The World Health Organization says it is very worried about the rapidly growing surge of coronavirus cases in in Brazil and Mexico.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at his regular briefing in Geneva on Monday, “I think Brazil has to be very, very serious,” in combating the surge there. …
your ad hereHow US Military Invented America’s Favorite Snacks
From instant coffee to Cheetos, packaged cookies and energy bars, the U.S. military helped invent many of the snacks Americans love to eat. The effort accelerated during World War II, when military scientists needed to develop compact yet nutritional ways to feed the troops. “There was a tremendous need for the …
your ad hereModerna to Seek Quick Approval of Coronavirus Vaccine in US, Europe
Drugmaker Moderna said Monday it is seeking emergency authorization in the United States and Europe to distribute its coronavirus vaccine after tests showed it is 94% effective.The U.S. biotechnology company’s request could mean that health workers will be able to inoculate patients against the virus as soon as mid-December with …
your ad hereIn France, Public Resistance to COVID Vaccine
As French authorities prepare to roll out their COVID immunization strategy this week, they face skepticism in a country where surveys show many people do not trust the vaccine.France was among the nations of Europe taking the heaviest hit from the COVID-19 outbreak as more than 50, 000 people died …
your ad hereMerriam-Webster’s Top Word of 2020 Not A Shocker: Pandemic
If you were to choose a word that rose above most in 2020, which word would it be? Ding, ding, ding: Merriam-Webster on Monday announced “pandemic” as its 2020 word of the year. “That probably isn’t a big shock,” Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, told The Associated Press. …
your ad hereAustralia Develops ‘Revolutionary’ Electric Air Ambulance
An electric “aero-ambulance” that is estimated to be faster, safer and quieter than a helicopter has been developed by researchers in Australia. The aero ambulance is called Vertiia. It is an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed to get patients to the hospital quicker and more safely. It is set …
your ad hereWHO: Coronavirus Threatens to Reverse Gains Made in Malaria Control
On World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization is calling on countries to step up the fight against malaria, saying the coronavirus pandemic threatens to reverse important gains made in efforts to control this deadly disease. Since 2000, the U.N.’s World Health Organization reports 1.5 billion malaria cases and 7.6 million …
your ad hereUS Health Experts: Coronavirus Vaccines on the Way, but Precautions Still Paramount
Two top U.S. coronavirus experts assured Americans Sunday that vaccines against the pandemic would soon become available but warned that not taking precautions against the spread of the virus before then could prove disastrous. “We should have enough vaccine by the end of the year to immunize 20 million Americans and …
your ad hereUN Agency: Physical Activity Can Save Up to 5 Million Lives a Year
The World Health Organization is urging people to get moving and keep moving for better health. The U.N. health agency says physical activity can avert the deaths of up to 5 million people annually. WHO statistics show 1 in 4 adults and 80% of adolescents do not do enough physical …
your ad hereDarth Vader Actor Dave Prowse Dead at 85, Agent Says
Dave Prowse, the British actor behind the menacing black mask of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died, his agent Thomas Bowington said Sunday.”It’s with great sadness that we have to announce that our client Dave Prowse… passed away yesterday morning at the age of 85,” Bowington wrote on Facebook.”May …
your ad hereBritain’s Johnson Asks Lawmakers to Back a Tougher Lockdown
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is asking lawmakers to support new, tiered restrictions to keep the nation’s hospitals from becoming overwhelmed before a vaccine for the coronavirus can be approved and distributed.The new measures would put 99% of the country under the two highest restriction levels when the current rules …
your ad hereWashington’s Kennedy Center Opens for Public Amid Pandemic
COVID cases are exploding across the US and it’s unclear how long the pandemic will last. But in Washington, the Kennedy Center is cautiously working on a comeback, as Karina Bafradzhian reports. Camera: Andrey Degtyarev …
your ad hereVanderbilt Kicker Becomes First Woman to Play US College Football in Major Conference
