Sep32021 DmediaNo Comments

Extinction Threat: World Conservation Meeting to Show Species in Peril

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The perilous state of the planet's wildlife will be laid bare when the largest organization for the protection of nature meets Friday hoping to help galvanize action as the world faces intertwined biodiversity and climate crises.Relentless habitat destruction, unsustainable agriculture, mining and a warming planet will dominate discussion at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conference, hosted by France in the city of Marseille.The meeting, delayed from 2020 by the pandemic, comes ahead of crucial United Nations summits on climate, food systems and biodiversity that could shape the planet's foreseeable future."Our common goal is to put nature at the top of international priorities -- because our destinies are intrinsically linked, planet, climate, nature and human communities," said French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement ahead of the…
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Sep32021 DmediaNo Comments

US Hospitals Hit with Nurse Staffing Crisis Amid COVID

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The COVID-19 pandemic has created a nurse staffing crisis that is forcing many U.S. hospitals to pay top dollar to get the help they need to handle the crush of patients this summer.The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies that can pay $5,000 or more a week.It’s gotten to the point where doctors are saying, “Maybe I should quit being a doctor and go be a nurse,” said Dr. Phillip Coule, chief medical officer at Georgia’s Augusta University Medical Center, which has on occasion seen 20 to 30 resignations in a week from nurses taking traveling jobs.“And then we have to pay premium rates to get staff from…
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Sep32021 DmediaNo Comments

Kerry: China’s Coal Binge Could ‘Undo’ Global Capacity to Meet Climate Targets

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U.S. climate envoy John Kerry warned Thursday that Beijing's coal-building spree could "undo" global capacity to meet environmental targets, after holding talks with top officials in China. Tensions between Beijing and Washington have soared in recent months, with the two sides trading barbs on China's human rights record and its initial handling of the coronavirus. Tackling climate change is among a handful of issues where the two sides had struck notes of harmony. But Beijing has in recent months emphasized that environmental cooperation could be hurt by deteriorating Sino-U.S. relations. Kerry told journalists Thursday evening that the United States has made it "clear that the addition of more coal plants represents a significant challenge to the efforts of the world to deal with the climate crisis." FILE - Workers put away equipment after coming out…
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Sep22021 DmediaNo Comments

Fauci Says Third Dose of Vaccine ‘Likely’ Necessary

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Americans will likely have to get a third shot of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday at a White House press briefing."I must say from my own experience as an immunologist, I would not at all be surprised that the adequate full regimen for vaccination will likely be three doses," Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters.He said the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would make the final decision.Whether those who got the one-shot Johnson & Johnson will need boosters remains to be seen.Any booster for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be given between five and eight months after the second dose.White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients said that…
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Sep22021 DmediaNo Comments

FAA Bans Virgin Galactic Launches While Investigating Branson Flight

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The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that Virgin Galactic cannot launch anyone into space until an investigation is complete into a mishap that occurred during July's flight with founder Richard Branson.The ban came as Virgin Galactic announced plans to launch three Italian researchers to the edge of space in a few weeks.The FAA said the rocketship carrying Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees veered off course during its descent back to New Mexico on July 11. The deviation put the ship outside the air traffic control clearance area.The FAA is overseeing the probe; it's responsible for protecting the public during commercial launches and reentries. Crew safety, on the other hand, is outside its jurisdiction. Virgin Galactic insisted Thursday that Branson and everyone else on board were never in any added…
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Sep22021 DmediaNo Comments

Hurricane Larry Forms in Eastern Atlantic, Grows Larger, Stronger

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As officials assess the damage done by Hurricane Ida on the U.S. Gulf Coast and in the Northeast, forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center are staying busy watching Hurricane Larry grow stronger in the eastern Atlantic. At last report, forecasters said Larry was far out in the eastern Atlantic, still closer to Africa than the U.S. mainland. But the storm’s winds were already at 130 kilometers per hour, and forecasters said Larry would strengthen rapidly as it turned to the west-northwest over the next 24 hours or so. It was expected to become a major hurricane by late Friday.The forecast track put the storm on course for, but well south of, Bermuda by next Tuesday, when it could well be a Category 4 hurricane, with forecast winds of 206 kph. ...
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Sep22021 DmediaNo Comments

