The Northern Hemisphere sees its longest day of the year; astronauts make power moves outside the International Space Station. Plus: do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched? Details in The Week in Space from VOA’s Arash Arabasadi.Produced by: Arash Arabasadi …
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday there is a likely association between two COVID-19 vaccines and a rare heart condition in boys and young men. The federal health agency said more than 1,200 people who had received either the PfizerBioNTech or Moderna vaccines developed myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. The … continue reading -> “2 US Coronavirus Vaccines May Be Linked to Rare Heart Condition, CDC Says “
An Indonesian court jailed hardline Islamic cleric Rizieq Shihab on Thursday for four years for spreading false information in a video saying he was healthy despite having tested positive for COVID-19.The verdict comes after an eight-month jail term handed last month to Rizieq, the spiritual leader of the outlawed Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI), for breaching … continue reading -> “Indonesia Jails Cleric for 4 Years Over Spread of False COVID-19 Information”
U.S. lawmakers debated into the night Wednesday over details of legislation aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech firms with a sweeping reform of antitrust laws.The House Judiciary Committee clashed over a series of bills with potentially massive implications for large online platforms and consumers who use them.The legislation could force an overhaul of … continue reading -> “US Lawmakers in Marathon Debate on Big Tech Regulation Bills”
The U.S. space agency NASA aspires to land humans on the moon every year for 12 consecutive years, Administrator Bill Nelson testified to a congressional committee Wednesday in support of a request to boost the agency’s fiscal 2022 budget.Nelson acknowledged to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology that the agency’s budget for fiscal … continue reading -> “NASA Head Seeks New Funding for Annual Moon Landings ‘Over a Dozen Years’”
Images of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are seared into many Americans’ minds and remain especially vivid for members of Congress who witnessed the riot. One congressman has been especially forthcoming about the mental trauma he has been experiencing months after the riot. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti spoke with the lawmaker and filed … continue reading -> “Congress Member Describes Continuing Mental Trauma From January 6 Riots”
John McAfee, creator of the McAfee antivirus software, has been found dead in his cell in a jail near Barcelona, a government official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Hours earlier, a Spanish court issued a preliminary ruling in favor of the 75-year-old tycoon’s extradition to the United States to face tax-related criminal charges. … continue reading -> “McAfee Antivirus Software Creator Found Dead in Spanish Prison”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday the COVID-19 State of Emergency, originally declared in March of 2020, will expire Thursday.Cuomo made the announcement during a news briefing, and from his Twitter account, where he wrote, “New York’s COVID-19 State of Emergency will end tomorrow [Thursday]. Fighting COVID and vaccinating New Yorkers are still top … continue reading -> “New York Governor: State’s COVID Emergency to End Thursday”
Feeling like you are being watched? It could be from a lot farther away than you think. Astronomers took a technique used to look for life on other planets and flipped it around — so instead of looking to see what’s out there, they tried to see what places could see us. There’s … continue reading -> “Can ET See Us? Study Finds Many Stars With Prime Earth View”
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders says tens of thousands of people in Cameroon’s western regions have been deprived of lifesaving healthcare since December, when authorities stopped their services. Cameroon accused the aid group of being too close to anglophone separatists, which the group denies. Doctors Without Borders says over 1.4 million people in Cameroon’s restive … continue reading -> “After Cameroon Government Ban from Western Regions, MSF Says Thousands Lack Healthcare”
The Delta COVID-19 variant first identified in India has spread quickly around the world and is now hitting Indonesia. Southeast Asia’s largest country now looks at another peak as it hits the 2 million mark in confirmed cases. VOA’s Ghita Permatasari reports. Ahadian Utama contributed to this reportCamera: Ahadian Utama …
Colombia is home to the world’s largest variety of butterflies, approximately 20% of all known species, according to a study published Tuesday by the Natural History Museum in London.An international team of scientists cataloged 3,642 species and 2,085 subspecies, registering them in a document titled “Checklist of Colombian Butterflies.”More than 200 butterfly species are found … continue reading -> “Colombia Has the World’s Largest Variety of Butterfly Species, Study Finds”