Sarah Fuller was playing around with a teammate a couple months ago when she kicked a soccer ball through the uprights from 45 yards away. She joked about being able to kick a football with teammates during the Southeastern Conference soccer tournament.On Saturday, she made history.Fuller became the first woman …
your ad hereLos Angeles Issues Stay-at-Home Order to Curb COVID
A surge in new coronavirus cases has led California’s Los Angeles County to issue a new three-week, stay-at-home order which will go into effect Monday.The county had said previously that it would issue the restrictive order when new COVID-19 cases reached an average of 4,500 per day over a five-day …
your ad hereHundreds of ‘Zombie Mink’ Resurfacing from Mass Graves
Denmark’s government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after hundreds resurfaced from mass graves.Denmark ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that 12 people had been infected by a mutated strain of …
your ad hereMaradona’s Death May Trigger Family Inheritance Battle
Diego Maradona’s tormented private life, with its tangled relationships and paternity suits, suggests distributing his inheritance will be a complex task for lawyers bracing for claims from a slew of children — those he recognized and those he didn’t.”There’s going to be a big fight. He didn’t leave a will,” …
your ad hereWHO Scientist Calls for More Vaccine Data
The World Health Organization’s top vaccine expert says the agency needs to evaluate coronavirus vaccines and their immune responses based on more than just a press release.Kate O’Brien, WHO’s director of immunization, vaccines and biologicals, said at a press briefing in Geneva on Friday that it was still not clear …
your ad hereIn Santa’s Mailbag, a Peek into Children’s Pandemic Worries
Jim, from Taiwan, slipped a face mask inside the greeting card he sent to Santa and marked “I (heart) u.” Alina, 5, asked in her Santa letter written with an adult’s help that he please use the front door when he drops in, because the back door is reserved for …
your ad here8 Dead After Cyclone Hits Somalia’s Puntland; Spread of Locusts Feared
A cyclone that hit parts of Somalia this week killed eight people and displaced thousands, flooded farmlands and could worsen a locust plague, an official and U.N. agencies said.The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said Thursday that Tropical Cyclone Gati made landfall in the semiautonomous Puntland …
your ad hereLasting Coronavirus Effects Include Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Poor Balance
Being intubated and lying in bed for weeks without moving, eating or speaking has left many scarred. Here’s more from VOA’s Mariama Diallo on some lasting effects of the coronavirus, including fatigue, shortness of breath and muscle pain. …
your ad hereDuring the Pandemic, Santa Makes Video House Calls
This holiday season, the traditional visit with Santa Claus is going digital. Virtual visits with Santa Claus are being offered as a safer way for children to interact with Santa during the pandemic, as Tina Trinh reports. …
your ad hereTokyo Olympic Organizers Plan to Host 18 Test Events
Local organizers on Friday announced a series of 18 test events set to begin in March and run into May.The Tokyo Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021, after being postponed eight months ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The announcement in an online news conference came the same …
your ad hereAmid Pandemic, Earlier Promotions Black Friday Takes New Shape
From Walmart Inc to Best Buy, retailers have overhauled Black Friday shopping, with some assigning clerks in orange vests to serve as traffic cops, taking shoppers’ temperatures and offering “grab-and-go” merchandise, including toys, bikes and kitchen appliances to discourage lingering in store aisles.Most major retailers closed on Thanksgiving this year …
your ad hereIn Senegal, Entrepreneurial Cancer Survivor Looks to 3-D Printing to Aid Amputees
When a Senegalese woman lost her arm to cancer, she viewed her new reality not as a disability but a problem that needed fixing. Allison Lékogo Fernandes reports from the capital in this reported narrated by Carol Guensberg. Camera: Allison Lékogo Fernandes Producer: Allison …
your ad hereAustralian State of Victoria Records 28 Days COVID-19 Free
Australia’s second-largest state, Victoria, has recorded no new coronavirus infections or deaths in the past 28 days, health officials said Friday.The state did not have any active cases after the last COVID-19 patient was discharged from the hospital Monday.While Victoria has achieved the 28-day benchmark, widely accepted by health experts …
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