Private Spaceflight Companies Deliver for NASA 

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The space delivery business is booming.  Plus, Hurricane Ida from space, and wildfire smoke so thick satellite imagery captures the damage.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space. Produced by:  Arash Arabasadi Camera:  AP/REUTERS/SPACEX/BLUE ORIGIN/NASA TV/MAXAR/NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)  ...
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Sep22021 DmediaNo Comments

Europe’s Infectious Disease Agency Says No Pressing Need for Boosters

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The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has issued a report saying that based on current evidence, there is no urgent need for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots and the public health focus should remain on getting initial vaccinations to eligible European citizens.The report added additional doses should be considered for those individuals with compromised immune systems who did not respond adequately to their initial dose or doses.But the report says the available current evidence regarding the “real world” effectiveness and duration of protection provided by all the vaccines authorized for use in the European Union shows they are highly protective against COVID-19-related hospitalization, severe disease and death. COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus.The report also noted that European nations should consider what administering boosters might do regarding the availability…
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Sep22021 TechmanNo Comments

Ireland Fines WhatsApp for Breaching EU Privacy Laws

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Ireland on Thursday slapped Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service with a record fine for breaching EU data privacy laws after European regulators demanded the penalty be increased.Ireland's Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook's European headquarters are situated in the country."And following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euros ($267 million) on WhatsApp," the commission said, by far the largest penalty it has ever issued to a company, dwarfing the 450,000-euro fine imposed on Twitter last year. As Ireland hosts the regional headquarters of a number of major tech players such as Apple, Google and Twitter, the DPC has been largely responsible for policing adherence to the EU's landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) charter.But Ireland has come under pressure for not taking a…
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Sep22021 DmediaNo Comments

WHO: Tens of Millions of People with Dementia Lack Care

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The World Health Organization warns few governments are providing necessary care for many of the more than 55 million people living with dementia at a time when this debilitating brain condition is growing rapidly around the world.A stock-taking analysis of WHO’s 2017 Global Action Plan on Dementia shows few states are implementing measures for caring and treating people living with this condition.It finds only a quarter of countries worldwide have a national policy or plan for supporting people with dementia and their families.  It warns too many governments are unprepared to deal with this growing public health problem, which affects 55 million people globally - more than 60 percent in low-and-middle-income countries.The World Health Organization estimates the number of people with dementia will rise to 78 million by 2030 and…
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Sep22021 TechmanNo Comments

Some Nigerian-based Experts Warn of China’s Growing Influence in African Technology

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Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei says it wants to train up to 3 million African youths to work with cutting-edge digital technology such as artificial intelligence. Already, Nigerian students who took part in a Huawei-sponsored information and communications technology (ICT) competition say the benefits, including possible job placements with the company, are enormous. But experts warn there could be potential negative impacts of China's growing tech influence in Africa. Computer engineering finalist Muhammad Maihaja is set to graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria’s Kaduna state in November.  In 2019, he was part of a team of six from the school who represented Nigeria at the global Huawei ICT competition in Shenzhen, China, where they finished in third place. Huawei introduced the competition to Africa in 2014 to identify and nurture highly skilled ICT professionals — what the company says is part of its expanding talent…
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Sep22021 TechmanNo Comments