A landmark cyberbullying trial in Paris, involving thousands of threats against a teenager who savaged Islam in online posts, is blazing a trail in efforts to punish and prevent online abuse.It has also raised uncomfortable questions about freedom of expression, freedom to criticize a religion, and respect for France’s millions of Muslims. But most of … continue reading -> “Cyberbullying Trial Tests French Tools to Fight Online Abuse”
The World Bank announced a partnership with the African Union Tuesday to finance the acquisition and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine for 400 million people in Africa.In a remote news conference via Zoom, World Bank Managing Operations Director Axel van Trotsenburg said the World Bank is providing $12 billion to not only acquire but deploy 400 … continue reading -> “World Bank, African Union Partner to Buy, Distribute 400 Million COVID-19 Shots”
The United States will miss President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of U.S. adults partially or fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, but the White House says it expects to hit that mark “in a few extra weeks.”In a new assessment Tuesday of the country’s vaccination effort, COVID-19 … continue reading -> “US to Miss July 4 COVID Vaccination Goal of 70% “
When COVID-19 hit, the world was not ready. The pandemic showed us major gaps in our preparation and ability to respond to the virus. Health experts say we will have another one. VOA’s Carol Pearson reports that it doesn’t have to be as bad as COVID-19. Camera: Laurel Bowman Produced by: Bakhtiyar Zamanov …
The European Union announced Tuesday it is once again investigating Google for what could be anti-competitive activities in digital advertising.The investigation will try to determine if Google is harming competitors by restricting third party access to user data that could better target advertising.”We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising … continue reading -> “EU Investigates Google’s Advertising Business”
The number of STEM jobs — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — have sped past the number of non-STEM jobs by three times since 2000. And experts say there might not be enough graduates in those fields to fill the jobs. “Look around at how many times a day you touch a computer, tablet, phone … these industries are accelerating so much that … continue reading -> “STEM Jobs Lead List of Fastest-Growing Occupations”
Home security companies often rely on cameras and motion sensors to catch trespassers, but as VOA’s Tina Trinh discovers, Wi-Fi signals can be a less intrusive way to monitor activity. Produced by: Tina Trinh …
The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with efforts to end a public health emergency.President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks Monday night that he … continue reading -> “Duterte Threatens to Arrest Filipinos Who Refuse COVID Vaccination”
A special committee with the United Nations’s cultural agency says Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be placed on a list of World Heritage sites that should be designated as “in danger.” The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee, or UNESCO, recommended the 2,300-kilometer-long coral reef system should be placed on the list because … continue reading -> “UNESCO Panel Recommends Listing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as ‘In Danger’”
The number of STEM jobs — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — have sped past the number of non-STEM jobs by three times since 2000. And experts say there might not be enough graduates in those fields to fill the jobs. “Look around at how many times a day you touch a computer, tablet, phone … these industries are accelerating so much that … continue reading -> “STEM Jobs Lead Fastest-Growing Occupations”
Thousands of Japanese companies began the rollout of their workplace vaccine programs Monday, inoculating company workers and their families. Some of the companies had been critical of what they said was the government’s slow pace of Japan’s COVID-19 inoculation campaign. Toyota and Suntory are among the companies participating in the workplace program with vaccines provided … continue reading -> “Japan Begins Workplace Vaccination Program”
The White House has laid out its plans for sharing 55 million COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad, with most of the allocations going to countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa.The Biden administration said Monday that most of the doses would be shared through the COVAX international vaccine-sharing program, fulfilling a commitment by President … continue reading -> “US Outlines Its Global COVID Vaccine Sharing Plan”
While virtual reality-based simulation is commonly used in medical education, its use in dental education is still limited. Two university professors in the U.S. want to change that. They developed a VR dental clinic that offers the potential to revolutionize dental education. Vina Mubtadi reports. …