October 2021

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

UN Aims to Cut Millions of Road Traffic Deaths, Injuries by Half

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The World Health Organization has kicked off a campaign to cut millions of road traffic deaths and injuries by at least half by 2030.This follows the August 2020 adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a Decade of Action for Road Safety. More than…

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

G-20 Leaders Pledge to End Financing for Overseas Coal Plants

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G-20 leaders meeting in Rome have agreed to work to reach carbon neutrality “by around mid-century" and pledged to end financing for coal plants abroad by the end of this year. The final communique was issued Sunday at the end of a two-day summit, ahead…

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

UN Climate Change Conference: What’s on the Table?

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The latest round of climate talks are getting under way Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland. They are billed as the most important since the Paris conference six years ago. Here are some of the main goals of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known…

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

G-20 Leaders Discuss Climate Change

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The G-20 heads of state from the world’s major economies will discuss climate change Sunday on day two of their meeting in Rome. Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi welcomed the heads of state, including U.S. President Joe Biden, to the Italian capital, where they…

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

Johns Hopkins: World COVID-19 Tally Nears 5 Million

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Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday that the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is less than 4,000 short of the 5 million mark. The 4 million tally was reached a little more than four months ago. India’s prime minister told world leaders…

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

Climate Change Threatens Russia’s Permafrost and Oil Economy

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Parts of the planet that were once thought to be permanently frozen are starting to thaw – posing problems for countries like Russia where permafrost covers vast areas of its territory. The thaw is threatening Russia’s oil economy as Oleksandr Yanevskyy tells us in this…

Oct312021 by DmediaNo Comments

To Stargazers: Fireworks Show Called Northern Lights Coming

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A fireworks show that has nothing to do with the Fourth of July and everything to do with the cosmos is poised to be visible across the northern United States and Europe just in time for Halloween. On Thursday, the sun launched what is called…

Oct302021 by DmediaNo Comments

G-20 Summit Begins in Rome With Focus on Climate Change, COVID Pandemic

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The G-20 Summit hosted by Italy kicked off Saturday in Rome, where leaders from the world’s major economies discussed issues of mutual concern, including pandemic recovery and climate change. The red carpet was rolled out at La Nuvola, Rome’s Convention Center, as Italian Prime Minister…

Oct302021 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO: ‘Vaccine Inequity . . . Demonstrates a Disregard for the World’s Poorest’

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The World Health Organization has written an open letter to the heads of state gathered in Rome for the G-20 meeting, urging them to increase vaccine supplies for the world's poorest, ensure access to vaccines for all people on the move and support low- and…

Oct302021 by DmediaNo Comments

Thai Businesses Eager for Foreign Tourists’ Imminent Return

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Before the pandemic effectively closed Thailand off to the rest of the world in March of last year, Bangkok’s Kin & Koff Café was perfectly placed to catch the throngs of tourists traipsing past the city’s gilded Grand Palace and its orbit of opulent temples.…

Oct302021 by TechmanNo Comments

China Hits Reset on Belt and Road Initiative

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Green energy is the new focus of China’s one-of-a-kind Belt and Road Initiative or BRI, that aims to build a series of infrastructure projects from Asia to Europe. The eco-friendlier version of BRI has caught the attention of some 70 other countries that are getting new infrastructure from the Asian economic powerhouse…

Oct302021 by DmediaNo Comments

Farmers, Groups in Africa Prepare for a Future Made Uncertain by Climate Change

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Some farmers and organizations in Africa are adopting smart and technology-based solutions as the continent seeks to prepare itself for the effects of climate change. Brenda Mulinya reports from Nairobi. Camera: Amos Wangwa Producer: Amos Wangwa ...

