Worldwide news - Page 187 of 411

Jun42021 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO: Threat of Third COVID Wave in Africa ‘Real and Rising’

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“The threat of a third wave” of COVID-19 in Africa is “real and rising,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization regional director for Africa, told a virtual news conference Thursday.“While many countries outside Africa have now vaccinated their high-priority groups and are able to…

Jun42021 by DmediaNo Comments

Japan Donates More Than 1 Million AstraZeneca Jabs to Taiwan

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Tokyo is donating more than 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines to Taiwan, Japan's foreign minister announced Friday, as Taipei struggles to secure jabs, accusing China of interference.The move is likely to stir controversy with Beijing, which views democratic and self-ruled Taiwan as…

Jun42021 by TechmanNo Comments

Reports: Facebook to End Rule Exemptions for Politicians

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Facebook plans to end a contentious policy championed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg that exempted politicians from certain moderation rules on its site, according to several news reports.The company's rationale for that policy held that the speech of political leaders is inherently newsworthy and in the…

Jun42021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Announces COVID Vaccine Donation to COVAX

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The White House has announced it will deliver the bulk of its first 25 million donated doses of COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX, the United Nations-backed program delivering vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. That's according to a White House announcement on Thursday. It's part of…

Jun42021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Traffic Deaths Soar to 38,680 in 2020; Highest Yearly Total Since 2007

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U.S. traffic deaths soared after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020, hitting the highest yearly total since 2007 as more Americans engaged in unsafe behavior on U.S. roads, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday.For all of 2020, 38,680 people died on U.S. roads,…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

China Aims to Vaccinate 80% of 1.4 Billion Population by Year’s End

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China says it hopes to have 80% of its 1.4 billion citizens vaccinated by the end of the year.As of Wednesday, China had administered an estimated 704 million doses, mostly in May, according to The Associated Press.The AP also reported that China is providing about 19 million…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

Rate of HIV Infections in US Fell by 73% from 1981 to 2019: Study

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New annual infections with HIV fell by 73% between 1981 and 2019, according to a new analysis by U.S. health authorities released Thursday.But the proportion of infected minority Black and Latino people has risen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

Bahrain Offers Pfizer-BioNTech Boosters to Those Previously Vaccinated with Chinese Shot

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Just six months after receiving two shots of China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, some people in Bahrain are being offered booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.The decision to mix vaccines comes as the Gulf state is experiencing a wave of virus infections despite having a very…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

‘Lucky strike’ Pierces ISS, and NASA Reveals Plans for Venus

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Space junk finally hits its mark. Plus, NASA now eyes Venus after its first major flight issue on Mars. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space.Produced by: Arash Arabasadi ...

Jun32021 by TechmanNo Comments

Twitter Announces New Premium Services

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Twitter announced a new premium service for users in Canada and Australia that allows paying users to adjust tweets, among other features.Called Twitter Blue, the service allows users to preview and modify a tweet up to 30 seconds before publishing it. Users can also bookmark…

Jun32021 by TechmanNo Comments

White House Urges US Companies to Protect Against Ransomware

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The White House on Thursday urged American businesses to take new precautions to combat disruptive ransomware attacks that have increasingly hobbled companies throughout Western economies.Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden’s press secretary, urged private industry to harden access to their computer systems, saying the government "can't…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

US Announces Plan to Share 80 Million Excess Vaccine Doses

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The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will share 80 million excess doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of June, with FILE - A health worker talks to colleagues as they prepare to receive a coronavirus vaccine at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi,…

Jun32021 by TechmanNo Comments

EU Introduces ‘Digital Wallet’ to Store Official Documents

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The European Union (EU) Thursday unveiled its plans for a digital ID wallet that would hold all official documents residents would need to allow them access to the information at home or anywhere across the 27-nation bloc. At a news briefing on the proposal…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

G-7 Health Ministers to Meet on Vaccine Sharing

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Britain is hosting a two-day summit of health ministers from the Group of Seven nations, with a focus on sharing vaccines and better identifying threats to global health security. The talks in Oxford on Thursday and Friday come ahead of a summit of G-7 leaders next…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

ASMR Videos Are New Way to Fight Stress

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YouTube videos that cause an autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, are likely something school-age kids know all about. Their parents? Not so much. Karina Bafradzhian looks at a new trend that some people say helps them deal with pandemic-induced stress. Camera: David Gogokhia …