Facebook Invests in New Partnerships With Argentine Press

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Social media giant Facebook will invest $1.5 million in Argentine media to train journalists and promote online development, a first in Latin America.The agreement signed last week with almost 150 media outlets will allow 3,000 journalists to be trained, while also helping Facebook develop commercial agreements.It's part of the Facebook Journalism Project that involves collaboration with media all over the world.The three-year Argentine investment aims "to support almost 150 media of every size and region in the country," Julieta Shamma, Facebook's head of strategic media partnerships in Latin America, told AFP.The agreement involves commercial commitments with around 30 Argentine outlets including Clarin, La Nacion, Pagina12 and Infobae to attract more links to the Facebook platform."We're collaborating with media to try different forms of helping people find news on Facebook and…
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Sep12021 DmediaNo Comments

UN Study: Weather Disasters Increased Fivefold in 50 years

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A new report released Wednesday by the United Nations indicates extreme weather events have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, while the number of fatalities related to those events has dropped.Officials from the U.N.’s weather and climate agency, the World Meteorological Organization, introduced the report during a briefing from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. The report shows weather-related disasters have occurred on average at a rate of one per day over the past five decades, killing 115 people and causing $202 million in losses daily.Mami Mizutori, U.N. special representative for disaster risk reduction, told reporters she found the report “quite alarming.” She noted that this past July was the hottest July on record, marked by heat waves and floods around the world. The study shows that more people are…
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Sep12021 DmediaNo Comments

Japan Begins Recall of Tainted Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

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After suspending the use of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over contamination concerns last week, Japan is now recalling those doses, Moderna Inc. and its Japanese partner, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. said Wednesday.Last week, some vials of the vaccine were found to be contaminated with stainless steel.Japanese officials said Wednesday that they did not think the stainless steel particles posed a health risk, while Moderna said the contamination was probably caused by pieces of metal rubbing together in the machinery that puts stops on the vials."Stainless steel is routinely used in heart valves, joint replacements and metal sutures and staples. As such, it is not expected that injection of the particles identified in these lots in Japan would result in increased medical risk," Takeda and Moderna said…
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Sep12021 DmediaNo Comments

UN Study: Weather Disasters Increased by Five Times in 50 years

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A new report released Wednesday by the United Nations indicates extreme weather events have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, while the number of fatalities related to those events has dropped.Officials from the U.N.’s weather and climate agency, the World Meteorological Organization, introduced the report during a briefing from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. The report shows weather-related disasters have occurred on average at a rate of one per day over the past five decades, killing 115 people and causing $202 million in losses daily.Mami Mizutori, U.N. special representative for disaster risk reduction, told reporters she found the report “quite alarming.” She noted that this past July was the hottest July on record, marked by heat waves and floods around the world. The study shows that more people are…
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Sep12021 DmediaNo Comments

World Health Organization Adds New COVID-19 ‘Variant of Interest’

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The World Health Organization has designated a new strain of COVID-19 as a “variant of interest.”The global health agency announced in its weekly bulletin Tuesday that Mu, also known by its scientific designation B.1.621, has been detected in South America and Europe since it was first identified in Colombia in January.The WHO said the Mu variant has several characteristics that make it more resistant to vaccines, but said more studies needed to be conducted to fully understand how it works.The Mu variant is the fifth one designated by the WHO as a variant of interest.  Four other variants have been designated as “variants of concern,” including alpha, which has been detected in 193 countries, and the more transmissible delta, which is present in 170 countries and has been linked to…
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Sep12021 TechmanNo Comments

South Korea Bans Google, Apple Payment Monopolies

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South Korea's National Assembly approved legislation on Tuesday that bans app store operators such as Google and Apple from forcing developers to use their in-app payment systems. South Korea is reportedly the first country in the world to pass such a bill, which becomes law when it is signed by the president, whose party has backed the legislation. The tech giants have faced widespread criticism over their practice of requiring app developers to use in-app purchasing systems, for which the companies receive commissions of up to 30%. They say the commissions help pay for the cost of maintaining the app markets. The legislation prohibits the app market operators from using their monopolies to require such payment systems, which means they must allow alternative ways to pay. It says the ban is aimed at…
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