Togo Targets COVID Relief With Satellites, Mobile Phones and AI
How satellite imagery and artificial intelligence helped the government of Togo deliver COVID-19 relief to its neediest citizens. ...
World’s First Reusable Satellite Readies for Launch
The world’s first reusable satellite is set to launch next month. Plus, communication satellites galore, and the U.S. military test-launches weaponry that shatters the speed of sound. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. ...
US Rolls Out Voluntary Cybersecurity Goals
The United States is trying to make it easier for companies and organizations to bolster their cybersecurity in the face of growing attacks aimed at crippling their operations, stealing their data or demanding ransom payments. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity…
UN: Greenhouse Gas Cuts Needed to Prevent Climate Catastrophe
GENEVA - A U.N. report warns the window for preventing a climate catastrophe is fast closing. The U.N. Environment Program’s latest Emissions Gap Report urges unprecedented cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and a rapid transformation of societies to head off the worst. The U.N. report…
MSF Warns of Measles, Cholera Outbreaks at Kenya Refugee Complex
The charity Doctors Without Borders said Thursday that Kenya's Dadaab Refugee Complex faces a high risk of measles and cholera outbreaks as thousands of new refugees arrive from areas of Somalia where the diseases are circulating. More than 233,000 refugees live in three overcrowded camps…
Musk Says He Doesn’t Seek ‘Free-for-All Hellscape’ for Twitter
Elon Musk is telling Twitter advertisers he is buying the platform to "help humanity" and doesn't want it to become a "free-for-all hellscape" where anything can be said with no consequences. The message to advertisers posted Thursday on Twitter came a day before Musk's deadline…
Biden Urges Americans to Get COVID Boosters, as Funding Hangs in Balance
President Joe Biden got his third COVID-19 booster shot Tuesday and urged Americans to do the same before major holidays and winter flu season. But with no more congressional funding coming for COVID relief, where does this leave nations the U.S. vowed to help? Anita…
Germany to Become One of Europe’s First Countries to Legalize Cannabis
Germany on Wednesday unveiled plans to legalize cannabis, potentially making it one of the first countries in Europe to make marijuana legal. Presenting his plans to the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the proposal aims to achieve “the most…
LogOn: US Navy Turns to Driverless Ships for Indo-Pacific Strategy
As the U.S. military considers China’s military strength in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Navy is turning to driverless ships to multiply its forces. VOA’s Jessica Stone takes us along for a closer look at this military innovation. Camera: Keith Lane ...
CDC Warns of Possible Surge of Flu Cases
After two years of low influenza case numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns of a possibly harsh flu season. "The United States has experienced relatively little influenza activity since 2020, thanks, in part, to community mitigation…
US Technology Helps Improve Crop Yields in Drought-stricken Africa
More frequent and severe droughts in Africa are hampering food production, especially in arid parts of the continent where farmers struggle to eke out a living. A water retention system developed in the U.S. is helping African farmers fight the trend and improve crop yields…
Europe’s Bees Stung by Climate, Pesticides and Parasites
Bees pollinate 71 of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of food worldwide. They also pollinate wild plants, helping sustain biodiversity and the beauty of the natural world. But climate change, pesticides and parasites are taking a terrible toll on bees, and they need…
Kenyan Museums, Farmers Conserve Indigenous Seeds as GMOs Are Legalized
Kenya's museums and partners are conserving and promoting indigenous seeds after the government lifted a ban on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, for farming. The museum says the native seeds are at risk because of the GMO seeds, which the government and some farmers say…
WHO Says a Polio-Free World Within Grasp
In marking World Polio Day, advocates for a polio-free world are urging nations to commit to a new five-year strategy to eradicate this crippling disease and consign it to the trash bin of history. An estimated 350,000 children were paralyzed by polio when the World…
Cameroon Says Cholera Hits Minawao, a Nigerian Refugee Camp
