January 2021

Jan312021 by DmediaNo Comments

UK Set to Formally Apply for Trans-Pacific Trade Bloc Membership

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Britain will next week formally apply to join a trans-Pacific trading bloc of 11 countries, with negotiations set to start later this year, the government has said.Since leaving the European Union, Britain has made clear its desire to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for…

Jan312021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Lawmakers Push Mental Health Days for Kids Amid Pandemic

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When she was growing up, Sophie Corroon struggled to get through a ballet class or soccer tryout without having an anxiety attack.The idea of going to sleepovers or being home alone left her feeling panicked. Corroon’s anxiety grew even more during high school in Salt…

Jan312021 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO Team Visits Wet Market Linked to First Coronavirus Cases

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A team of World Health Organization scientists investigating the source of the coronavirus visited a wet market Sunday in Wuhan, China.A cluster of cases was linked to the Huanan Seafood Market when the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019. Since then, the coronavirus…

Jan312021 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO Team Visits Wuhan Hospital That Treated Early Cases

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Scientists with the World Health Organization’s team investigating the source of the coronavirus that has infected more than 102 million people worldwide and killed more than 2.2 million have visited one of the hospitals in Wuhan, China, that treated some of the first patients.Dutch virologist…

Jan302021 by DmediaNo Comments

Fighting Climate Change in America Means Changes to America

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Climate isn't the only thing changing. What comes next in the nation's struggle to combat global warming will probably transform how Americans drive, where they get their power and other bits of day-to-day life, both quietly and obviously, experts say. So far, the greening of America has…

Jan302021 by DmediaNo Comments

Israel Says Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Shows 92% Effectiveness

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In the first large-scale, controlled data outside clinical trials, the two-dose Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is showing 92 percent effectiveness, according to Israeli health officials. It’s good news for Pfizer, which says the vaccine also appears to work against the British mutation of COVID-19. The Maccabi Health…

Jan302021 by TechmanNo Comments

Downdetector: Social Media Platform Reddit Hit by Outages in US

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Social media company Reddit was experiencing problems on its website on Saturday, according to outage monitoring website Downdetector.com. Customers reported trouble logging in and sending messages on its website. The outage affected regions such as New York, Boston and Washington in United States and…

Jan302021 by DmediaNo Comments

EU Tightens Vaccine Export Rules, Creates Post-Brexit Outcry

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The European Union introduced tighter rules Friday on exports of COVID-19 vaccines that could hit shipments to nations like Great Britain, deepening a dispute with London over scarce supplies of potentially lifesaving shots.But amid an outcry in Northern Ireland and Britain, the European Commission made…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

EU Drug Regulator Approves AstraZeneca Vaccine for Emergency Use

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European Union regulators on Friday approved the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the third vaccine approved for use on the European continent. Amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population, the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) expert committee unanimously recommended the vaccine for…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Johnson & Johnson One-dose Vaccine 66% Successful

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U.S. pharmaceutical and medical device maker Johnson & Johnson says after a global trial, the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed is 66% effective in preventing infection. The one-dose vaccine, which was developed by the company's Belgian subsidiary Janssen, appears to be 85% effective in preventing serious…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Feds Were Unprepared to Meet First American Evacuees from Wuhan, Report Finds

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Federal officials at a California military base last year who met with the first American evacuees from Wuhan, China, the place where the coronavirus emerged, were not prepared for their mission, according to The Washington Post. They did not wear masks and had “no virus prevention…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

German Health Minister Expects Approval of AstraZenaca COVID-19 Vaccine

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Germany’s health minister said Friday he expects the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use later in the day but possibly only for restricted use. Speaking at a Berlin news briefing, German Health Minster Jens Spahn said Europe’s drug regulator, the Europe Medicines…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Unprepared to Meet its First COVID Evacuees from Wuhan Last Year

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Federal officials at a California military base last year who met with the first American evacuees from Wuhan, China, the place where the coronavirus emerged, were not prepared for their mission, according to The Washington Post.They did not wear masks and had “no virus prevention…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Biden Revokes Restrictions on Women’s Reproductive Rights

