Year: 2020

An expert in China warns that the new strain of virus originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan could be gaining strength and increasing its ability to transfer from one person to another. The coronavirus that is causing respiratory problems similar to pneumonia has sickened close to 3,000 people worldwide and killed at least 56 in China, prompting governments to come up with measures to protect their citizens. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports. ...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan on Monday to meet with health officials and examine the response to the outbreak of a coronavirus that has killed 80 people.Wuhan is the center of the outbreak and people there and in several other cities face strict restrictions on movement as the government tries to prevent the virus from spreading.Officials took an extra step Sunday to extend the Lunar New Year holiday three extra days to cut down on group gatherings.The latest figures reported by Chinese health officials include more than 2,700 cases of people being sickened by the virus.Cases have also been reported in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.  The World Health Organization says…

Hundreds of employees are openly criticizing Amazon's record on climate change despite what they say is a company policy that puts their jobs at risk for speaking out.On Sunday, more than 300 employees of the online retail giant signed their names and job titles to statements on blog post on Medium. The online protest was organized by a group called Amazon Employees For Climate Justice, an advocacy group founded by Amazon workers that earlier this month said the company had sent letters to its members threatening to fire them if they continued to speak to the press.   "It's our moral responsibility to speak up, and the changes to the communications policy are censoring us from exercising that responsibility," said Sarah Tracy, a software development engineer at Amazon, in a statement. …

Private American citizens living and working in Wuhan are being warned there will not be room for many of them on an evacuation flight being prepared for U.S. consular staff in the epicenter of the Coronavirus epidemic."The Department of State is making arrangements to relocate its personnel stationed at the U.S. Consulate General in Wuhan to the United States," the U.S. Embassy in Beijing wrote on Sunday, adding that the flight will travel directly from Wuhan to San Francisco."This capacity is extremely limited and if there is insufficient ability to transport everyone who expresses interest, priority will be given to individuals at greater risk from coronavirus," a statement said.An American citizen teaching at a university in Wuhan, who asked that her name not be used for fear of Chinese retribution,…

The U.N. refugee agency welcomes a ruling by the U.N. Human Rights Committee this past week that people fleeing climate-related and natural disasters have a valid claim for international protection.The case in question concerns Ioane Teitiota, a man from the Pacific island of Kiribati, whose claim for protection as a climate refugee was denied by New Zealand.  The U.N. Human Rights Committee, which reviewed this case, agrees with that decision on the grounds that he was not at imminent risk.  Nevertheless, the committee says people should not be returned to their place of origin if it is shown that climate change is a threat to their right to life. The U.N. refugee agency hails this a landmark decision.  UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic says the decision has potentially far-reaching implications for…

Algae often gets a bad rap -- for creating dead zones in the ocean and toxic pond scum when the "wrong" algae blooms. But algae has a talent people need: as a crop it can provide carbon-neutral fuels, foods and products, even in salty water, even in the desert. To make algae products a reality, scientists at “NREL,” the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado, are unlocking algae’s secrets. Shelley Schlender in Boulder, Colorado, has more. ...

Spacewalking astronauts plugged a leak in a cosmic ray detector outside the International Space Station on Saturday, bringing it another step closer to new life. It was the fourth spacewalk since November for NASA's Andrew Morgan and Italy's Luca Parmitano to fix the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. They installed new coolant pumps last month to revive the instrument's crippled cooling system and needed to check for any leaks in the plumbing. Parmitano quickly discovered a leak in one of the eight coolant lines — the first one he tested — and tightened the fitting. Our day just got a little more challenging,'' Mission Control observed. The line still leaked after a mandatory one-hour wait, and Parmitano tightened it again. Finally, success — the leak was gone.Let us all take a breath,'' Mission Control urged.…

Southeast Asia's proximity to China and dependence on that nation for a major share of its economy is raising concerns that the coronavirus outbreak  that started there will not only have health impacts but harm the region's economies.The outbreak, which has so far caused 41 deaths in China, and caused the country to quarantine 16 cities, is causing comparisons to the 2003 spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which decreased the value of the global economy by $40 billion.“Now that the Wuhan coronavirus has been found to be able to be transmitted from human to human, the economic consequences could be extremely concerning for the Asia-Pacific region,” Rajiv Biswas, IHS Markit Asia Pacific chief economist, said.“Sectors of the economy that are particularly vulnerable to a SARS-like virus epidemic…

Chinese President Xi Jinping called a politburo meeting Saturday to discuss ways to contain the deadly coronavirus, declaring the country is facing a “grave situation,” state television reported. The meeting took place as the new virus stopped all Lunar New Year celebrations for tens of millions of Chinese.According to the report, Xi told politburo members the coronavirus is “accelerating its spread” and that experts and other resources would be concentrated at specific hospitals to treat severe cases of the illness.This comes as the U.S. government is planning to evacuate American diplomats, their families, and other U.S. citizens from Wuhan on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal is reporting Saturday.The report, which cites a person familiar with the plans, said the U.S. consulate there is contacting the estimated 1,000 Americans it is…

