Los Angeles County dropped a plan to impose a universal indoor mask mandate this week as COVID-19 infections and rates of hospitalizations have stabilized, a top health official said Thursday. Health director Barbara Ferrer said two weeks ago that the nation’s most populous county could again require face coverings if trends in hospital admissions continued … continue reading -> “Los Angeles County Avoids New Mask Rule as COVID Stabilizes”
President Joe Biden’s administration is launching a renewed push for COVID-19 booster shots for those eligible, pointing to the enhanced protections they offer against severe illness as the highly transmissible BA.5 variant spreads across the country. The initiatives include direct outreach to high-risk groups, especially seniors, encouraging them to get “up to date” on their … continue reading -> “After Biden COVID Recovery, White House Launches New Booster Push “
Russia announces plans to sever a long-term space partnership. Plus, a private spaceflight company extends its record of successful launches, and NASA scores a win for its upcoming moon mission. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
The World Health Organization is calling for greater investment in the development of new vaccines to keep pace with the rapidly evolving variants of the coronavirus. As world attention is focused on the monkeypox outbreak, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. He says new tools must be developed … continue reading -> “WHO: New Vaccines Must be Developed to Keep Pace With COVID Variants”
Every week, tons of electronic waste cross the border from Israel to the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian families make a living off the waste by burning it to extract copper they can sell. But the burning is taking a toll on residents’ health. Linda Gradstein reports. Camera: Ricki Rosen. …
Twitter Inc. does not object to Elon Musk’s proposal to start a trial on October 17 over Musk’s bid to walk away from his $44 billion acquisition deal but the social media company wants a commitment to complete the trial in five days, Twitter said in a court filing on Wednesday. Musk has said he … continue reading -> “Twitter Accepts Oct. 17 Trial but Is Concerned Musk Will Try to Delay”
Meta Platforms Inc. issued a gloomy forecast after recording its first ever quarterly drop in revenue Wednesday, with recession fears and competitive pressures weighing on its digital ads sales. Shares of the Menlo Park, California-based company were down about 4.6% in extended trading. The company said it expected third-quarter revenue to be in the range … continue reading -> “Meta Posts First Revenue Drop as Inflation Throttles Ad Sales”
Located on the rooftops of commercial skyscrapers, apartment buildings and warehouses, micro solar plants are starting to play a larger role in America’s quest for a green electrical grid. Aron Ranen reports from New York City. …
Black women and Native American women are more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women in America, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vice President Kamala Harris has made maternal health a key piece of her domestic policy agenda. For Wanda Irving, whose daughter died after giving birth, a … continue reading -> “There’s a Maternal Health Care Crisis in America”
The U.S. Senate has passed a $280 billion initiative that would boost domestic production of microchips and provide support for a key industry that competes with overseas countries including China. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. …
The United Nations AIDS program says progress is stalling on ending HIV/AIDS as a public health crisis by 2030 and action is needed to get it back on track. The UNAIDS program issued its assessment in a new report pointing to recent data that showed 1.5 million people were newly infected with HIV, the virus … continue reading -> “New Report: Millions of Lives at Risk from Surging HIV/AIDS Epidemic”
When images beamed back to Earth by NASA’s largest, most powerful space telescope were released earlier this month, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio shared one of them on Twitter accompanied by a Bible verse: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” The Webb telescope is orbiting the sun nearly two million kilometers from Earth. The observatory … continue reading -> “Are Webb Telescope Discoveries a Marvel of Science, God or Both?”
On the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. remains one of a handful of countries that have not ratified the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) — an international treaty the U.S. legislation inspired. The ADA, signed into law by President George H.W. … continue reading -> “32 Years After US Disabilities Act, No Plans to Ratify UN Treaty It Inspired”
Aid workers say deep poverty and harsh living conditions lead to hopelessness among Idlib’s youth …
The World Health Organization is urging people who may have been exposed to or at risk of monkeypox to get vaccinated against the disease as a preventive measure. Since it declared monkeypox a global health threat last week, the WHO says the disease has continued to spread around the world, with cases topping 16,000 in … continue reading -> “WHO: People Exposed To or At Risk of Monkeypox Should Be Vaccinated”
The U.S. Senate voted 64-32 on Tuesday to advance legislation to dramatically boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing in a bid to make the domestic industry more competitive with China. The legislation provides about $52 billion in government subsidies for U.S. semiconductor production as well as an investment tax credit for chip plants estimated to be worth … continue reading -> “US Senate Votes to Advance Sweeping Semiconductor Industry Bill”
Russia said Tuesday it will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024 to build its own orbiting outpost. The country’s space chief made the announcement during a meeting with President Vladmir Putin. Yuri Borisov, CEO of state space agency Roscosmos, said during the meeting that Russia plans to fulfill a promise to its … continue reading -> “Russia Pulling Out of International Space Station”
White House ramping up monkeypox testing, treatment and vaccines …
Regional authorities, medical professionals and residents of Ethiopia’s Afar region say they are in dire need of medical aid with hundreds of hospitals and health centers destroyed by conflict. The World Health Organization says it is struggling to fulfill the country’s needs as crises around the world intensify. Henry Wilkins reports from Berhale, Ethiopia. …
A report Monday in the British newspaper The Guardian said a growing number of people in the Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda are registering in health centers for non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, that are usually seen in older people and in urban areas. Examples cited in the paper included a hypertensive 6-year-old, a 2-year-old with … continue reading -> “Reports: Refugees in Rwanda Suffering from ‘Urban’ Disease”
A bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States has managed to do nearly the unthinkable — unite the democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and the fiscally conservative right. The bill making its way through the Senate is a top priority of the Biden administration. It would add about $79 billion to the deficit … continue reading -> “Semiconductor Bill Unites US Politicians From Left, Right — in Opposition”
Virtually all the contiguous United States experienced above normal temperatures in the past week, with more dangerously hot weather forecast. The U.S. heat wave followed record heat that killed hundreds if not thousands of people and sparked wildfires in Europe. Following is an explanation of what is causing the heat waves, according to scientists. What … continue reading -> “Explainer -What Is Behind Heat Waves Affecting United States? “
China on Sunday launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station, in one of the final missions needed to complete the orbiting outpost by year’s end. A live feed on state broadcaster CCTV showed the 23-ton Wentian (“Quest for the Heavens”) laboratory module launching on the back of China’s most powerful rocket, … continue reading -> “China Launches Second Space Station Module, Wentian”
Maverick’s next wingman could be a drone. In the movies, fighter pilots are depicted as highly trained military aviators with the skills and experience to defeat adversaries in thrilling aerial dogfights. New technologies, though, are set to redefine what it means to be a “Top Gun,” as algorithms, data and machines take on a bigger … continue reading -> “Tomorrow’s ‘Top Gun’ Might Have Drone Wingman, Use AI”
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus used his authority Saturday to declare Monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. The action comes after an Emergency Committee convened to review the situation was unable to reach consensus. When the Emergency Committee last met a month ago, more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox in 47 … continue reading -> “Monkeypox Declared Global Health Emergency”