Jan302020 by DmediaNo Comments

Wuhan Building Two Hospitals in Just Days

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A massive mobilization is underway in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Officials are racing to build two new medical centers from the ground up in a matter of days. A new coronavirus spreading from the city is flooding the country's health care system. Hospitals are overcrowded with sick people and those who think they may be infected. The new facilities aim to help carry the load. But experts say China's health care system faces long-term challenges. VOA's Steve Baragona has more. ...


Jan302020 by DmediaNo Comments

As Coronavirus Outbreak Expands, Airlines Suspend Flights to China

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The World Health Organization will decide Thursday whether to designate the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency, but countries are taking action. New travel warnings advise people to avoid nonessential travel to China, and airlines have begun suspending flights to cities in mainland China. For the millions of people now under lockdown in the outbreak zone, the immediate future remains uncertain. VOA’s Mariama Diallo has more.  VOA's Tatiana Vorozhko also contributed to this report. ...


Jan302020 by DmediaNo Comments

Nigeria’s Separated Conjoined Twins Live Normal Lives

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NASSARAWA, NIGERIA — Nigerian twin girls joined in the chest and abdominal regions are now living virtually normal lives, weeks after being successfully separated at the state-owned National Hospital.  Medical experts say the operation was the most complicated case of conjoined twins separation ever performed in Nigeria.An event in Abuja to announce the successful separation of seventeen-month-old Nigerian twin sisters, Goodness and Mercy, starts on a celebratory note.The mother of the twins, Mariam Martins, was not celebrating when she learned her girls were conjoined.  She said their condition was undetected during pregnancy."None of the scans showed that they were joined. The doctors didn't know that they were joined, they only told me that they're in one place and using one placenta," she said.Sorry, but your player cannot support embedded video…


Jan302020 by TechmanNo Comments

US Warns Information-Sharing at Risk as Britain Approves Huawei 5G Rollout

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned that the United States will only pass information across what he termed "trusted networks" and criticized close ally Britain over its decision to allow the Chinese firm Huawei to build parts of the country's 5G mobile network.  Speaking to reporters Wednesday en route to London, where he is due to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Pompeo said putting Huawei into the British system "creates a real risk."The top U.S. diplomat described Huawei as an extension of China's communist party that is obligated to hand over information to the party, adding that the Trump administration will evaluate Britain's decision. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters aboard his plane en route to London, Jan. 29, 2020."We will…


Jan292020 by DmediaNo Comments

Chinese Farmers, Supermarkets Race to Supply Food to Locked Down Wuhan

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China has told farmers to step up vegetable production, opened roads for delivery trucks and is punishing those trying to profit in order to keep feeding residents of the locked down city of Wuhan at the center of the new coronavirus outbreak.Authorities cut most transport links to the central Chinese city last week to try to halt the spread of the flu-like virus. Thousands of cases have been reported in China, with a small number in countries including the United States, Thailand and Singapore.The unprecedented move prompted people in the city of 11 million to rush to supermarkets to stock up on instant noodles, vegetables and whatever else they could put their hands on.Residents say there has yet to be an acute shortage of food, although shelves are cleared quickly…


Jan292020 by TechmanNo Comments

Investors, Entrepreneurs Meet in Silicon Valley to Discuss African Investment

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Barbara Birungi Mutabazi has a vision: Train Ugandan women to code and do other technology work."The beauty of this is that even if there are not enough jobs in Uganda, if you have the right skills, you can work for any organization around the world,” said Mutabazi, who runs Women in Technology, a skills-training organization in Uganda.Mutabazi recently attended the African Diaspora Investment Symposium to find investors and possible employers for the young women she trains. The event brought together entrepreneurs, investors and businesses to talk about the future of Africa business."The African Diaspora Network is trying to bring Africans and friends of Africa together to collaborate, create and to imagine possibilities for the continent,” said Almaz Negash, the founder and executive director of the African Diaspora Network and the…


Jan292020 by TechmanNo Comments

Singapore Prepares for Doctor Visits over Video Call

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In a 2017 episode of the TV show "The Good Wife," a doctor in Chicago is seen advising a dental surgery in Syria, over Skype. Such remote operations, part of an emerging sector known as telemedicine, is not only the stuff of televised fiction, but a real technology that is attracting increasing attention from business and government. That includes Singapore, which has introduced telemedicine legislation in a nation whose medical research and development already has impacts across borders.Telemedicine lawSingapore will regulate telemedicine businesses as part of its upcoming Healthcare Services Act 2020.These services already “have become increasingly popular and are poised to become a key feature of Singapore’s health care system,” said Marian Ho, a senior partner in the corporate division of Dentons Rodyk Singapore, a law firm.Regulate medical services…


