KATHMANDU, Feb 04 (IPS) – As the omicron wave of Covid-19 rose ominously in Nepal recently, to entice more people to get tested the government reduced the cost of PCR tests from 1,000 rupees ($8.37) to 800 rupees ($6.70) in government facilities and about double that in private ones.
World Lost More Than 7 Million Hectares of Forest in 2025 
When Medicine Becomes a Tool for Torture: The Hidden Role of Medical Personnel in Russian Captivity 
Disasters cost $228 billion in housing losses every year 
‘Need for UN has never been greater,’ UN chief says, proposing slimmer $3.3 billion budget for 2027 
Ukraine: Residents killed and dozens injured in attacks on Kharkiv and Kyiv 
World News in Brief: West African migrant crossings, Argentina takes UK to maritime tribunal, farming in Gaza, mental health update 
Can math stay human in the age of AI? 
Tiny implants can use the body itself to talk to each other 
Voyager 1 is nearly one light-day from Earth. What’s out there?