Somalia’s indirect election of lawmakers, expected to begin Sunday, was delayed once again as regional parliaments were not ready. No new date was set for the Somali upper house elections. Authorities said the vote did not take place because the five state leaders failed to submit a list of the final candidates. They also said … continue reading -> “Somali Elections Delayed Again; No New Date Set”
The number of known deaths from COVID-19 has passed 4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking both cases and deaths. In the past 100 years, there have been flu and cholera epidemics, the AIDS epidemic and multiple other diseases around the world. VOA’s Carol Pearson says the latest research shows many epidemics … continue reading -> “Epidemics Don’t Have to Happen, Expert Says”
With Europe’s rise in coronavirus infections accelerating, more governments are seeking ways to force the unvaccinated, mainly in their twenties and thirties, to get inoculated, and avoid a return to lockdowns. Italy and Britain have followed France’s lead in planning or imposing restrictions on the unvaccinated. The moves prompted street protests in both countries Sunday … continue reading -> “Europe Makes New Vaccination Push to Counter Rising COVID Cases”
Tunisian troops blocked the head of parliament from entering the building early Monday, hours after President Kais Saied announced he had fired Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days. Saied said he was acting in response to the country’s economic woes and political deadlock and added that the country’s constitution gave him that authority. Rached Ghannouchi, the parliament speaker … continue reading -> “Tunisia’s President Suspends Parliament”
Police in Australia have warned that more anti-lockdown protests won’t be tolerated after thousands of people defied COVID-19 public health orders in Sydney Saturday. Health officials fear the illegal demonstration could become a super-spreader event as an outbreak of the delta variant in Sydney gets worse. The hunt for the ringleaders of Saturday’s anti-lockdown demonstrations in Sydney is … continue reading -> “Australian Police Warn of Mass Arrests if Anti-Lockdown Protesters Return to Sydney”
Myanmar’s economy is forecast to shrink by 18% as it grapples with the coronavirus and the political turmoil unleashed by a coup, the World Bank said Monday. The contracting economy threatens millions with poverty, joblessness and hunger. A decade ago, the Southeast Asian nation was seen as a promising frontier market. Its military began to slacken its grip, the economy opened up to the outside world for the first time in decades and … continue reading -> “World Bank: Coup and Coronavirus Shrink Myanmar’s Economy by 18%”
A look at the best news photos from around the world …
After much lobbying, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will not appear on a list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites. Environmentalists call this a “terrible” decision fueled by political pressure. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports. …
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, sounded new alarms Sunday about the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, especially in regions where people have been resistant to getting vaccinated even as the delta variant spreads rapidly.“We’re going in the wrong direction,” Fauci said on CNN’s “State of the Union” show. “Fifty … continue reading -> “Fauci Sounds New Virus Warnings”
Zimbabwe on Sunday received one million SINOVAC vaccines it bought from China as the African country battles to meet the demand for the COVID-19 jabs. Zimbabweans want to get vaccinated to beat a third wave facing the country. After the arrival of the doses from China on Sunday, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told reporters that … continue reading -> “Zimbabwe Receives COVID-19 Vaccines from China Amid Fears of Third Wave”
On this first World Drowning Prevention Day, the World Health Organization offers life-saving solutions to prevent most of the 236,000 estimated deaths from drowning every year. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in April establishing this international day to raise awareness of drowning as a serious problem.Summertime has been celebrated in song as … continue reading -> “Most Deaths from Drowning Are Preventable”
Experts have said that rare footage of an endangered marsupial in outback Australia is a sign that native animals are beginning to recover from years of feral cat predation. Feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia, according to federal environment officials. The opportunistic predators have caused the extinction of some … continue reading -> “Marsupial Resurgence in Outback Australia”
On the eve of the funeral for slain Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, host Carol Castiel and assistant producer at the Current Affairs Desk, Sydney Sherry, speak with Haiti expert Georges Fauriol, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and fellow at the Caribbean Policy Consortium, about the chaos following Moïse’s assassination, … continue reading -> “Haiti Update”