Jan292020 by TechmanNo Comments

Leaked Report Shows United Nations Suffered Hack

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The United Nations has been hacked.An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by The Associated Press, says that dozens of servers were “compromised” at offices in Geneva and Vienna.Those include the U.N. human rights office, which has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for its calling-out of rights abuses.One U.N. official told the AP that the hack, which was first detected over the summer, appeared “sophisticated” and that the extent of the damage remains unclear, especially in terms of personal, secret or compromising information that may have been stolen. The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the episode, said systems have since been reinforced.The level of sophistication was so high that it…


Jan292020 by DmediaNo Comments

Americans Pass Health Test After Being Evacuated from China

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A plane evacuating more than 200 Americans from a Chinese city at the center of a virus outbreak continued Wednesday on to southern California after everyone aboard passed a health screening test in Anchorage, where the aircraft had stopped to refuel.All 201 passengers had already been through two screenings in China and were screened twice more in Anchorage by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One passenger received medical attention for a minor injury that happened before boarding the airplane in China, according to a news release from Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services.A nearly empty lobby at the North Terminal of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, is shown, Jan. 28, 2020.The U.S. government chartered the plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S.…


Jan292020 by DmediaNo Comments

Virus Outbreak Impacts Africans at Home and Abroad

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African nations are preparing for what experts believe is the inevitable emergence of cases of coronavirus on the continent. With growing economic ties and increased travel between the African continent and China, health professionals say they must be ready to treat and isolate cases.On Tuesday, Ethiopia announced it had quarantined three Ethiopian students and one Chinese student returning from a university in Wuhan, China. The students were stopped during a screening at the airport when it was discovered they had symptoms including sore throat and a cough.Dr. Munir Kassa, chief of staff for Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, said the country has been determined to stay ahead of the outbreak. Since the beginning of January, the Ethiopian government has communicated with the World Health Organization and the Chinese government for status…


Jan292020 by DmediaNo Comments

Source: Jet Carrying Americans from China Outbreak Zone Lands in US

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An airplane that a federal official said was evacuating as many as 240 Americans from a Chinese city at the center of a virus outbreak has landed in the U.S.The U.S. government chartered the plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, where the latest coronavirus outbreak started, and other U.S. citizens. The plane made a refueling stop in Alaska before flying on to Southern California, the U.S. Embassy in China has said.The white cargo plane with red and gold stripes and no passenger windows arrived at the mostly desolate North Terminal just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, local time.The jetway was extended from the end of the terminal, but it also had no windows. Passengers were not visible.Media were held in a concourse between the airport’s two…


Jan292020 by DmediaNo Comments

US, Japan Evacuate Citizens from China as Coronavirus Outbreak Toll Rises to 132

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The first evacuations of foreign nationals from China took place Wednesday as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak soared to 132 people.A chartered jet flew 206 Japanese nationals from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, to Tokyo's Haneda airport Wednesday.  Four passengers were taken to a hospital after complaining of feeling ill.  Medical personnel were on board the flight to screen the passengers before take-off and again when the plane landed.  The Associated Press says a chartered jet evacuated an unknown number of Americans out of Wuhan on a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where they will be re-screened for the virus.  Australia, New Zealand, France, Russia and other nations also have announced plans to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan this week.  In addition to the increased death toll,…


Jan282020 by TechmanNo Comments

Britain Grants China’s Huawei Limited Role in 5G Network Rollout

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Britain will allow China's Huawei Technologies Co. to help build the country's next-generation cellular network, dealing a blow to a U.S. campaign to launch a worldwide boycott of the telecom equipment giant.The British government said Tuesday it would permit Huawei to build less critical parts of the country's new high-speed 5G wireless network.The U.S. has campaigned against Huawei for more than a year, noting concerns about national security and the Chinese firm's relations with the country's Communist Party. On Tuesday, the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump discussed "critical regional and bilateral issues, including telecommunications security," during a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson."The United States is disappointed by the U.K.'s decision," said a senior Trump administration official Tuesday. "There is no safe option for untrusted vendors…


Jan282020 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO Warns Visitors Evacuated from China Could Spread Coronavirus

