“Being in hospitals during the early days of COVID-19 was terrifying, like I was going to war. But as far as I’m concerned, those days are done, Danielle King, a nurse working in Luling, Louisiana, told VOA. “I think it’s pretty obvious that the pandemic was over a year ago,” she added. “The government’s lagging … continue reading -> “State, Local Agencies in US Prepare for End of COVID-19 Emergency”

Mohammed Azhar holds his baby niece next to a storm drain full of plastic and stinking black sludge, testament to India’s failure to treat nearly two-thirds of its urban sewage. “We stay inside our homes. We fall sick if we go out,” the 21-year-old told AFP in the Delhi neighborhood of Seelampur, where open gutters … continue reading -> “Dead Rivers, Flaming Lakes: India’s Sewage Failure”

China has approved the safety of a gene-edited soybean, its first approval of the technology in a crop, as the country increasingly looks to science to boost food production. The soybean, developed by privately owned Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co. Ltd., has two modified genes, significantly raising the level of healthy fat oleic acid in the … continue reading -> “China Approves Safety of Gene-Edited Soybean”

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be over as a global health emergency.    “However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said Friday. ‘This virus is here to stay. It is killing, and it is still changing. The risk remains … continue reading -> “WHO Declares End to COVID-19 as Global Health Emergency “

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. The announcement, made more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers a coda to … continue reading -> “WHO Downgrades COVID Pandemic, Says It’s No Longer Emergency”

Environmental groups sue the U.S. government over SpaceX’s launch license. Plus, a pair of spacewalks outside the International Space Station, and a glimpse at the destruction that scientists say awaits our home planet. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …

Global temperatures are likely to reach new highs this year with the predicted onset of El Nino, a natural occurring phenomenon typically associated with the warming of the planet. “The development of an El Nino will most likely lead to a new spike in global heating and increase the chance of breaking temperature records,” said … continue reading -> “El Nino Expected to Raise Global Temperatures  “

A panel of global health experts will meet Thursday to decide if COVID-19 is still an emergency under the World Health Organization’s rules, a status that helps maintain international focus on the pandemic. The WHO first gave COVID its highest level of alert on Jan. 30, 2020, and the panel has continued to apply the … continue reading -> “WHO Experts Weigh Whether World Ready to End COVID Emergency”

Providing further proof that U.S. children suffered significant learning loss when schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Assessment Governing Board released a report Wednesday that showed test scores measuring achievement in U.S. history and civics fell significantly between 2018 and 2022. The tests, part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), … continue reading -> “COVID-Related Learning Loss in US Mirrors Global Trend”

The United States approved the first vaccine for RSV on Wednesday, shots to protect older adults against a respiratory virus that’s most notorious for attacking babies but endangers their grandparents, too. The Food and Drug Administration decision makes GSK’s shot, called Arexvy, the first of several potential vaccines in the pipeline for RSV to be … continue reading -> “After Decades of Attempts, US Approves 1st Vaccine for RSV”

Companies with Brazilian forest concessions would be allowed to generate carbon credits under a bill passed by its Congress this week that marks a first step in regulating the country’s voluntary carbon market. Private firms have shown little interest in a government program that leases publicly owned forests for sustainable logging, but the legislation could … continue reading -> “Brazil Forest Bill Aims to Unlock Carbon Credit Market”

For the first time, scientists have caught a star in the act of swallowing a planet — not just a nibble or bite, but one big gulp. Astronomers on Wednesday reported their observations of what appeared to be a gas giant around the size of Jupiter or bigger being eaten by its star. The sun-like … continue reading -> “Star Gobbles Up Planet in One Big Bite”

Eli Lilly and Co. said Wednesday its experimental Alzheimer’s drug appeared to slow worsening of the mind-robbing disease in a large study. In the 18-month trial, people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s who received infusions of donanemab showed 35% less decline in thinking skills compared with those given a dummy drug, Lilly announced in … continue reading -> “Early Results Show Experimental Drug Slows Alzheimer’s, Says Maker”

