Flying electric taxis, personal aircraft prepare for takeoff
Flying cars, long the dream of futurists, may finally be here. From California, Matt Dibble has our story about the rise of electric aircraft. ...
UN: Climate change wreaks havoc through large parts of Africa
GENEVA — United Nations aid agencies warn climate change is wreaking havoc throughout large parts of eastern and southern Africa, worsening the plight of millions of people struggling to survive conflict, poverty, hunger and disease. Since mid-April, El Nino-related heavy rainfall has led to extreme weather…
Stranded NASA Starliner pilots may return to Earth on SpaceX
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — What should have been a quick trip to the International Space Station may turn into an eight-month stay for two NASA astronauts if they have to switch from Boeing to SpaceX for a ride home. There's lingering uncertainty over the safety of…
Extreme heat in July debilitates hundreds of millions worldwide
GENEVA — Soaring temperatures in July have had detrimental effects on the well-being of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who have found the monthlong extreme heat too hot to handle, according to the World Meteorological Organization. “The extreme heat, which continued throughout July after a…
Great Barrier Reef waters spike to hottest in 400 years, study finds
WASHINGTON — Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef hit their highest level in 400 years over the past decade, according to researchers who warned that the reef likely won't survive if planetary warming isn't stopped. During that time, between 2016 and 2024, the Great Barrier…
WHO calls emergency meeting on mpox spread
Geneva — World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called an "emergency" meeting of international experts amidst growing worries over the mpox virus. With mpox spreading outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tedros said the WHO emergency committee would meet "as soon as…
Rural South Africans flock to Chinese classes
China’s Confucius Institutes teach Chinese around the world, but there’s more to them than that. VOA's Kate Bartlett visited a new one that is hundreds of kilometers outside the capital in rural South Africa that’s also focusing on green technology. Camera: Zaheer Cassim. ...
More than 120 people die in Tokyo from heatstroke in July
TOKYO — More than 120 people died of heatstroke in the Tokyo metropolitan area in July, when the nation's average temperature hit record highs and heat warnings were in effect much of the month, Japanese authorities said Tuesday. According to the Tokyo Medical Examiner's Office, many…
WHO: Governments unprepared to combat global COVID-19 surge
Geneva — The World Health Organization is warning that governments throughout the world are unprepared to combat the global surge of COVID-19, which is putting millions of people at risk of severe disease and death. “COVID-19 is still very much with us,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove,…
US-Australia talks focus on China’s ‘coercive behavior,’ climate change
WASHINGTON/SYDNEY — The United States and Australia kicked off high-level talks Tuesday that will focus on China's "coercive behavior," as well as the AUKUS nuclear submarine project, mounting tensions in the Middle East and climate change, officials said. The annual Australia-U.S. AUSMIN talks, taking place in…
Historic space mission commander tours South African schools
Esteemed American astronaut, geoscience professor and artist Sian Proctor is touring South African schools to emphasize the importance of education in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Her goal is to inspire students to pursue careers in the sciences and equip them for space jobs.…
Activists address reality of unsafe abortions in Kenya
Abortion is restricted in Kenya, but in Kilifi County on the southern coast many women and girls with unplanned pregnancies say they have no choice but to undergo dangerous abortions without the intervention of a nurse or doctor. Local activists say the practice is contributing…
Uganda’s breastmilk community saves babies’ lives
A community of breastfeeding women in Uganda is helping mothers who are struggling not to just feed their newborn babies, but to keep them alive. Halima Athumani and Mukasa Francis report from Uganda’s capital Kampala. ...
As mpox cases surge in Africa, few treatments and vaccines available
BANGUI, Central African Republic — African health officials said mpox cases have spiked by 160% so far this year, warning the risk of further spread is high given the lack of effective treatments or vaccines on the continent. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…
Heat deaths of people without air conditioning underscore inequity
PHOENIX, ARIZONA — Mexican farm worker Avelino Vazquez Navarro didn't have air conditioning in the motor home where he died last month in Washington state as temperatures surged into the triple digits. For the last dozen years, the 61-year-old spent much of the year working near…
Mexico City’s women water harvesters help make up for drought
MEXICO CITY — Gliding above her neighborhood in a cable car on a recent morning, Sonia Estefanía Palacios Díaz scanned a sea of blue and black water tanks, tubes and cables looking for rain harvesting systems. "There's one!" she said, pointing out a black tank hooked…
Rafah water facility demolition raises health risks in Gaza, UN says
GENEVA — U.N. agencies warn that the demolition of a critical water facility in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip increases the risk of infectious diseases as people are forced to drink unsafe water while sanitary conditions continue to deteriorate. “Until recently, that reservoir served thousands…
Urgent action needed to stop spread of drug-resistant malaria, scientists warn
The malaria parasite is showing signs of resistance to artemisinin, the main drug used to fight the disease, in parts of Africa. A new report warns of potentially millions more deaths without immediate health policy changes. Henry Ridgwell has more from Bangkok. ...
Galapagos Islands, many unique creatures at risk from warming waters
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador — Warm morning light reflects from the remains of a natural rock arch near Darwin Island, one of the most remote islands in the Galapagos. In clear, deep blue water, thousands of creatures — fish, hammerhead sharks, marine iguanas — move in search…
Blood tests could help diagnose Alzheimer’s, study finds
Washington — New blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately, researchers reported Sunday – but some appear to work far better than others. It’s tricky to tell if memory problems are caused by Alzheimer’s. That requires confirming one of the disease’s…
Climate change imperils drought-stricken Morocco’s cereal farmers, food supply
KENITRA, Morocco — Golden fields of wheat no longer produce the bounty they once did in Morocco. A six-year drought has imperiled the country's entire agriculture sector, including farmers who grow cereals and grains used to feed humans and livestock. The North African nation projects this…
World’s largest platypus conservation center welcomes first residents
sydney, australia — The world's largest platypus conservation center has welcomed its first residents as part of a project to protect the semi-aquatic mammal found only in Australia amid threats to its habitat from extreme weather and humans. The four platypuses — two females and two…
Judge’s ruling temporarily allows for unlicensed Native Hawaiian midwifery
HONOLULU — A Hawaii judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law requiring the licensing of practitioners and teachers of traditional Native Hawaiian midwifery while a lawsuit seeking to overturn the statute wends its way through the courts. Lawmakers enacted the midwife licensure law,…
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
washington — NASA's rover Perseverance on Mars has made what could be its most astonishing discovery to date: possible signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The six-wheeled robotic explorer came across an intriguing, arrow-shaped rock dubbed "Cheyava Falls" that may harbor fossilized microbes from…