The virus that has caused dozens of deaths and hundreds of illnesses worldwide emerged from a market in Wuhan, China, that sold live food animals, including some animals caught in the wild, according to Chinese authorities.One study suggested FILE - A Chinese man looks over cages of dogs and rabbits at a live-animal market in Guangzhou, Southern China, Jan 6, 2004.Bird flu spread in these markets in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The H5N1 strain of influenza has killed 455 people since 2003.Without proper sanitation and animal handling, health officials said, these markets can be spawning grounds for diseases.Live animal markets are found across the developing world, especially in Asia and Africa.Most animals sold there are healthy. But in the crowded conditions at these markets, one sick animal can…

China is reporting another 15 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the toll from the disease to 41, and an additional 180 people sickened in central Hubei province.The new figures, announced by officials in Hubei province, brought the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus to more than 1,000.The development came as France announced three cases of the virus, marking the first confirmed diagnoses in Europe.French health officials said Friday that two of the cases involved patients who had recently traveled from China, while the third person was a relative of one of the initial patients.Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health, speaks at a news conference, Jan. 24, 2020, in Chicago. A Chicago woman has become the second U.S. patient diagnosed with the dangerous new virus from China.Second US caseAlso Friday, U.S. health…

The World Health Organization says the number of reported cases and deaths from the new coronavirus is probably an underestimation. The latest reports put the number of confirmed cases at 830, including 26 deaths.Most of the infections and all of the deaths have occurred in China. A small number of coronavirus cases have been reported in seven other countries, including the United States. All have been mild, and all of those patients have recovered.World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says it is too early to draw conclusions about the severity of the coronavirus."Because at the beginning of any outbreak, you would focus more on the severe cases and you will have more of those and then maybe we are missing some mild cases because people will just be a little…

More airports are beginning to screen passengers arriving from China amid growing concerns Friday over the outbreak of a new virus there that has already killed more than two dozen people and sickened hundreds.      The energy-rich Gulf Arab nation of Qatar, home to long-haul carrier Qatar Airways, said it had installed thermal scanners at its main hub, Hamad International Airport.      Kuwait announced similar measures late the night before at Kuwait International Airport, joining the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which on Thursday announced screenings for all passengers arriving on direct flights from China, including at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest.      Kuwait's state-run news agency said isolation rooms had also been opened at Kuwait International Airport for passengers suspected to have the virus.…

Afghanistan and Pakistan witnessed a spike in reported polio cases last year, further highlighting what local officials call an imminent threat to the border region ...

China is swiftly building a 1,000-bed hospital dedicated to patients infected with a new virus that has killed 26 people, sickened hundreds and prompted unprecedented lockdowns of cities during the country's most important holiday. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, transportation was shut down Friday in at least 10 cities with a total of about 33 million people. The cities are Wuhan, where the illness has been concentrated, and nine of its neighbors in central China's Hubei province. "To address the insufficiency of existing medical resources," Wuhan authorities said in a Friday notice, the city is constructing a hospital modeled after the Xiaotangshan SARS hospital in Beijing. The facility will be a prefabricated structure on a 25,000- square-meter (270,000-square-foot) lot, slated for completion Feb. 3. The SARS hospital…

The Chinese National Health Commission said Friday that there are 830 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus countrywide, while at least 25 people have died.The Chinese government isolated more cities Friday, an unprecedented move to contain the coronavirus, which has spread to several other countries.In China, at least 10 cities, and at least 33 million people, have been put on lockdown — Wuhan, Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, Qianjiang, Zhijiang; Jingmen, Xiantao, Xiaogan and Huangshi — all in central China’s Hubei province, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, when millions of Chinese traditionally travel.Shanghai Disney Resort announced on its website that it is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, a major tourist attraction during Lunar New Year, “in response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to…

The Chinese government isolated more cities Friday, an unprecedented move to contain the coronavirus, which has spread to several other countries.At least eight cities, and a total of at least 25 million people, have been put on lockdown — Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang, Chibi, Qianjiang, Zhijiang, Jingmen and Xiantao — all in central China’s Hubei province, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, when millions of Chinese traditionally travel.On Thursday authorities first banned planes and trains from leaving the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated. Toll roads were closed, and ferry, subway and bus services were suspended.A passenger wearing a protective facemask to help stop the spread of a deadly SARS-like virus that originated in the central city of Wuhan waits at Beijing railway station…

The keepers of the Doomsday Clock on Thursday moved the symbolic countdown to global disaster to the closest point to midnight in its 73-year history, citing "existential danger" from nuclear war and climate change.The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which was founded after the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II and focuses on the greatest threats to human survival, said it moved the clock from two minutes to midnight to 100 seconds to midnight — a 20-second advance.The decision was made by the group's science and security board, in consultations with its board of sponsors, which includes 13 Nobel laureates.In a statement accompanying the clock's advance, the organization said the nuclear and climate dangers "are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare that undercuts society's ability…

