U.S. authorities have asked telecom operators AT&T and Verizon to delay for up to two weeks their already postponed rollout of 5G networks amid uncertainty about interference with vital flight safety equipment. The U.S. rollout of the high-speed mobile broadband technology had been set for December 5, but was delayed to January 5 after aerospace … continue reading -> “US Seeks New 5G Delay to Study Interference with Planes”
India’s health ministry reported 22,775 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday, saying the new cases bring the country’s omicron variant count to 1,431. Public health officials, however, have warned that the country’s COVID-19 tallies are likely undercounted. The Sydney Morning Herald reported Saturday that paramedics in the Australian state of New South Wales had a … continue reading -> “Omicron Coronavirus Variant Sweeps Across the Globe”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday asked AT&T and Verizon Communications to delay the planned Jan. 5 introduction of new 5G wireless service over aviation safety concerns. In a letter Friday seen by Reuters, Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Steve Dickson asked AT&T Chief Executive John … continue reading -> “US Officials Ask AT&T, Verizon to Delay 5G Wireless Near Certain Airports”
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show will end a day earlier than planned, the organizer of the global technology and gadget show said, after companies including Amazon and General Motors dropped out of attending the Las Vegas event in person because of omicron concerns. “The step was taken as an additional safety measure to the current … continue reading -> “Omicron Surge Prompts CES to Trim a Day from Schedule”
Pakistan says it has administered 155 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Friday, fully vaccinating 70 million people, or 30% of the country’s total population, since launching the inoculation drive in February. The South Asian nation of about 220 million reported its first case in early 2020 and since then the pandemic has infected about … continue reading -> “Pakistan: 70 Million Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19”
Record snowfalls in the western United States that closed roads and caused flight delays also brought some good news for drought-hit California on Thursday, with officials saying the state’s snowpack is now well above normal. After a string of mountain blizzards, snowpack measured at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada stands at more than 200% … continue reading -> “Wet December Raises Some Hope for Drought-Stricken California”
South Africa has lifted a midnight-to-4 a.m. curfew on people’s movement, effective immediately, saying the country has passed the peak of its fourth COVID-19 wave driven by the omicron variant, a government statement said Thursday. However, wearing a face mask in public places remains mandatory. Failure to wear a mask in South Africa when required … continue reading -> “South Africa Lifts Curfew, Says COVID-19 Fourth Wave Peaked”
The top infectious disease expert in the United States is urging Americans to avoid taking part in mass New Year’s Eve celebrations as the nation continues to set record-breaking levels of daily new coronavirus infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. The U.S. posted 489,267 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, just … continue reading -> “Fauci: Skip Large New Year’s Eve Parties”
NASA successfully launched its much-anticipated next-generation space telescope. Now come weeks of nervousness for project scientists who can only hope the next steps go as planned. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. Produced by: Arash Arabasadi Camera : AP/ NASA TV/ PURDUE UNIVERSITY/ YOUTUBE NASA/ “ARMAGEDDON” / TOUCHSTONE PICTURES – JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS/ NASA JOHNS HOPKINS APL …
Iran has used a satellite launch rocket to send three research devices into space, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday, as indirect U.S.-Iran talks take place in Austria to try to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal. He did not clarify whether the devices had reached orbit. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile … continue reading -> “Iran Says Rocket Launch Sent 3 ‘Research Payloads’ Into Space “
Tidal waves and coastal erosion have submerged an entire fishing community on Ghana’s eastern coast. Many villagers had already been relocated from past tidal waves and have petitioned the government for a permanent solution. Senanu Tord reports from the village of Fuvemeh in Ghana. Camera: Senanu Tord …
The World Health Organization is warning that the rapid circulation of the omicron and delta variants of the coronavirus is leading to a tsunami of cases, severe disease and surging deaths among the unvaccinated. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that while science had led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, the global death toll … continue reading -> “WHO: Populism, Nationalism, Vaccine Hoarding Are Prolonging Pandemic”
