Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 a month in 2022, one of the largest increases ever. Officials said Friday a new Alzheimer’s drug is responsible for about half of that. The increase guarantees that health care will gobble up a big chunk of the recently announced Social Security cost-of-living allowance, a boost … continue reading -> “Alzheimer’s Drug Cited as Medicare Premium Jumps by $21.60”
In Kansas City, Kansas, educators are opening an after-school mental health clinic staffed with school counselors and social workers. Schools in Paterson, New Jersey, have set up social emotional learning teams to identify students dealing with crises. Chicago is staffing up “care teams” with the mission of helping struggling students on its 500-plus campuses. With … continue reading -> “With US Aid Money, Schools Put Bigger Focus on Mental Health”
Africa is on the front line of climate change. Nowhere is this more evident than the Lake Chad Basin, which covers almost 8% of the continent and supports tens of millions of people. The United Nations says it has shrunk by 90% since the 1960s because of drought. The resulting competition for resources has caused … continue reading -> “COP26: African Youth Demand Rich Nations Fulfil Promises”
Several young African climate activists traveled thousands of miles to Glasgow, Scotland, to be part of the COP26 climate summit — and to convey their sense of urgency to world leaders. Henry Ridgwell spoke with some of them about their climate change experiences and what COP26 must deliver to help their communities back home. Camera: … continue reading -> “COP26: African Youth Demand Rich Nations Fulfill Promises”
A businessman who traveled to space with William Shatner last month was killed along with another person when the small plane they were in crashed in a wooded area of northern New Jersey, state police said. The space tourist, Glen M. de Vries, 49, of New York City, and Thomas P. Fischer, 54, of Hopatcong, … continue reading -> “Businessman Who Went to Space With Shatner Dies in Plane Crash”
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that Europe remains the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting 2 million new cases last week, the region’s highest number since the pandemic began. At a briefing in Geneva, the WHO chief said the region also reported nearly 27,000 deaths last week, more than half of … continue reading -> “Europe Reports 2 Million New COVID Cases”
Scientists in South Africa have discovered the first partial Homo Naledi child’s skull in one of the world’s richest hominin fossil sites. The discovery at a UNESCO World Heritage site near Johannesburg, called “Cradle of Humankind,” reveals that the non-human species performed rituals for their dead thousands of years ago, before humans did. For VOA, … continue reading -> “Fossil Discovery Offers More Evidence of Ritualistic Behavior by Extinct Hominins”
More than 22 million infants missed their first measles vaccine in 2020, according to a report by the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WHO said in a statement the 22 million tally was “the largest increase in two decades” and sets the stage for “creating dangerous conditions for outbreaks … continue reading -> “22 Million Infants Missed First Measles Vaccine In 2020”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday people have a duty to be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine as a way of protecting not only themselves, but others as well. She made the comments in a virtual conversation with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. COVID-19 … continue reading -> “Germany Reports Record Daily High of 50,000 New COVID Infections”
The contagious delta variant is driving up COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Mountain West and fueling disruptive outbreaks in the North, a worrisome sign of what could be ahead this winter in the U.S. While trends are improving in Florida, Texas and other Southern states that bore the worst of the summer surge, it’s clear that … continue reading -> “COVID-19 Hot Spots Offer Sign of What Could Be Ahead for US “
A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts pulled up Thursday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring. It took 21 hours for the flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the glittering outpost. The one German and three U.S. astronauts said it was an emotional moment when they first spotted the space station … continue reading -> “SpaceX Delivers New Crew of 4 to Station ‘Shining Like a Diamond’”
New York state legalized recreational marijuana use this year, just in time to host the annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition. Evgeny Maslov has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera – Michael Eckels. …
After making a promise on Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sold about 900,000 shares of the electric car maker’s stock, netting over $1.1 billion that will go toward paying tax obligations for stock options. The sales, disclosed in two regulatory filings late Wednesday, will cover tax obligations for stock options granted to Musk in … continue reading -> “After Promise, Musk Sells $1.1 Billion in Tesla Shares to Pay Taxes”
