The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing a limit on the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes with an aim to make it easier for people to quit using them and to prevent young people who experiment with cigarettes from becoming addicted.  The proposed limit appeared Tuesday among a number of actions the Biden … continue reading -> “US Considering Limiting Nicotine in Cigarettes “

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook Taiwan on Monday morning. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.  The quake struck at 9:05 a.m. at a depth of 6.8 kilometers (4.2 miles) in Hualien county, halfway down the east coast of the island, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said.  It was felt across most of the … continue reading -> “Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Shakes Central Taiwan Coast “

New York City is making a push to give city workers fired earlier this year for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine a chance to get their old jobs back — if they get fully vaccinated. In February, Mayor Eric Adams fired more than 1,400 workers who failed to comply with the vaccine mandate put in … continue reading -> “New York Pushes to Get Fired Workers Vaccinated, Rehired “

The U.S. on Saturday opened COVID-19 vaccines to infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The shots will become available next week, expanding the nation’s vaccination campaign to children as young as 6 months. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccines for the littlest children, and the final signoff came hours later from … continue reading -> “US Opens COVID Vaccine to Little Kids; Shots Begin Next Week”

The World Health Organization is calling for a radical change in the treatment of mental health disorders, saying existing care systems are largely ineffective and often abusive.  Nearly a billion people were living with a mental disorder in 2019. That number has grown, with new data showing conditions such as depression and anxiety increasing by … continue reading -> “Treatment Found Wanting for Growing Mental Health Disorders”

Weather disasters that happen more often because of climate change create conditions in which gender-based violence often spikes, according to new research.     The study, published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, reviewed research from five continents and found increased violence against women and girls in the aftermath of floods, droughts, hurricanes and other … continue reading -> “Climate Change Could Intensify Violence Against Women, Study Says”

More than 1,600 confirmed monkeypox cases and almost 1,500 suspected cases have been reported this year from seven countries where monkeypox has been detected for years and 32 newly affected countries, according to the World Health Organization director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Europe remains the epicenter of this escalating outbreak,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, … continue reading -> “WHO Meeting on Monkeypox Outbreak, Disease Name Change”

People infected with the earliest version of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, first identified in South Africa in November, may be vulnerable to reinfection with later versions of omicron even if they have been vaccinated and boosted, new findings suggest. Vaccinated patients with omicron BA.1 breakthrough infections developed antibodies that could neutralize that virus … continue reading -> “Early Omicron Infection Unlikely to Protect Against Current Variants”

Many people are trying to live more eco-friendly lives. But what about more eco-friendly deaths? For VOA, Svitlana Prystynska introduces us to the business of corpse composting. First, a caution: Some may find the subject matter disturbing. …

In marking the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the United Nations is calling for better land management and regreening initiatives to tackle the twin disasters.  Europe is struggling with an unusually early and intense heat wave, which has spread from North Africa. That has been preceded by a prolonged heat wave in India … continue reading -> “Hundreds of Millions of People Affected by Drought, Desertification”

Abortion providers in some places where the procedure could be banned if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade are bracing for a ruling by halting scheduling for the procedure, transitioning staff to help patients travel to other states and creating networks of clinics that will span across regions of the country. Planned Parenthood … continue reading -> “Some US Clinics Halting Abortions While Bracing for Roe’s Fall”

Data from a European space observatory tells the history of our galaxy and may even predict its future. Plus, the full moon was as close to Earth as it will be this year, and a look back at a true space pioneer. VOA’s Arash  Arabasadi  brings us The Week in Space. …

During the early months of the pandemic, the Chinese government developed a color-coded smartphone app to track the movement of people in its effort to control the spread of COVID-19 and implement its zero-COVID policy. This week, however, media reports surfaced that authorities in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, were now using the required … continue reading -> “Reports: Chinese Authorities Using COVID-Tracking App to Thwart Protesters”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday released new warnings about synthetic pollutants in drinking water known as “forever chemicals,” saying the toxins can still be harmful even at levels so low they are not detectable.  The family of toxic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been used for decades in … continue reading -> “US Issues New Warnings on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water”

COVID-19 shots for U.S. infants, toddlers and preschoolers moved a step closer Wednesday.  The Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine advisers gave a thumbs-up to Moderna’s two shots for the littlest kids. The panel is set to vote later Wednesday on whether to also recommend Pfizer’s three-shot series for those youngsters.  The outside experts voted … continue reading -> “FDA Advisers Move COVID-19 Shots Closer for Kids Under 5”

Phil and Kristie Graves are a U.S.couple from Maryland and parents of three biological children and an adopted girl with special needs from Armenia. Recently, they decided to adopt a six-year-old girl with special needs from Ukraine. But that was before the Russian invasion. Anush Avetisyan has the story. Videographer: Dmytri Shakhov   …

A massive, fast-growing black hole, more luminous than previously discovered phenomena, has been discovered by an international team led by astronomers in Australia. Scientists say the black hole consumes the equivalent of one Earth every second and shines 7,000 times brighter than all the light from our own galaxy. Researchers were looking for unusual stars … continue reading -> “Australian-Led Team Discovers Supermassive Black Hole”

A dangerous heat wave hit much of the Midwest and South on Tuesday, with temperatures hitting triple digits in Chicago and combining with the humidity to make it feel even hotter there and in other sweltering cities.  More than 100 million people were expected to be affected by midweek, and authorities warned residents to stay … continue reading -> “Dangerous Heat Wave Descends on Parts of Midwest and South “

A government advisory panel Tuesday endorsed a second brand of COVID-19 vaccine for school-age children and teens. The Food and Drug Administration’s outside experts voted unanimously that Moderna’s vaccine is safe and effective enough to give to kids ages 6 to 17. If the FDA agrees, it would become the second option for those children, … continue reading -> “FDA Advisers Back Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine for Older Kids”

Microscopic air pollution caused mostly by burning fossil fuels shortens lives worldwide by more than two years, researchers reported Tuesday. Across South Asia, the average person would live five years longer if levels of fine particulate matter met World Health Organization standards, according to a report from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute. In … continue reading -> “Polluted Air Cuts Global Life Expectancy by 2 Years”

After cooking for decades on earthen stoves lit with firewood, women in Sarmathla village in India’s northern Haryana state were excited when they received cooking gas stoves and connections about five years ago. The gas cylinders which use liquified petroleum gas (LPG) meant that they would not have to collect firewood and breathe in the … continue reading -> “In Rural India, Soaring Cooking Gas Prices Reverse Gains in Tackling Deadly Kitchen Smoke “

British health officials have detected another 104 cases of monkeypox in England in what has become the biggest outbreak beyond Africa of the normally rare disease. The U.K.’s Health Security Agency said Monday there were now 470 cases of monkeypox across the country, with the vast majority in gay or bisexual men. Scientists warn that … continue reading -> “UK Reports 104 More Cases of Monkeypox, Mostly in Men”

U.S. health officials are working to expand capabilities to test for monkeypox beyond a narrow group of public health labs, heeding calls from infectious-disease experts who say testing for the virus needs to become part of routine care.  Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said during a … continue reading -> “US Seeks to Expand Monkeypox Testing as Cases Rise “

On Thursday, the first shipments of Australian baby formula landed in the U.S. Yet the shortage continues, with women going to extreme measures to feed their babies, including buying breast milk from strangers on social media. Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports. …

NASA is officially joining the hunt for UFOs.  The space agency on Thursday announced a new study that will recruit leading scientists to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) — a subject that has long fascinated the public and recently gained high-level attention from Congress.  The project will begin early this fall and last around nine … continue reading -> “NASA Tackles ‘Perplexing’ Mystery of UFOs”