When the leaders of the world’s industrialized nations meet next week in Cornwall, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will ask them to commit to “vaccinate the entire world against coronavirus by the end of 2022,” according to a statement Saturday.”Vaccinating the world by the end of next year would be the single greatest feat in … continue reading -> “Johnson to Call on G-7 to ‘Vaccinate World by 2022’”

President Joe Biden turned to his old boss, former President Barack Obama, on Saturday to help him encourage Americans to sign up for “Obamacare” health care coverage during an expanded special enrollment period in the pandemic.Biden used his weekly address for a brief Zoom chat with Obama to draw attention to the six-month expanded enrollment … continue reading -> “Biden Turns to Obama to Help Boost Health Care Enrollment”

China’s Guangzhou city, a port city of more than 13 million people, on Saturday ordered more restrictions due to a rise in COVID-19 cases that began in late May.Of the 24 new cases of COVID-19 reported in China on Saturday, 11 were transmitted in Guangzhou province, where the city is located.Authorities had imposed restrictions earlier … continue reading -> “China Port City Imposes COVID-19 Restrictions”

Chinese state media report that scientists are developing an inhalable, fine-mist COVID-19 vaccine. The Chinese Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccine for expanded clinical trials and is applying for emergency use of the vaccine.Also in China, Sinovac Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use for young people between the ages of … continue reading -> “Chinese Scientists Developing Inhalable COVID Vaccine”

The United Nations is marking World Environment Day with the launch of a decade dedicated to restoring the Earth’s ecosystem, which is rapidly approaching “the point of no return,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday.“Science tells us these next 10 years are our final chance to avert a climate catastrophe, turn back the deadly tide … continue reading -> “UN Launches Decade of Ecosystem Restoration “

Regulators on Friday said a new version of a popular diabetes medicine could be sold as a weight-loss drug in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy, a higher-dose version of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug semaglutide, for long-term weight management.  In company-funded studies, participants taking Wegovy had average weight loss of 15%, about 34 … continue reading -> “FDA Approves Obesity Drug That Helped People Cut Weight 15%”

More than 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been disbursed in 212 countries. However, the World Health Organization said the distribution has been far from equal. It notes 75% of doses have gone to just 10 countries, with three countries — China, the United States and India — accounting for 60% of all doses.Senior … continue reading -> “Poor Countries Need 250 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses by September”

The U.S. space agency NASA said cargo on the latest supply ship headed for the International Space Station (ISS) includes newly hatched squid to be used in experiments examining the effects of space flight on microorganisms.NASA said the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft that blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Thursday – along … continue reading -> “Latest NASA Supply Ship to Space Includes Newly-Hatched Squid”

U.S. intelligence officials found no evidence that unidentified aerial phenomena observed by Navy aviators in recent years were alien spacecraft, but the sightings remain unexplained in a highly anticipated government report, The New York Times said Thursday.   The report also found the vast majority of incidents documented over the past two decades did not … continue reading -> “US Government Finds No Evidence Aerial Sightings Were Alien Spacecraft – NYT”

“The threat of a third wave” of COVID-19 in Africa is “real and rising,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization regional director for Africa, told a virtual news conference Thursday.“While many countries outside Africa have now vaccinated their high-priority groups and are able to even consider vaccinating their children, African countries are unable to … continue reading -> “WHO: Threat of Third COVID Wave in Africa ‘Real and Rising’”

Tokyo is donating more than 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines to Taiwan, Japan’s foreign minister announced Friday, as Taipei struggles to secure jabs, accusing China of interference.The move is likely to stir controversy with Beijing, which views democratic and self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and works to keep the island diplomatically … continue reading -> “Japan Donates More Than 1 Million AstraZeneca Jabs to Taiwan”

The White House has announced it will deliver the bulk of its first 25 million donated doses of COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX, the United Nations-backed program delivering vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. That’s according to a White House announcement on Thursday. It’s part of a down payment on a pledge to donate 80 million … continue reading -> “US Announces COVID Vaccine Donation to COVAX”

U.S. traffic deaths soared after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020, hitting the highest yearly total since 2007 as more Americans engaged in unsafe behavior on U.S. roads, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday.For all of 2020, 38,680 people died on U.S. roads, up 7.2%, or nearly 2,600 more than in 2019, even … continue reading -> “US Traffic Deaths Soar to 38,680 in 2020; Highest Yearly Total Since 2007”

China says it hopes to have 80% of its 1.4 billion citizens vaccinated by the end of the year.As of Wednesday, China had administered an estimated 704 million doses, mostly in May, according to The Associated Press.The AP also reported that China is providing about 19 million shots a day, and that the U.S. topped out at … continue reading -> “China Aims to Vaccinate 80% of 1.4 Billion Population by Year’s End”

Space junk finally hits its mark.  Plus, NASA now eyes Venus after its first major flight issue on Mars. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space.Produced by: Arash Arabasadi …

The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will share 80 million excess doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of June, with FILE – A health worker talks to colleagues as they prepare to receive a coronavirus vaccine at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, March 5, 2021.Approximately 7 million doses will head to … continue reading -> “US Announces Plan to Share 80 Million Excess Vaccine Doses”