Tens of thousands of people protested in Australia, France, Italy and Greece on Saturday, sparking clashes with police as they railed against COVID-19 measures and government sanctions against the unvaccinated aimed at prodding more people into getting their shots.Dozens of protesters were arrested after an unauthorized march in Sydney, with the city’s police minister calling … continue reading -> “Thousands Around Globe Protest COVID-19 Shots, Lockdowns”
Scores of wildfires raging across forest and scrubland in the Western United States have belched so much smoke that it is helping an army of firefighters gain ground on the nation’s biggest blaze, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, by blocking sunlight, officials said Saturday. Both the National Weather Service and officials with the Oregon Department of Forestry … continue reading -> “Smoke From Nearby Wildfires Helps Crews Gain on Biggest US Blaze “
The world champion U.S. women’s water polo squad began its quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal Saturday by storming into the record books with a 25-4 humbling of hosts Japan at the Tatsumi Water Polo Center. But the U.S. record for most goals scored in a single match at the Olympics stood just … continue reading -> “US, Spain Set Scoring Records in Water Polo”
Issues in the News moderator Kim Lewis talks with VOA senior diplomatic correspondent, Cindy Saine, and senior reporter for Marketplace, Nancy Marshall-Genzer, about growing congressional challenges on infrastructure, police reform, COVID-19 and the economy facing the Biden administration, the ramifications of a widespread cyber-attack on Microsoft allegedly conducted by China, controversial Israeli phone surveillance software … continue reading -> “US Infrastructure Proposal May Move Forward Despite Senate Stall”
Forty-five percent of the Americans who have not been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines say they definitely do not have any plans to get the shots, according to a new poll.Another 35% are a little less sure and say they will probably not get the vaccines, the survey, conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public … continue reading -> “45% of Unvaccinated Americans Say They Will Definitely Not Get the Vaccine”
An Algerian judo athlete will be sent home from the Tokyo Olympics after he withdrew from the competition to avoid potentially facing an Israeli opponent. Fethi Nourine and his coach, Amar Benikhlef, told Algerian media they were withdrawing to avoid a possible second-round matchup with Israel’s Tohar Butbul in the men’s 73 kg division on … continue reading -> “Algerian Judoka Refuses Potential Olympic Bout with Israeli”
The United States says it is buying 200 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to anticipate future needs, including the possibility of booster shots as well as doses for children under 12 if regulators approve its use.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday the additional doses would be delivered between this fall … continue reading -> “US Buys 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses”
As Pakistan deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant, the Biden administration is sending 3 million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine Friday, set to arrive in the country Sunday.The doses, sent through COVAX, the United Nations vaccine-sharing mechanism, are in addition to the 2.5 million doses of Moderna already … continue reading -> “US Ships Moderna Vaccine to Pakistan Amid Delta Variant Surge”
Italy on Thursday announced new anti-COVID 19 measures as infections have started rising again, mainly due to the highly contagious delta variant. The number of new coronavirus infections has doubled in the past week, with the country now recording more than 5,000 new cases daily. With fears that the number will continue to grow, Italian … continue reading -> “Italy Extends Its COVID-19 State of Emergency to Dec. 31”
Confronting the historic drought that has a firm grip on the American West requires a heavy federal infrastructure investment to protect existing water supplies but also will depend on efforts at all levels of government to reduce demand by promoting water efficiency and recycling, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said Thursday.Haaland told reporters in Denver that … continue reading -> “Interior Secretary: Drought Demands Investment, Conservation “
Over 600,000 users of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service’s (NHS) COVID-19 test and trace app were “pinged” alerts recommending self-isolation earlier this month.In what has been dubbed the “pingdemic,” the app told users to begin a 10-day quarantine if they tested positive for the coronavirus or had been in close contact with someone who … continue reading -> “Over 600,000 Notified to Quarantine in British ‘Pingdemic’”
Angered by doctors’ support for anti-junta protests, Myanmar’s military has arrested several doctors treating COVID-19 patients independently, colleagues and media said, as the health system struggles to cope with a record wave of infections. Since the military overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February, the ensuing turmoil and protests … continue reading -> “Myanmar Military Accused of Arresting Doctors While COVID Infections Rise”