Authorities in Cameroon say they are struggling to contain a cholera outbreak in an overcrowded refugee camp on its northern border with Nigeria. In the past week, three people have died in the Minawao refugee camp and at least 81 have been infected from the…
World Polio Day: Pakistan’s Polio Problem Persists
Photos of Zarghoona Wadood sightseeing in Egypt with two other wheelchair-using women went viral last year in Pakistan, becoming a symbol of what women with disabilities can do. Wadood was just 7 months old when polio paralyzed her legs. Her parents didn’t know to get…
India Launches 36 Internet Satellites Delayed by Ukraine War
India launched a rocket carrying 36 private internet satellites on early Sunday, stepping in to keep the orbital constellation growing after a monthslong interruption related to the war in Ukraine. The liftoff from southern India was the first launch for London-based OneWeb since breaking with…
Uganda Says Two More Ebola Cases Confirmed in Kampala Hospital
Two more people in an isolation unit of Uganda's main hospital have tested positive for Ebola, bringing total cases recorded in the facility to five, the health minister said on Sunday. The five confirmed cases in Kampala are the first known transmission of the virus…
Share of Cases of COVID-19 Variants Nearly Doubles in US; Europe Warns of Rise
U.S. health regulators Friday estimated that BQ.1 and closely related BQ.1.1 accounted for 16.6% of coronavirus variants in the country, nearly doubling from last week, while Europe expects them to become the dominant variants in a month. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control…
As Leaders Meet, Chinese Hope for End to ‘Zero-COVID’ Limits
As China's ruling Communist Party holds a congress this week, many Beijing residents are focused on an issue not on the formal agenda: Will the end of the meeting bring an easing of the at times draconian “zero-COVID" policies that are disrupting lives and the…
Companies Weigh Fallout From US Ban on Sending Chip Tech to China
The Biden administration's announcement earlier this month that it would ban the transfer of advanced U.S. semiconductor technology to China continues to reverberate through global markets. The ruling by the Department of Commerce affects not only U.S. firms that sell to China but any company…
The Solo Jumper Who Shattered the Speed of Sound
A decade-old publicity stunt continues shaping modern life. Plus, satellite TV gets a serious upgrade, and the Webb telescope gives us another stunning image. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. ...
WHO: Lack of Physical Activity Can Lead to Disease, Premature Death
The World Health Organization warns physical inactivity can lead to the development of debilitating noncommunicable diseases and millions of premature deaths. Data from 194 countries show governments are not doing enough to encourage their populations to engage in physical activity, including creating the opportunities for…
Australian Scientists Receive Mystery Drug at Pill-Testing Center
Canberra scientists are researching a mysterious new recreational drug not seen before in Australia. The Australian National University says the substance is a “close cousin” of ketamine, a controlled anesthetic used by doctors and veterinarians. The new substance is known as “CanKet” — a Canberra…
First Native American Woman in Space Awed by Mother Earth
The first Native American woman in space said Wednesday she is overwhelmed by the beauty and delicacy of Mother Earth and is channeling "positive energy" as her five-month mission gets underway. NASA astronaut Nicole Mann said from the International Space Station that she's received lots…
WHO: COVID-19 Still an International Emergency
The World Health Organization said Wednesday it is too early to lift the highest-level alert for the COVID-19 crisis, with the pandemic remaining a global health emergency despite recent progress. The WHO's emergency committee on COVID-19 met last week and concluded that the pandemic still…
WHO: Latest Ebola Cases Not Linked to Current Patients
The eight most recent Ebola cases reported during the outbreak in Uganda have no known links with current patients, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, raising concerns about the spread of the deadly disease. In a briefing, WHO said initial investigations into the cases by…
WHO to Switch to One Dose of Two-Dose Cholera Vaccine Amid Rising Outbreaks
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it will temporarily suspend the standard two-dose vaccination regimen for cholera, replacing it with a single dose due to vaccine shortages and rising outbreaks worldwide. The U.N. agency said "the exceptional decision reflects the grave state of the…