways, generates new brain cells, and builds cognitive reserve,” says Grégoire Borst, Full Professor of Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Education at Université Paris Descartes. Fiction hones empathy and theory of mind, while nonfiction builds critical thinking and analytical depth. Reading activates working memory, sustained attention, and perspective-taking, skills vital for a flourishing democracy and social cohesion. Studies even link regular reading to reduce...

Better public healthcare is a key demand for GenZ 212, the protest movement that has been out in force in Morocco since mid-September. The state of Morocco’s public hospitals – which are rife with shortages of medical supplies, corruption and absenteeism – has become a symbol for Moroccans frustrated with a decline in state services. Our team spoke to two doctors and a patient. ]

It’s a promising medical discovery that could help researchers fight cancer. New research published in the journal “Nature” found that patients with some forms of advanced cancer who received a COVID mRNA vaccine lived significantly longer than those who didn’t. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Christiano Marconi, cancer researcher at the University of Florida. ]

Uruguay’s senate passed a law decriminalising euthanasia on Wednesday, putting the Latin American nation among a handful of other countries where seriously ill patients can legally obtain help to end their lives. It makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to allow euthanasia via legislation. Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalised the practice through Supreme Court decisions. ]