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The World Health Organization warns the evacuation of nationals from China to their home countries carries the risk of spreading the deadly coronavirus.  The WHO reports 4,428 cases of the disease in China, including 106 deaths. Another 45 cases are confirmed in 13 countries. WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is wrapping up several days of talks with China’s President Xi Jinping and other high-level officials in Beijing.  They have been discussing measures to protect the health of Chinese citizens and foreigners during the coronavirus outbreak.WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier says officials also have considered possible alternatives to the evacuation of foreigners from China to ensure no infections are imported back to their home countries.  He calls that a real possibility as the incubation period of the coronavirus is between one and 14…


Jan282020 by DmediaNo Comments

Australia Increases Border, Biosecurity Measures as Coronavirus Cases Spread

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At least five people in Australia have tested positive for the coronavirus.  The latest is a young Chinese student diagnosed in Sydney.  Australia is increasing its border and biosecurity measures. Medical authorities are warning it is likely there will be more confirmed cases in Australia of the potentially deadly coronavirus.  School children in New South Wales state have been told to stay away from class for two weeks if they have been in contact with a confirmed case of the disease.  Symptoms of the virus include fever, difficulty breathing and coughing.Children, wearing face masks, wait for their mother after arriving in Sydney, Jan. 23, 2020, from a flight from Wuhan, China.The coronavirus causes severe respiratory infection and there is no cure or vaccine.  Most of the deaths have been of those…


Jan282020 by DmediaNo Comments

Thai Tourism Industry on Alert to Stop Spread of Coronavirus

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Thailand has announced the 10th case of the coronavirus as government authorities say the outbreak is still under control. Meanwhile, Asian airlines such as Chinese Eastern Airline are still taking passengers home to China's epicenter in Wuhan, despite a ban on outgoing flights from the epicenter. Steve Sandford speaks to Asian tourism workers and government officials about the evolving crisis in southern Thailand in the midst of celebrations of the Chinese New Year.  ...


Jan282020 by DmediaNo Comments

Death Toll in China Coronavirus Outbreak Now Over 100

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The United States, Japan and other countries are sending planes to evacuate their citizens out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak that has now killed 106 people.Japan is sending a chartered jet to Wuhan Tuesday to evacuate about 200 of the 650 Japanese nationals in the city.  The United States is preparing to fly staff from its consulate in Wuhan, along with some American citizens, sometime this week.  France and other nations have also announced plans to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan.  Chinese health authorities announced an additional 25 deaths on Tuesday, including the first fatality reported in the capital city of Beijing.  The total number of confirmed cases in China now stands at well over 4,500.  Authorities have imposed a…


Jan282020 by DmediaNo Comments

With Equal Care, African American and White Men Have Same Prostate Cancer Survival

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When it comes to prostate cancer, African American men have similar survival rates to white counterparts if they have equal access to health care, a new study suggests.Earlier research has found African Americans are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as whites, and the reasons may include diagnosis when the disease is more advanced as well as differences in medical care.But the new study, which followed more than 60,000 men with prostate cancer getting care from the U.S. Veterans Administration Health System, found African American men did not have more advanced disease at diagnosis and did not die earlier than white men, researchers reported in Cancer."Throughout the U.S. population, African Americans usually have worse outcomes with prostate cancer," said the study's senior author Dr. Brent Rose of the…


Jan272020 by DmediaNo Comments

Countries Evacuating Nationals From China Virus Areas

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Countries around the world are planning to evacuate diplomatic staff and private citizens from Chinese areas hit by the new coronavirus, which is spreading quickly.Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in the Chinese province of Hubei, is the epicentre of the outbreak. Wuhan is in virtual lockdown and much of Hubei, home to nearly 60 million people, is under some kind of travel curb. Following are some countries' evacuation plans, and how they are planning to manage the health risk from those who are returning. * France expects to repatriate up to a few hundred of its 800 citizens living in the Wuhan area. Evacuees will have to spend 14 days in quarantine to avoid spreading the virus in France. * Japan is expected to arrange charter flights as…


Jan272020 by DmediaNo Comments

Countries Evaluate Evacuation of Citizens in Virus Epicenter

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Countries with citizens in the central Chinese city that's the epicenter of a viral outbreak are planning evacuations as the number of illnesses grow and China takes drastic measures to try to stop the spread of the virus.A look at steps being taken: — CHINA: The government cut transportation links to and from the city of Wuhan on Jan. 22 and has since expanded those controls to several nearby cities. Anyone traveling from Wuhan is required to register and quarantine themselves for 14 days — the virus' maximum incubation period. Hong Kong barred entry to travelers from Hubei province and told Hong Kong residents returning from the area to quarantine themselves at home.FILE - Pedestrians wear protective masks in Tokyo, Jan. 16, 2020.— JAPAN: Chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said 560…


Jan272020 by DmediaNo Comments

Expert: Second-Generation Coronavirus Could be More Deadly

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An expert in China warns that the new strain of virus originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan could be gaining strength and increasing its ability to transfer from one person to another. The coronavirus that is causing respiratory problems similar to pneumonia has sickened close to 3,000 people worldwide and killed at least 56 in China, prompting governments to come up with measures to protect their citizens. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports. ...


