British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant Astra-Zeneca has paused large-scale global trials of its COVID-19 vaccine because a volunteer participant became ill after receiving the experimental drug. The company issued a statement Tuesday saying the pause in testing is a “routine action, which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness …
your ad hereTop Film Awards Impose New Diversity Requirements
The organization that honors movies with the Academy Awards said Tuesday it will require films to meet new standards in order to promote diversity both on the screen and behind the scenes. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the rules apply only to those films eligible for the best picture Oscar and …
your ad hereAustralian Teenagers Take on Mining Giant Over Expansion Plans
For the first time in Australia, teenagers have launched a class-action lawsuit on behalf of young people around the world to stop the extension of a coal mine in the state of New South Wales. Anxiety over global warming is driving this teenage campaign to stop the expansion of a coal mine near Gunnedah, 430 kilometers northwest of Sydney, in …
your ad hereHundreds of Migrants Call for Freedom at Camp on Gran Canaria
A group of migrants being held at a dockside camp on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria chanted “freedom” on Tuesday as they tried to force open a police fence and the coast guard brought in more people rescued from boats on the Atlantic sea.Although sea-borne migration to Spain is …
your ad hereWHO to Review International Health Regulations During Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday opened the initial meeting of an international review panel established to evaluate the performance of its International Health Regulations (IHR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.The IHR were last revised in 2005 and grew out of the response to deadly epidemics that once overran Europe. They …
your ad hereDespite Strict Lockdown, Spain Sees Sharp COVID-19 Spike
Deirdre Carney suspected she might have COVID-19 when her temperature began to fluctuate above the normal 37 degrees Celsius. “It was a bit of a shock when I was diagnosed. I could not believe that I had got it. I had not mixed with that many people,” Carney, an English …
your ad here‘Smart’ Mask Brainstormed by Dutch Physicians, Engineers
Physicians and engineers in the Netherlands said they are developing a “smart mask” that uses sensors and data to monitor a wearer’s temperature and respiration and warns them when the mask needs replacing.Though the mask is still in the development stage, researchers at the Holst Center, an independent research and …
your ad hereChina Launches Data Security Initiative
China’s foreign minister announced Tuesday the start of a global data security initiative, outlining principles that should be followed in areas ranging from personal information to espionage.Wang Yi announced the initiative in a video as part of conference on international cooperation. The initiative comes as the U.S. continues to put …
your ad hereSummer of COVID-19 Ends With Health Officials Worried
The Lost Summer of 2020 drew to a close Monday with many big Labor Day gatherings canceled across the U.S. and health authorities pleading with people to keep their distance from others so as not to cause another coronavirus surge like the one that followed Memorial Day. Downtown Atlanta was …
your ad herePrince Harry Repays Taxpayer Money for UK Home Renovation
Prince Harry has repaid 2.4 million pounds ($3.2 million) in British taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the home in Windsor intended for him and his wife Meghan before they gave up royal duties and moved to California.A spokesman for the couple said Monday that Harry had made a …
your ad hereRobot Sloths Beat Humans In Race to Save Endangered Plants
Many robots are being developed and used these days to maximize speed so factories can efficiently make more products. One robot developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology is celebrated for how slow it is. It’s called a SlothBot and visitors can see it working at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. …
your ad hereSpain Leads Western Europe with 500k Coronavirus Infections
Spain has become the first nation in Western Europe to exceed a half-million COVID-19 total infections, as the total number of cases around the world surged to 27.3 million, including 893,000 deaths.Data from Spain’s Health Ministry showed a total of 525,549 cases as of Tuesday, including 29,516 deaths. In comparison, France has recorded 367,174 total …
your ad hereAustralian Researchers Unveil Environmentally Friendly Plan to Power Coal Plants