The United States recorded more than 512,000 daily new coronavirus cases Tuesday – the single highest one-day number of cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data released by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center The one-day record coincides with a New York Times database showing the seven-day average of cases in the U.S. rose above 267,000 … continue reading -> “World Struggles With Rising COVID-19 Infections”
The growing issue of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is affecting coastal marine life, transporting many species to areas of the open ocean, surprising researchers. A group of U.S. and Canadian marine and environmental scientists were amazed to find that some species are thriving on plastic trash floating in the Pacific Ocean. The team … continue reading -> “Scientists Discover Coastal Marine Life Thriving on Plastic Ocean Trash”
Beijing on Tuesday accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two “close encounters” between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Tiangong, China’s new space station, had to maneuver to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and another in October, according to a note … continue reading -> “China Slams US Over Space Station’s ‘Close Encounters’ With SpaceX Satellites”
Researchers in South Africa have discovered that people who have been infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus develop enhanced immunity to the older delta variant. The conclusion is the result of a new study conducted at Durban-based Africa Health Research Institute involving 33 vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The scientists found that immunity against … continue reading -> “New Study Suggests Infection from Omicron Variant Can Enhance Immunity to Delta “
The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported. Last year’s flu season was the lowest on record, probably because COVID-19 measures — such as school closures, distancing, masks and canceled travel — prevented the spread of influenza or because the coronavirus … continue reading -> “Flu Is Making a Comeback in US After an Unusual Year Off”
For U.S. social media companies, the violent mob storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6 last year spurred action. They shut down then-President Donald Trump’s accounts. One year later, are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube any better prepared to face similar situations in the U.S. or in other countries? Michelle Quinn reports. Camera: Deana Mitchell Produced … continue reading -> “A Year After Booting Trump, Social Media Companies Face More Challenges Over Elections”
While the COVID-19 crisis dominated headlines for a second year, the climate crisis kept intensifying. VOA’s Steve Baragona has a look back at 2021’s major events in climate change. …
Doctors in Israel began administering a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Monday as part of a trial study to determine if the extra shot can boost immunity against the virus. The trial study involving about 150 staffers at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv comes just days after a special health advisory panel recommended that … continue reading -> “Israel Begins Clinical Trial of Fourth COVID-19 Vaccine Shot “
2021 was a historic year for all-things space … from the success of private spaceflight companies to robots exploring Mars in a road trip for the ages. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi beams us through the Year in Space. …
Australia’s most populous state reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and a sharp jump in hospitalizations while thousands of people were isolating at home after contracting the virus or coming into contact with someone who has. New South Wales reported 6,394 new infections, up from 6,288 a day earlier. Case numbers … continue reading -> “Australia’s New South Wales Sets Daily COVID Case Record”
Three members of the K-pop superstar group BTS have tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from abroad, their management agency said. RM and Jin were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday evening, the Big Hit Music agency said in a statement. It earlier said another member, Suga, tested positive for the virus on Friday. All … continue reading -> “3 Members of K-Pop Sensation BTS Diagnosed with COVID-19”
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, built to give the world a glimpse of the universe as it existed when the first galaxies formed, was launched by rocket early Saturday from South America’s northeastern coast, opening a new era of astronomy. The revolutionary $9 billion infrared telescope, hailed by NASA as the premiere space-science observatory of … continue reading -> “NASA’s Revolutionary New Space Telescope Launched From French Guiana”
Hundreds of thousands of people in the Philippines, Asia’s largest Roman Catholic nation, marked Christmas on Saturday without homes, adequate food and water, electricity and cellphone connections after a powerful typhoon left at least 375 people dead last week and devastated mostly central island provinces. Elsewhere, New Zealanders are celebrating Christmas in the warmth of … continue reading -> “Typhoon Misery in Philippines, Pandemic Dampen Christmas Joy”