Jan272020 by DmediaNo Comments

Chinese Premier Visits Wuhan as Virus Death Toll Hits 80

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the city of Wuhan on Monday to meet with health officials and examine the response to the outbreak of a coronavirus that has killed 80 people.Wuhan is the center of the outbreak and people there and in several other cities face strict restrictions on movement as the government tries to prevent the virus from spreading.Officials took an extra step Sunday to extend the Lunar New Year holiday three extra days to cut down on group gatherings.The latest figures reported by Chinese health officials include more than 2,700 cases of people being sickened by the virus.Cases have also been reported in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.  The World Health Organization says…


Jan272020 by DmediaNo Comments

Workers Criticize Amazon on Climate Despite Risk to Jobs

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Hundreds of employees are openly criticizing Amazon's record on climate change despite what they say is a company policy that puts their jobs at risk for speaking out.On Sunday, more than 300 employees of the online retail giant signed their names and job titles to statements on blog post on Medium. The online protest was organized by a group called Amazon Employees For Climate Justice, an advocacy group founded by Amazon workers that earlier this month said the company had sent letters to its members threatening to fire them if they continued to speak to the press.   "It's our moral responsibility to speak up, and the changes to the communications policy are censoring us from exercising that responsibility," said Sarah Tracy, a software development engineer at Amazon, in a statement. …


Jan262020 by DmediaNo Comments

US to Evacuate ‘Limited’ Number of Americans from Wuhan

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Private American citizens living and working in Wuhan are being warned there will not be room for many of them on an evacuation flight being prepared for U.S. consular staff in the epicenter of the Coronavirus epidemic."The Department of State is making arrangements to relocate its personnel stationed at the U.S. Consulate General in Wuhan to the United States," the U.S. Embassy in Beijing wrote on Sunday, adding that the flight will travel directly from Wuhan to San Francisco."This capacity is extremely limited and if there is insufficient ability to transport everyone who expresses interest, priority will be given to individuals at greater risk from coronavirus," a statement said.An American citizen teaching at a university in Wuhan, who asked that her name not be used for fear of Chinese retribution,…


Jan262020 by DmediaNo Comments

UNHCR Welcomes Human Rights Committee’s Ruling on Climate Refugee

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The U.N. refugee agency welcomes a ruling by the U.N. Human Rights Committee this past week that people fleeing climate-related and natural disasters have a valid claim for international protection.The case in question concerns Ioane Teitiota, a man from the Pacific island of Kiribati, whose claim for protection as a climate refugee was denied by New Zealand.  The U.N. Human Rights Committee, which reviewed this case, agrees with that decision on the grounds that he was not at imminent risk.  Nevertheless, the committee says people should not be returned to their place of origin if it is shown that climate change is a threat to their right to life. The U.N. refugee agency hails this a landmark decision.  UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic says the decision has potentially far-reaching implications for…


Jan262020 by DmediaNo Comments

Most Efficient Source of Fuel May Be Tiniest Organism

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Algae often gets a bad rap -- for creating dead zones in the ocean and toxic pond scum when the "wrong" algae blooms. But algae has a talent people need: as a crop it can provide carbon-neutral fuels, foods and products, even in salty water, even in the desert. To make algae products a reality, scientists at “NREL,” the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado, are unlocking algae’s secrets. Shelley Schlender in Boulder, Colorado, has more. ...


Jan252020 by DmediaNo Comments

Spacewalking Astronauts Plug Leak in Cosmic Ray Detector 

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Spacewalking astronauts plugged a leak in a cosmic ray detector outside the International Space Station on Saturday, bringing it another step closer to new life. It was the fourth spacewalk since November for NASA's Andrew Morgan and Italy's Luca Parmitano to fix the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. They installed new coolant pumps last month to revive the instrument's crippled cooling system and needed to check for any leaks in the plumbing. Parmitano quickly discovered a leak in one of the eight coolant lines — the first one he tested — and tightened the fitting. Our day just got a little more challenging,'' Mission Control observed. The line still leaked after a mandatory one-hour wait, and Parmitano tightened it again. Finally, success — the leak was gone.Let us all take a breath,'' Mission Control urged.…