Some 258 million people needed emergency food aid last year because of conflict, economic shocks and climate disasters, a U.N. report said Wednesday, a sharp rise from 193 million the previous year.    “More than a quarter of a billion people are now facing acute levels of hunger, and some are on the brink of starvation. … continue reading -> “258 Million Needed Urgent Food Aid in 2022: UN”

In a massive global crackdown on fentanyl trafficking on the darknet, U.S. law enforcement agencies and their international partners announced Tuesday the arrests of nearly 300 suspects and seizure of a large cache of drugs, cash, virtual currency and weapons. The law enforcement action, part of a two-year-old program known as Operation SpecTor, spanned three … continue reading -> “US Announces Massive Crackdown on Darknet Fentanyl Trafficking”

Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in a report from his … continue reading -> “Loneliness Poses Risks as Deadly as Smoking, US Surgeon General Says”

The president of upcoming U.N. climate talks Sultan Al Jaber on Tuesday called on participants to drastically ramp up their use of renewable energy ahead of the key summit in the United Arab Emirates later this year. The meeting in November needs “ambitious, transparent and accountable commitments from countries and businesses,” Al Jaber said in … continue reading -> “COP28 Chair Urges Tripling of Renewables Capacity by 2030”

Scientists said Monday they have found a way to use brain scans and artificial intelligence modeling to transcribe “the gist” of what people are thinking, in what was described as a step toward mind reading. While the main goal of the language decoder is to help people who have lost the ability to communicate, the … continue reading -> “Scientists Use Brain Scans and AI to ‘Decode’ Thoughts”

Almost a third of the nurses in the United States are considering leaving their profession after the COVID-19 pandemic left them overwhelmed and fatigued, according to a survey. The survey of over 18,000 nurses, conducted in January by AMN Healthcare Services Inc., showed on Monday that 30% of the participants are looking to quit their … continue reading -> “Report: One-Third of US Nurses Plan to Quit Profession”

Babies born to opioid users had shorter hospital stays and needed less medication when their care emphasized parent involvement, skin-to-skin contact and a quiet environment, researchers reported Sunday. Newborns were ready to go home about a week earlier compared to those getting standard care. Fewer received opioid medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms such as tremors … continue reading -> “Study Points to Better Care for Babies Born to Opioid Users”

Chinese authorities were preparing Sunday to release a man who disappeared three years ago after publicizing videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the COVID-19 outbreak, a relative and another person familiar with his case said. Fang Bin and other members of the public who were dubbed citizen journalists posted details of the pandemic in … continue reading -> “Chinese Man Who Reported on COVID to Be Released After 3 Years”

Turkey’s first astronaut will travel to the International Space Station by the end of the year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday. Air force pilot Alper Gezeravci, 43, was selected to be the first Turkish citizen in space. His backup is Tuva Cihangir Atasever, 30, an aviation systems engineer at Turkish defense contractor Roketsan. Erdogan … continue reading -> “Erdogan, Back on Election Trail, Unveils Turkey’s First Astronaut”

A walrus that became a global celebrity last year after it was seen frolicking and basking in a Oslo fjord before it was euthanized by the authorities has been honored with a bronze sculpture in Norway.  The life-size sculpture by Norwegian artist Astri Tonoian was unveiled Saturday at the Oslo marina not far from the … continue reading -> “Life-size Sculpture of Euthanized Walrus Unveiled in Norway”

By comparing the genetic blueprints of an array of animals, scientists are gaining new insights into our own species and all we share with other creatures.  One of the most striking revelations is that certain passages in the instructions for life have persisted across evolutionary time, representing a through line that binds all mammals – … continue reading -> “Zoonomia: Genetic Research Reveals All We Share with Animals”

While a clear majority of Americans still drink alcohol, many others choose to skip it.. As the US marks April as Alcohol Awareness month, the nondrinkers in Washington can head to a perfect bar, called Binge Bar – Washington’s first booze-free bar. Karina Bafradzhian has the story. Video: David Gogokhia …