Month: August 2022

The flight crews at one of Taiwan's main airline carriers have voiced frustration about continued COVID-19 policies that require them to adhere to some of the strictest quarantine and testing requirements in the world.  The policies remain in place even as other parts of the…

The U.N. weather agency is predicting that the phenomenon known as La Nina is poised to last through the end of this year, a mysterious “triple dip” — the first this century — caused by three straight years of its effect on climate patterns like…

A World Health Organization-UNICEF global study of health care facilities finds half lack basic hygiene services, putting around 3.85 billion people at risk of infection and death. The study is based on data from 40 countries representing 35% of the world’s population. It presents an…

After Monday’s scrubbed Artemis launch, NASA is awaiting liftoff of its first mission back to the moon — an unmanned test flight of its new rocket and capsule system. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports on the excitement surrounding the Artemis program, which aims to one day…

The World Health Organization’s top director in the Western Pacific, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, has been indefinitely removed from his post, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Associated Press. Kasai’s removal comes months after an AP investigation revealed that dozens of staffers accused him of…

VOA's Kane Farabaugh spoke with NASA Astronaut Victor Glover ahead of Monday's scheduled Artemis launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. While the launch was postponed, NASA's quest to return to the moon and eventually send humans to Mars remains a priority for the U.S. space agency.…

The U.S. government said on Monday it would provide about $11 million to support the packaging of Bavarian Nordic's BAVA.CO Jynneos monkeypox vaccine at a U.S.-based manufacturer's facility. The Danish company, which is the maker of the only approved monkeypox vaccine, had earlier this month…

The U.S. space agency NASA says it is ready to launch its most powerful rocket ever along with a new crew capsule Monday in a test of systems it will use to send humans back to the moon.  The Space Launch System rocket is set…

The world’s population is surging, and with it, the global demand for poultry and seafood. Some companies are hoping to offer lab-grown meat-based products with the same taste and texture as animal flesh. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more from Washington. ...

Years late and billions over budget, NASA’s new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. The 98-meter (322-foot) rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit, 50 years after…

Citing unparalleled attacks on health care facilities, the World Health Organization said this week it is working to reconstruct Ukraine’s health system. The system has suffered extensive damage since Russia invaded the country six months ago. Over the past six months, the U.N. health agency…

Canada's decision to legalize recreational marijuana in October 2018 was greeted by advocates and critics with predictions of dramatic benefits or dire consequences. Almost four years later, questions about the impact of the move elicit mainly shrugs. "Maybe I am the wrong demographic, but I…

As fall draws near in the U.S, Monarch butterflies in the eastern part of the country are primed for their winter sojourn to Mexico. Conservationists worry that the Monarchs are in peril from climate change and farming, but the science isn't settled. VOA’s Veronica Balderas…

U.N. member states ended two weeks of negotiations Friday without a treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas, an agreement that would have addressed growing environmental and economic challenges. After 15 years, including four prior formal sessions, negotiators have yet to reach a legally…

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that very few people in the United States have received a full series of monkeypox vaccinations. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the large majority of Americans who received a first dose…

The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of protections for abortion rights has intensified scrutiny of the personal data that technology firms collect. Apple, Facebook and Google typically comply with legal requests for user data. For women who live in states where most abortions are now illegal,…

The first crewed flight of Boeing's space capsule Starliner is scheduled for February 2023, the company and NASA announced Thursday, as the United States seeks to secure a second way for its astronauts to reach the International Space Station. Since 2020, American astronauts have traveled…

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday the number of new monkeypox cases fell 20% globally last week, but new cases increased in the Americas and said there is still “intense transmission" of the disease. At a news briefing at agency headquarters in Geneva, WHO…

North Korea on Thursday said it found four new fever cases in its border region with China that may have been caused by coronavirus infections, two weeks after leader Kim Jong Un declared a widely disputed victory over COVID-19. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News…

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Idaho from enforcing an abortion ban when women with pregnancy complications require emergency care, a day after a judge in Texas ruled against President Joe Biden's administration on the same issue.  The conflicting rulings came in two of the…