Floods in China
Chinese rescuers evacuated residents Thursday in low-lying areas of southwest China’s Chongqing, a major municipality on the banks of the Yangtze. At least 10 people have been killed this week and one remains missing in rain-induced floods.
Lower HIV drug costs
Agreements between former President Bill Clinton’s foundation and two drug companies will lower prices on medications for patients with drug-resistant HIV in the developing world. The agreements would help drugs “reach hundreds of thousands more people and save hundreds of thousands of more lives,” Clinton said Thursday.
Layoffs could slow
In a positive sign for the economy, companies are laying off fewer workers as they prepare to ramp up production to replenish their depleted stockpiles of goods. Many analysts pointed to Thursday’s drop in jobless claims as evidence of a trend signaling fewer job losses in coming months.
Glacier melt accelerating
Global warming has melted glaciers in the U.S. at a rapid and accelerating rate over the past half-century, increasing drought risks and contributing to rising sea levels, the federal government reported Thursday based on data from a 50-year study of glaciers in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
Afghanistan deaths
Four U.S. Marines were killed Thursday when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in western Afghanistan, driving up Western military deaths at a pace that would make August one of the deadliest months of the war. Civilian casualties also have been sharply rising.
No smoking in Iraq?
The Iraqi Cabinet has approved a draft bill to stamp out smoking in public places, the first such bill in a country where lighting up is virtually a rite of passage for most young men, a government spokesman said Thursday. The bill still needs to be approved by parliament, which is in recess until September.
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FROM NEWS SERVICES
