Oysters Helping Clean Largest Estuary in US
Oysters play a vital role in cleaning sea water. They're also finding their way to the plates of some of Washington’s most popular restaurants. Keith Lane reports. Produced by: Keith Lane ...
VOA Interview: Anne Neuberger
With Russian President Vladimir Putin accelerating war efforts and threatening to use nuclear weapons, White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara spoke with Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology at the Biden administration's National Security Council, on the possibility of increased…
Japan to Ease COVID Border Controls to Boost Tourism
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that Japan will abolish a series of COVID-19 border restrictions in hopes of reviving its tourism industry. As of Oct. 11, Japan will allow individual visitors to enter the country, reinstate visa waivers and end the cap on…
NASA Practices Saving the World
NASA tries to save the world. Plus, the agency inches closer to its next moon mission, and geopolitical rivals unite in space. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. ...
New Study Says There Are 20 Quadrillion Ants on Earth
A new study released this week “conservatively” estimates there are 20 quadrillion ants on the planet Earth—or about 2.5 million ants for every person. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong and Germany’s University of Wuerzburg, who noted ants are…
World Health Organization Declares Malawi Trachoma-Free
Malawi has become the first country in southern Africa to eliminate trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness, the World Health Organization announced. It is the fourth country in Africa to stamp out the bacterial infection, after Ghana, Gambia and Togo. The WHO said in…
Uganda Confirms Seven Ebola Cases So Far, One Death
Uganda has confirmed seven cases of Ebola including that of a 24-year-old man who died earlier this week, and an additional seven deaths are being investigated as suspected Ebola cases, a health ministry official said on Thursday. The man who died had developed a high…
Flood Victims in Pakistan Face Threat of Diseases
Displaced by some of the worst flooding in years, hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis now face the threat of disease. Infections are on the rise due to unsanitary conditions, and health facilities damaged by historic rains are struggling to cope. VOA's Sarah Zaman has more.…
Beijing’s Zero-COVID Policy Draws New Anger After Fatal Bus Crash
Commenters in China’s tightly controlled online communities are raising an angry howl at what they see as the latest outrage stemming from President Xi Jinping’s draconian zero-COVID policy. After at least 27 people died when a bus in southwest China’s Guizhou Province crashed while transporting…
Rights Group Slams Turkey, EU Over Plastic Recycling Health Risks
Turkey's plastic recycling industry is strongly criticized in a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday. The report highlights health problems for workers and residents and criticizes the European Union, for which Turkey is the main plastics recycler. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. ...
Most Global Deaths Are From Preventable Noncommunicable Diseases
The World Health Organization warns noncommunicable diseases kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 74 percent of all deaths globally. A new global report by the World Health Organization finds noncommunicable diseases now outnumber infectious diseases as the top killers globally. Each year, it…
India Develops Affordable Vaccine Against Cervical Cancer
For the first time in India, a domestically-made vaccine that provides protection against cervical cancer—the second-most common type of cancer afflicting women in the country—will be accessible to the majority of the population, including the poorest, according to leading healthcare professionals. The vaccine, Cervavac, is…
Angelina Jolie Makes Surprise Visit to Flood-hit Pakistan
Hollywood actress and U.N. humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to one of the worst flood-hit areas in southern Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said, as the death toll from months-long deluges rose to 1,559. TV footage showed Jolie arriving at an airport in Karachi,…
Uganda Confirms Ebola Outbreak After Man Dies From Virus
Officials in Uganda have confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. The country’s Ministry of Health says a young man died of the virus in central Uganda Monday, and several of his relatives who died earlier this month are also suspected to have had…
New Atlas of Bird Migration Shows Extraordinary Journeys.
A bay-breasted warbler weighs about the same as four pennies, but twice a year makes an extraordinary journey. The tiny songbird flies nearly 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) between Canada's spruce forests and its wintering grounds in northern South America. "Migratory birds are these little globetrotters,"…
WHO Warns of Dangers From Medication Practices
Marking World Patient Safety Day, Saturday, the World Health Organization warns unsafe medication practices and errors are a leading cause of avoidable harm in world health care systems. The WHO is calling for urgent action to stop the medication errors putting millions at risk of…
Chinese Astronauts Go on Spacewalk From New Station
Two Chinese astronauts went on a spacewalk Saturday from a new space station that is due to be completed later this year. Cai Xuzhe and Chen Dong's installed pumps, a handle to open the hatch door from outside in an emergency, and a foot-stop to…
Experts Warn US Is Falling Behind China in Key Technologies
At a gathering of current and former U.S. officials and private-sector executives Friday in Washington, concern was rampant that the United States has fallen behind China in the development of several key technologies, and that it faces an uncertain future in which other countries could…
Canadian Researchers Developing Oral Insulin
Research to develop a pill form of insulin is showing promise at the University of British Columbia in western Canada. The goal is to eliminate the need for diabetics to inject themselves with the lifesaving medication. According to the World Health Organization, there are an…
Privacy Threatened as More Governments Use Spyware to Monitor Their People
A U.N. report warns the right to privacy is under siege as an increasing number of governments are using spyware to keep tabs on their people. The U.N. human rights office said urgent steps are needed to address the spread of spyware. It noted many…
Ghana Marburg Outbreak Declared Over
The World Health Organization has declared an end to Ghana's outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus after more than six weeks without any new cases. Three cases of the virus were recorded in the West African country in late June, killing two people. Marburg…
Everest Base Camp Imperiled by Climate Change
Mount Everest base camp, a sprawling tent village that is home away from home during climbing season for hundreds of aspiring summiteers and support staff, may soon be on the move. Nepalese officials say they are considering the move to a lower elevation because the…
YouTube, Meta Will Expand Policies, Research to Fight Online Extremism
Major tech companies on Thursday committed to taking fresh steps to combat online extremism by removing more violent content and promoting media literacy with young users, as part of a White House summit on fighting hate-fueled violence. Platforms such as Alphabet's YouTube and Meta’s Facebook…
The Speech That Launched NASA to the Moon
The 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s “moonshot” speech, which rallied a nation behind NASA. Plus, President Biden calls for a moonshot of his own, and a private spaceflight company suffers its first failure. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. ...
Kenyan-Made Device Helps Save Premature Babies Born Amid Ukraine War
Russia's war on Ukraine has seen scores of hospitals and clinics bombed, and frequent power cuts that can turn off lifesaving machines. Medical aid groups are using a Kenyan-manufactured breathing device for premature babies that works without electricity, helping save vulnerable newborns in countries affected…
With $19.5 Billion Investment, India Joins Global Race to Make Semiconductors
India’s ambitions to create a domestic semiconductor manufacturing capability got a boost with this week's announcement of a $ 19.5 billion investment by Taiwanese electronic company Foxconn and local conglomerate Vedanta. The companies will set up manufacturing facilities for producing the chips in Prime Minister…
As Monkeypox Drops in the West, Still No Vaccines for Africa
With monkeypox cases subsiding in Europe and parts of North America, many scientists say now is the time to prioritize stopping the virus in Africa. In July, the U.N. health agency designated monkeypox as a global emergency and appealed to the world to support African…
Second US Monkeypox Death as Virus Linked to Brain Inflammation
A second U.S. death was linked to monkeypox on Tuesday as health authorities published a study describing how two previously healthy young men experienced inflammation of the brain and spinal cord as a result of the virus. There have been nearly 22,000 U.S. cases in…