10 h. ago Gaza war leads to 41% fall in births prompting allegations of reproductive violence

Israel’s war in Gaza has caused high numbers of maternal and neonatal deaths, say two reportsIsrael’s war in Gaza has led to a 41% fall in births in the territory, and high numbers of maternal deaths, miscarriages, newborn mortality and premature births, two reports into the impact of the conflict on pregnant women, babies and maternity care reveal.Two reports by Physicians for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel document how the war has led to high figures for maternal and neonatal mortality and forced births in dangerous conditions and systematically dismantled health services – consequences of “a deliberate intention of preventing births among Palestinians, meeting the legal criteria of the Genocide Convention,” researchers said. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago How Venezuela’s military is DWARFED by US firepower with just 200 warplanes vs Trump’s 13,000 after Maduro captured

DONALD Trump’s administration insists the US is not at war with Venezuela, even as America’s overwhelming military strength exposes just how outmatched Nicolás Maduro’s forces really are. US officials say the operation that led to Maduro’s capture was a targeted strike against narcotrafficking and criminal networks, not a conflict with the Venezuelan people. But the...

Events

3 w. ago Pregnant women warned of 'very serious infection' as health leaders issue vaccine alert

Having the jab during pregnancy is the 'most effective way' to protect women and their babies serious illness

Events

3 w. ago Pregnant women urged to get flu vaccine ‘as soon as possible’

‘Having the flu vaccine during pregnancy is the most effective way to protect women and their babies from getting seriously unwell with flu’

Politics

3 w. ago Amid rising hospitalisations – pregnant women urged to get flu vaccine ASAP

‘Having the flu vaccine during pregnancy is the most effective way to protect women and their babies from getting seriously unwell with flu’

Science

3 w. ago ‘I can’t forget the horror’: a young mother on giving birth twice during the Gaza war

Hadeel Al Gherbawi survived her two pregnancies despite extreme hunger and painChildbirth under attack: how women and babies became targets in conflicts around the worldHadeel Al Gherbawi was seven months pregnant when the war started in October 2023. Up until that point the 26-year-old had meticulously prepared for her son’s arrival. She visited her doctor twice a month because the pregnancy was high risk, had regular ultrasounds and took vitamins. “I love the details,” she says.Living on the east side of Gaza City, close to the border with Israel, and knowing that being pregnant would make moving fast difficult, she decided to go to her parents in the west of Gaza City that first day. “I thought it was just going to be a few days and I would go back.” Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Childbirth under attack: how women and babies became targets in conflicts around the world

Guardian investigation reveals at least 119 direct attacks on hospitals and delivery wards since start of wars in Ukraine, Gaza and SudanThirty women were sheltering in the Saudi maternity hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, on 28 October when the massacre began. Some had just given birth and others were still in labour.Working at the hospital that night, lab technician Abdo-Rabo Ahmed, 28, was one of the few known survivors. “I heard the voices of women and children screaming,” he says. “They were killing everybody inside the hospital. Those of us who were able to run, did.” Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Sheinbaum urges UN to ‘prevent bloodshed’ after Trump orders Venezuela blockade

Mexican leader warns of conflict as US president targets sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving VenezuelaWhat action is Trump taking against Venezuela’s oil industry?Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has urged the United Nations to “prevent any bloodshed” in Venezuela, as Donald Trump piled more pressure on the South American country.“The United Nations has been conspicuously absent. It must assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and to always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” the leftwing president told reporters the morning after Washington announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” entering or leaving Venezuela. Continue reading...

Politics