Most U.S. adults report worrying about at least two financial issues, such as being able to afford medical bills, retirement or a child's college education, new research finds.Individuals with two or more financial worries were far more likely to suffer from serious psychological distress than those who reported fewer money concerns, Dr. Judith Weissman, a mental health researcher at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City, and her colleagues found.Financial distress had a relatively greater effect on mental health in women and Latinos, while less-educated whites reported the most psychological distress.The findings show that "people are feeling very disturbed about financial matters," Weissman told Reuters Health in a phone interview. "These financial matters are a proxy for our life stability."Death rates among middle-aged white men and women…

The World Health Organization said Thursday the deadly virus that prompted the Chinese government to lock down nearly 20 million people in three cities has not developed into a worldwide health emergency."This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said after a two-day emergency meeting in Geneva.The U.N. health agency's decision came after it received details from independent experts who spent two days assessing information about the spread of the new coronavirus.WHO considers an international emergency an "extraordinary event" that puts other countries at risk and one that requires a coordinated global response.The Chinese government isolated three cities Thursday, an unprecedented move to contain the virus, which has spread to several other countries.Authorities first banned planes and…

Chinese authorities Thursday moved to lock down three cities with a combined population of more than 18 million in an unprecedented effort to contain the deadly new virus that has sickened hundreds of people and spread to other parts of the world during the busy Lunar New Year travel period. The open-ended lockdowns are unmatched in size, embracing more people than New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago put together. The train station and airport in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, were shut down, and ferry, subway and bus service was halted. Normally bustling streets, shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces in the city of 11 million were eerily quiet. Police checked all incoming vehicles but did not close off the roads. Authorities announced similar measures would take…

China's efforts to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus with a transportation lockdown are sparking confusion among residents who are unsure of what steps to take.Some 20 million people living in four cities are impacted by the lockdown, with authorities in Hubei province's Wuhan, canceling flights and trains, and closing roads to prevent people from entering or leaving the metropolitan area, where hundreds have been infected with the pneumonia-like virus.   Paramilitary police stand guard at an entrance to the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 23, 2020.But with few independent journalists operating in Wuhan, and Beijing maintaining a tight control over information, many Chinese are relying on anecdotal reports from inside the quarantined city for information about how severe the situation has become.A resident,…

A new coronavirus virus - from the family as the deadly SARS disease - has spread beyond China's borders, with cases emerging in the U.S., Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.  What are coronaviruses, how are they spread and where do they come from?  ...

The World Health Organization is welcoming China’s decision to temporarily suspend all transportation in and out of the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday placing the Chinese city of 11 million under virtual quarantine was a strong measure but appropriate measure based on the threats posed by the new coronavirus."We stressed to them (China) that by having a strong action, not only they will control the outbreak in their country, but they will also minimize the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally,” he said.More than 500 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, with at least 17 deaths.  Most of the cases and deaths have occurred within China, but the disease has spread internationally to other countries; namely Thailand, Japan, South Korea,…

The Trump administration was expected to announce completion as soon as Thursday of one of its most momentous environmental rollbacks, removing federal protections for millions of miles of the country's streams, arroyos and wetlands. The changes, launched by President Donald Trump when he took office, sharply scale back the government's interpretation of which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. A draft version of the rule released earlier would end federal oversight for up to half of the nation's wetlands and one-fifth of the country's streams, environmental groups warned. That includes some waterways that have been federally protected for decades under the Clean Water Act. Trump has portrayed farmers — a highly valued constituency of the Republican Party and one popular with the public —…

China decided Thursday to lock down three cities that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain a deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds and spread to other cities and countries in the Lunar New Year travel rush. Police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops guarded Wuhan's train station, where metal barriers blocked the entrances at 10 a.m. sharp. Only travelers holding tickets for the last trains were allowed to enter, with those booked for later trains being turned away. Normally bustling streets, shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces in the city of 11 million people were eerily quiet. In addition to the train station, airport, ferry, subway and bus services were also halted. Similar measures will take effect from…

Pakistan announced Thursday airport authorities have begun screening travelers from neighboring China for signs of the coronavirus.China’s recent billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure development projects in Pakistan has led to a spike in the number of people traveling between the two countries, including thousands of Chinese workers.Pakistani officials said more than 40 direct or indirect flights from China land every week at three main airports, including Karachi, the country’s largest city, Lahore and the national capital of Islamabad.“These points of entry are being closely monitored in line with international health regulations,” Pakistani State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza said in a statement.No cases reported yetHowever, he noted, Pakistan has so far not reported any case of the coronavirus, which seems to have originated in the Chinese city of…

North Korea has temporarily banned foreign tourists in response to the outbreak of a dangerous new virus in neighboring China. Depending on how long the ban lasts, it could hurt North Korea’s economy, which though heavily sanctioned, has received a boost by a recent influx of Chinese tourists.Starting Wednesday, North Korea closed its borders to foreign tourists, according to Young Pioneer Tours, a China-based company that leads trips to North Korea. On its website, the company says it is not clear how long the suspension will last, but that authorities say they intend to reopen the border as soon as they institute precautionary measures.The pneumonialike respiratory illness, which can be transmitted among humans, originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. It has infected more than 500 people, 17 of…