Oct302021 by DmediaNo Comments

Tonga’s First COVID-19 Case Detected, May Face Lockdown

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Tongan Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa warned Saturday that residents on the country's main island Tongatapu faced a possible lockdown next week after recording its first case of COVID-19. The tiny Pacific kingdom had been among only a handful of countries to escape the virus so…

Oct292021 by DmediaNo Comments

FDA Clears Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized on Friday the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children 5-11 years old. The FDA approved for children doses that are one-third the amount that teens and adults receive. "With this vaccine kids can go back to…

Oct292021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Space Weather Center Issues Geomagnetic Storm Watch

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The U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) Friday issued a Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Saturday, saying power and communications systems could be affected after a significant solar flare was observed on the sun. The U.S. space agency NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory reported observing a…

Oct292021 by DmediaNo Comments

WFP: Climate Change Risks Creating Global Tsunami of Hunger

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The World Food Program says that without consolidated global action to stop the acceleration of climate change, the world faces a crisis of acute hunger. The WFP says climate shocks are destroying lives, crops and livelihoods and are undermining people’s ability to feed themselves. It cites…

Oct292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Midcareer Women Found Disproportionally Affected by COVID

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally affected midcareer and older working women in the United States. About 40% have experienced at least one job interruption, and of those who remained unemployed, 70% were out of work for six months or more. Lesia Bakalets has more in…

Oct292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Countries Urged to Turn Carbon Neutral Commitments Into Climate Action

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Ahead of next week’s climate conference in Scotland, 10 United Nations and international agency heads, including the World Meteorological Organization, are calling on governments to turn their carbon neutral commitments into climate action. Scientists tracking the impact of human activity on the warming of…

Oct292021 by DmediaNo Comments

Pandemic Further Squeezes Indian Women, Already on the Margins

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Desperate for work, Sabila Dafadar walks every morning from her poor neighborhood tucked behind tall glass and chrome buildings in the business hub of Gurugram, 32 kilometers from New Delhi, to a busy intersection where day laborers wait for contractors who come to pick up…

Oct292021 by TechmanNo Comments

US Lawmakers Vote to Tighten Restrictions on Huawei, ZTE

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The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to approve legislation to prevent companies that are deemed security threats, such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. or ZTE Corp., from receiving new equipment licenses from U.S. regulators. The Secure Equipment Act, the latest effort by the U.S.…

Oct282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Ahead of UN Climate Summit, China Offers No Significant New Goals

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As world leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26), China on Thursday announced it has no new significant goals to reduce climate-changing emissions, despite being the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause global warming. …

Oct282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Halloween Space Launch and an Orbiting Office Park

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NASA moves forward with its next moon mission. Plus, SpaceX readies its Halloween space launch, and Blue Origin offers an orbiting office park for the future. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. Producer: Arash Arabasadi. ...

Oct282021 by TechmanNo Comments

Facebook Inc. Rebrands as Meta to Stress ‘Metaverse’ Plan

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company is rebranding itself as Meta in an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future — what Zuckerberg calls the " metaverse." Skeptics point out that it also appears to be an attempt to change the subject from the…

Oct282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Climate Research Vessel Sails Into London

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A new British research ship, named for British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, has arrived in London to call attention to climate change ahead of next week’s Glasgow climate summit. The 129-meter RSS Sir David Attenborough has completed sea trials and is ready for service. It…

Oct282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Scabies Outbreak Affects 300 in Malawi’s Blantyre

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In Malawi, health authorities say an outbreak of scabies around the commercial capital of Blantyre has affected more than 300 people. Scabies is a contagious, intensely itchy skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin. “We started seeing cases from June and we have…

Oct282021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Donates 4.8 Million Vaccines to 4 African Nations

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The United States is sending more than 4.8 million coronavirus vaccine doses to four African nations, the White House told VOA on Wednesday. White House officials said the 55-member African Union determined the allocations. Landlocked Chad, one of the world’s poorest nations, will get 115,830…

Oct282021 by DmediaNo Comments

Cheap Antidepressant Shows Promise Treating Early COVID

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A cheap antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk adults with COVID-19 in a study that was looking for existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat coronavirus. Researchers tested the pill used for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder because it was known to reduce…

Oct272021 by TechmanNo Comments

US State Department Creates Bureau to Tackle Digital Threats

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The State Department is creating a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy to focus on tackling cybersecurity challenges at a time of growing threats from opponents. There will also be a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology, who will lead the technology…