The United States and China surprised the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Wednesday with a joint declaration to take action to limit global warming over the next decade. The declaration came as delegates entered the final hours of negotiations to agree on a final text at the conference that will outline how the world … continue reading -> “US, China Surprise Climate Summit With Joint Declaration”
The International Space Station will perform a brief maneuver on Wednesday to dodge a fragment of a defunct Chinese satellite, Russian space agency Roscosmos said. The station crewed by seven astronauts will climb 1,240 meters higher to avoid a close encounter with the fragment and will settle in an orbit 470.7 km (292 miles) above … continue reading -> “International Space Station to Maneuver to Avoid Satellite Junk”
A coalition of 19 countries including Britain and the United States on Wednesday agreed to create zero emissions shipping trade routes between ports to speed up the decarbonization of the global maritime industry, officials involved said. Shipping, which transports about 90% of world trade, accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions. U.N. shipping … continue reading -> “Countries Agree to Create Green Shipping Lanes in Pursuit of Zero Carbon”
U.S.-based drugmaker Pfizer is seeking to make a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine available to all adult Americans 18 years of age and older. Pfizer filed the request Tuesday with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, citing a new clinical trial involving 10,000 volunteers who received a third injection of the two-dose vaccine, which it … continue reading -> “Pfizer Asks US Regulators to Expand Booster Shot of COVID-19 Vaccine to All Adult Americans”
White House officials are on a development-minded world tour and have been scouting several corners of the globe to identify about 50 projects that focus on topics such as climate, health, digital technology and gender equality. Daleep Singh, the deputy national security adviser for international economics, recently wrapped up a tour of West Africa, visiting … continue reading -> “‘Build Back Better World’ to Launch 50 Projects, White House Says”
NASA on Tuesday delayed putting astronauts back on the moon until 2025 at the earliest, missing the deadline set by the Trump administration. The space agency had been aiming for 2024 for the first moon landing by astronauts in a half-century. In announcing the delay, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Congress did not provide enough … continue reading -> “NASA Bumps Astronaut Moon Landing to 2025 at Earliest”
Facebook Inc. said on Tuesday it plans to remove detailed ad-targeting options that refer to “sensitive” topics, such as ads based on interactions with content around race, health, religious practices, political beliefs or sexual orientation. The company, which recently changed its name to Meta and which makes the vast majority of its revenue through digital … continue reading -> “Facebook Plans to Remove Thousands of Sensitive Ad-Targeting Options”
Thousands of people gathered Tuesday outside of New Zealand’s parliament building in the capital, Wellington, to protest the government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates and lockdowns intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 protesters marched through central Wellington carrying signs displaying various anti-mandate slogans, with many waving campaign flags of former U.S. president Donald Trump. Security personnel closed nearly all entrances to the parliament … continue reading -> “New Zealand Marchers Demand End to COVID-19 Lockdowns, Vaccine Mandates”
Four astronauts returned to Earth on Monday, riding home with SpaceX to end a 200-day space station mission that began last spring. Their capsule streaked through the late night sky like a dazzling meteor before parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Recovery boats quickly moved in with spotlights. “On behalf of … continue reading -> “SpaceX Returns 4 Astronauts to Earth, Ending 200-Day Flight”
Asian countries with some of the world’s largest yearly tropical forest losses have either not joined a new global pact to halt forest loss by the end of the decade or sparked doubts about their commitment after signing up. More than 120 countries joined the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use on November … continue reading -> “Asia’s Forest Loss Leaders Skip, Challenge Global Deforestation Pact”
Australia’s electric car industry has criticized the government’s new policy to build thousands of charging stations as “far too little, too late.” The Australian government Tuesday pledged $132 million to speed up the rollout of hydrogen refueling and electric charging stations. The Electric Vehicles Council says an Australian government plan to build electric vehicle charging stations and hydrogen-powered vehicle fueling stations doesn’t include subsidies, tax incentives or minimum fuel standards, … continue reading -> “Australia Plans Electric Car Boost With 50,000 New Home Charging Stations”
The World Food Program says it is seeking $65 million to ease food insecurity in Zimbabwe. The U.N. agency says its assessment shows that more than 5 million people in the southern African nation are looking at food shortages in coming months. Belinda Popovska, the WFP Zimbabwe spokeswoman, told VOA on Monday that the U.N. agency had started looking for funds to import food for … continue reading -> “WFP: $65 Million Needed to Ease Zimbabwe Food Insecurity”