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

WHO Secures $2.4 Billion for Global COVID-19 Vaccine Sharing

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The World Health Organization’s program to secure and distribute billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world's poorest countries has received a major financial boost. The COVAX initiative received nearly $2.4 billion in pledges Wednesday during a virtual summit hosted by Japan, which made…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

Slow to Start, China Mobilizes to Vaccinate at Headlong Pace

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In the span of just five days last month, China gave out 100 million shots of its COVID-19 vaccines.After a slow start, China is now doing what virtually no other country in the world can: harnessing the power and all-encompassing reach of its one-party system…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

Science Chief Wants Next Pandemic Vaccine Ready in 100 Days

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The new White House science adviser hopes that for the next pandemic, a vaccine will be ready in 100 days. Eric Lander tells The Associated Press in his first interview since he was sworn in that he’s pushing for better preparedness for the next pandemic. He says that…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

Biden Aims to Vaccinate 70% of US Adults by July 4

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President Joe Biden is launching a monthlong nationwide push to get 70% of American adults vaccinated by Independence Day on July 4. But the administration has not yet outlined its vaccine-sharing strategy with the rest of the world. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

Biden Calls for a Country United by COVID-19 Vaccinations

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U.S. President Joe Biden is concerned about the nation splitting into two groups: the vaccinated and the unvaccinated."I don't want to see the country that is already too divided become divided in a new way, between places where people live free from fear of COVID,…

Jun32021 by DmediaNo Comments

NASA Picks Venus as Hot Spot for Two New Robotic Missions

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NASA is returning to sizzling Venus, our closest yet perhaps most overlooked neighbor, after decades of exploring other worlds.The space agency's new administrator, Bill Nelson, announced two new robotic missions to the solar system's hottest planet, during his first major address to employees Wednesday."These two…

Jun22021 by DmediaNo Comments

Hundreds of Lakes in US, Europe Losing Oxygen, Study Finds

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Oxygen levels have dropped in hundreds of lakes in the United States and Europe over the last four decades, a new study found. And the authors said declining oxygen could lead to increased fish kills, algal blooms and methane emissions. Researchers examined the…

Jun22021 by DmediaNo Comments

Zimbabweans Protest COVID-19 Vaccine Shortages

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Hundreds of Zimbabweans protested Wednesday about a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as the country awaits more doses from China. The government wants to inoculate at least 60% of Zimbabwe's more than 14 million people by the end of the year but has struggled to get the…

Jun22021 by DmediaNo Comments

Australia’s MAVIS Super Telescope Aims to Outdo NASA’s Hubble

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Australian scientists are leading an international consortium that is building one of the world’s most powerful ground-based telescopes. It promises to see further and clearer than the Hubble Space Telescope and unlock mysteries of the early Universe.The telescope is called MAVIS, or Multi-conjugate-adaptive-optics Assisted Visible…

Jun22021 by TechmanNo Comments

South Korea Adopts Smart Technology on Public Transportation for Visually Impaired

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Cities around the world are installing new technology that connects to the personal devices of pedestrians, drivers, and riders on public transportation. Some cities are using these systems to make transportation easier for people with disabilities, such as those who are blind. For VOA, Jason…

Jun22021 by DmediaNo Comments

Melbourne Extends COVID-19 Lockdown for Another Week

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Authorities in Australia’s southern state of Victoria have extended a one-week lockdown for its capital, Melbourne, to contain the spread of a new COVID-19 outbreak. The lockdown was initially imposed across the entire state last week after health officials detected a highly infectious variant of the…

Jun22021 by DmediaNo Comments

Biden Admin Halts Oil Drilling in Alaska Wildlife Refuge

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US President Joe Biden's administration announced Tuesday it was halting petroleum development activity in the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a move by former president Donald Trump to allow drilling. The Interior Department said it was notifying firms of the freeze, pending a comprehensive environmental…

Jun12021 by TechmanNo Comments

New Smart Tech Helps Visually Impaired South Koreans Increase Mobility

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South Korea’s second largest city is using new, inclusive technology to bring down barriers to mobility for people who are blind.Park Hyoung-bae glides his long, white cane along a strip of raised yellow blocks that form a trail through an underground metro station. The tactile…