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President Joe Biden reversed several Trump administration health care policies Thursday, including one that restricted access to abortion both inside and outside the United States. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this story on what Biden’s actions may mean for women’s reproductive rights around the…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Works, But Less So Against Variants

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Novavax Inc. said Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine appears 89% effective based on early findings from a British study and that it also seems to work — though not as well — against new mutated versions of the virus circulating in that country and South…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

North America’s Largest Cemetery Struggles to Cope with COVID Deaths

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Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier, California, may be the biggest cemetery in North America, but the 1,400-acre park is struggling to cope with the number of bodies awaiting funeral services because of an increase in COVID-19 deaths.Despite the numerous facilities at Rose…

Jan292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Poles Take to Streets in Protest as Near-total Abortion Ban Takes Effect

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Protesters took to the streets of the Polish capital, Warsaw, late Wednesday and more demonstrations were scheduled for Thursday after the government implemented a court ruling that placed a near-total ban on abortions.The ruling, which was made October 22 but came into force Wednesday, permits abortions only…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Biden Orders Expanded Health Care on Two Fronts

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U.S. President Joe Biden signed two orders expanding health care on Thursday, saying they would "undo the damage" of policies favored by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Biden restored U.S. funding for foreign nongovernmental groups that give information to women about abortions, and also opened…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

UN Chief Urges US-China ‘Reset’

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged China and the United States on Thursday to "reset" relations, suggesting they cooperate on common interests such as fighting climate change. "It is clear that in human rights there is no scope for an agreement or a common vision," Guterres acknowledged.…

Jan282021 by TechmanNo Comments

Facebook Oversight Board Announces First 5 Rulings

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Facebook’s quasi-independent oversight board has ruled the social media company must restore four of five posts that it had taken down.The cases involved Facebook’s policy regarding adult nudity, hate speech and “dangerous individuals.”The oversight board ordered images of female nipples displayed by a Brazilian user…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Marks 35 Years Since Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster

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Thursday, January 28, marked the 35th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The craft exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven on board, including a schoolteacher who was NASA’s first citizen passenger. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has this story and more in the Week in Space. …

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

GM Aims to End Sale of Gasoline-Powered Cars, Light Trucks by 2035

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General Motors Co said Thursday it was setting a goal to sell all its new cars, SUVS and light pickup trucks with zero tailpipe emissions by 2035, a dramatic shift by the largest U.S. automaker away from gasoline and diesel engines. GM, which also said…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Britain Refuses EU’s Demand for Vaccine Doses

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A vaccine war has erupted between Britain and the European Union with Brussels demanding that tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses earmarked for Britain, and made by a British pharmaceutical company, be diverted to Europe to make up for a shortfall in promised deliveries.…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Indigenous Tree in Pakistan Touted to Improve Health Among Malnourished

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As part of an ongoing project in Pakistan’s Sindh province, efforts are underway to integrate a uniquely nutritious and drought-resistant tree called Moringa, into the local diet to help alleviate malnutrition. Muhammad Saqib has details from Matiari in Sindh province in this report narrated by…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Climate Change Could Cost Australia Billions, Report Says

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Australia is failing to keep up with the growing threat of extreme weather as global warming increases the risk in areas once thought to be safe, according to a new report.Australia is a land well used to nature’s extremes. It is the world’s driest inhabited…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO Team Investigating Coronavirus Origin Begins Work

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World Health Organization investigators exited a two-week quarantine Thursday in Wuhan, China, to begin their work in search of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.The international team boarded a bus after exiting their hotel in the afternoon.China, which for months rejected calls for an international…

Jan282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Report: Guinea Worm Disease Cases Drop Despite COVID-19 Restrictions

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Human Guinea worm cases in six African countries dropped to 27 in 2020, about 50% less than what was recorded the year before, despite COVID-19 challenges, the Carter Center announced Tuesday.Animal cases fell by 20% over the same period.“The numbers we are seeing are very…

Jan282021 by TechmanNo Comments

Facebook Says it Will Permanently Stop Recommending Political Groups to Users

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Facebook Inc's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would no longer recommend civic and political groups to users of the platform.The social media company said in October that it was temporarily halting recommendations of political groups for U.S. users in the run-up to…