Researchers in Australia say they have developed a technique to make coal-fired power plants run without coal. They say new thermal energy storage blocks can heat water, which, in turn, produces steam to power turbines using existing power station infrastructure. Researchers at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales say their thermal blocks would allow coal-fired power stations to run …
your ad hereTrees, Birds, Ponds: Mexico City’s Ancient Lake Reclaims Scrapped Airport
Bright green stalks of weeds are sprouting from the ground where planes were supposed to take off at a new Mexico City airport as officials let nature take over in their bid to transform the marshy swath of an ancient lake into a giant park. The ghostly skeletons of a partly …
your ad here‘Mighty Mice’ Stay Musclebound in Space, Seen as Boon for Astronauts
Bulked-up, mutant “mighty mice” held onto their muscle during a monthlong stay at the International Space Station, returning to Earth with ripped bodybuilder physiques, scientists reported Monday. The findings hold promise for preventing muscle and bone loss in astronauts on prolonged space trips like Mars missions, as well as people …
your ad hereCzech Oscar-Winning Director Jiri Menzel Dies at Age 82
Jiri Menzel, a Czech director whose 1966 movie Closely Watched Trains won the Academy Award for the best foreign language film has died. He was 82.Menzel’s wife, Olga, announced his death late Sunday, saying he died the previous day. No details were given. Three years ago, Menzel underwent a brain …
your ad hereQuarantine-Weary Brazilians Head to Beaches Despite Warnings
Suellen de Souza could no longer endure the confinement. After six months of precautions, the Brazilian nursing technician decided that Sunday would be her first day at the beach since the pandemic began. “This week it was very hot … the truth is I really wanted to come” to the …
your ad here‘Tenet’ Tallies $20.2M as Americans Step Back Into Theaters
In a litmus test for American moviegoing in the pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” brought in an estimated $20.2 million through the holiday weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters. The result could be greeted as either the rejuvenation of U.S. cinemas — more Americans went to the movies this weekend than …
your ad hereSt. Louis Cardinals Base-Stealing Great Lou Brock Dies at 81
Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who became baseball’s premier base stealer as he helped make the St. Louis Cardinals one of the sport’s dominant teams of the 1960s, died on Sunday at the age of 81. “Our hearts are broken,” the Cardinals said in a tweet. “Lou Brock was an amazing …
your ad hereAfrican Couples Find Ways to Marry Across Distance, Virtually
Marriage. In these socially distanced times, even the ceremony itself can’t always bring couples – and their families – together. In Africa, some digitally savvy couples are finding virtual workarounds to get them to the altar, including weddings where the bride and groom are thousands of kilometers apart. VOA’s Anita …
your ad hereAuthentic Holds Off Tiz the Law to Win Kentucky Derby
Authentic held off a late challenge by favorite Tiz the Law to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs and give Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a sixth win in the annual Run for the Roses.Authentic, ridden by John Velazquez, set the early pace and managed to …
your ad hereWHO: Mass COVID Vaccinations Unlikely Before Middle of 2021
The World Health Organization says it is unlikely a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19 will be available for widespread use before the middle of next year. Urging people to lower their expectations, health officials say the development of a safe, efficacious vaccine takes time and cannot be rushed. As it …
your ad hereRecord-Breaking Fires Scorch Arctic
Wildfires in the Arctic have already released more planet-warming carbon dioxide this year than all of last year, with smoke plumes from the fires covering an area more than one-third the size of Canada, according to new data from the FILE – In this July 10, 2020 file image taken …
your ad hereFacebook Removes Pages of Right-wing Group Patriot Prayer After Portland Unrest
Facebook Inc on Friday removed the pages of U.S. right-wing group Patriot Prayer and its founder Joey Gibson, a company spokesman told Reuters.Patriot Prayer has hosted dozens of pro-gun, pro-Trump rallies. Attendees have repeatedly clashed with left-wing groups around Portland, Oregon, where one group supporter was killed this week.The victim, …
your ad hereBoseman Honored as Hometown Hero in Native South Carolina
Chadwick Boseman was remembered as a hometown hero who brought a sense of pride to his native Anderson, South Carolina.The city paid tribute to Boseman in a public memorial on Thursday evening. The actor, who became widely popular through “Black Panther,” was honored after he died last week at the …
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