The government of the Solomon Islands has defended its plans to ban Facebook, insisting the move would preserve “national unity.” Ministers say the world’s largest social media platform has been “grossly abused.” But critics insist a ban is an attempt to shut down criticism of the government’s economic policies.Facebook helps …
your ad hereVisitors to Britain Could Shorten Quarantine With Negative Test
Britain announced Tuesday that travelers from abroad could face a shorter isolation period with a negative COVID-19 test days after their arrival.Current rules require 14 days of quarantine. Starting December 15, travelers will have the option to pay for a test after five days, and if the test comes back …
your ad hereHere’s How the Three COVID-19 Vaccines Compare
With pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s announcement Monday that its vaccine successfully prevented coronavirus infection, three candidates appear to be promising vital tools to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. Biotech firm Moderna and drug company partners Pfizer and BioNTech announced last week that their vaccines were ready to submit to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration …
your ad hereChina Launches Lunar Probe
China successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft to the moon Monday to land, gather soil and rock samples, and return them to Earth. If successful, it will be the first mission by any nation to retrieve samples from the lunar surface since the 1970s, and the third nation, after the United States …
your ad hereKen Jennings to Guest Host First New ‘Jeopardy!’ Episodes After Death of Alex Trebek
Weeks after the passing of legendary Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, Sony Pictures Television has announced that popular contestant and “Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time” tournament winner Ken Jennings will serve as the first of a series of interim guest hosts when the trivia game show returns to production on Monday. “Alex believed in the importance …
your ad hereGM Flips to California’s Side in Pollution Fight With Trump
General Motors says it will no longer support the Trump administration in legal efforts to end California’s right to set its own clean-air standards. CEO Mary Barra said in a letter Monday to environmental groups that GM will pull out of the lawsuit, and it urges other automakers to do so. FILE …
your ad hereSeven Sudanese Doctors Die from COVID-19 in 10 Days
Sudanese health authorities said Sunday that seven medical doctors died from COVID-19 in 10 days, a development that reflects Sudan’s sharp rise in cases in recent weeks. Nearly 100 deaths were recorded in the past month.A statement issued by Sudan’s ministry of health said the seven doctors “worked tirelessly” to …
your ad hereChina Set to Launch Lunar Probe
China is scheduled to launch an unmanned spacecraft to the moon Monday to land, gather soil and rock samples, and return them to Earth. If successful, it will be the first mission by any nation to retrieve samples from the lunar surface since the 1970s, and the third …
your ad hereBritish PM Lays Out Post-Lockdown Restrictions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled an updated plan for handling Britain’s COVID-19 infection after the country’s partial national lockdown is lifted December 2.In video message to Parliament Monday, Johnson said the lockdown will be lifted next Wednesday as promised. He said although Britain will return to the regional …
your ad hereMillions of Americans Flying, Despite CDC Guidance
The CDC has urged Americans not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday this week as COVID-19 cases continue to surge, but millions are ignoring recommendations. Roughly 1 million Americans passed through airport security nationwide Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which cited similar numbers throughout the weekend. The United States continues …
your ad hereSwift Wins Top Prize At AMAs, Says She’s Re-Recording Music
Taylor Swift won her third consecutive artist of the year prize at the American Music Awards, but she missed the show for a good reason: She said she’s busy re-recording her early music after her catalog was sold. In a video that aired during Sunday’s awards show, the pop star …
your ad hereAstraZeneca Announces ‘Highly Effective’ COVID-19 Vaccine
AstraZeneca said early Monday that clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in Britain and Brazil have shown it is “highly effective in preventing COVID-19″ without “hospitalizations or severe cases of the disease” in any of the trial’s volunteers. AstraZeneca tested two dosing regimens. One regimen had a vaccine efficacy of 90%. The second regimen has an average efficacy of 70%. “More data will continue to accumulate, and additional analysis …
your ad hereCo-Founder of Viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Dies at 37
YONKERS, NEW YORK — A co-founder of the social media ALS ice bucket challenge, which has raised more than $200 million worldwide for Lou Gehrig’s disease research, died Sunday at the age of 37, according to the ALS Association.Pat Quinn was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic …
your ad hereAncient Madrid Market Reopens Amid Debate Over Virus Rules
Madrid’s ancient and emblematic Rastro flea market reopened Sunday after a contentious eight-month closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has walloped the Spanish capital. With many major European flea markets still shut down, the Rastro’s return seems to be another example of Madrid’s bid to show that heavy coronavirus restrictions …
your ad hereCOVID Nurse: ‘Many of us Have PTSD’
Almost 1,400 frontline healthcare workers in the U.S. have apparently died of COVID-19, according to a joint investigation by British newspaper, The Guardian, and Kaiser Health News. One-third of the dead health care workers were nurses, the study said.Many of the health care workers, the report said, “are struggling with …
your ad hereFDA Approves Antibody Therapy as US Passes 12 Million Cases
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday authorized the emergency use of a COVID-19 antibody therapy that President Donald Trump said helped cure him of the disease caused by the coronavirus.On the same day, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported that the U.S. had passed 12 million COVID-19 …
your ad hereCOVID-19 Deaths of Serbian Clerics Highlight Virus Worries
As coronavirus cases surge globally, the COVID-19 deaths of two senior Serbian Orthodox Church clerics — one who died weeks after presiding over the funeral of the other — are raising questions about whether some religious institutions are doing enough to slow the spread of the virus.More reports are emerging …
your ad hereEurope Coronavirus Cases Exceed 15 Million
More than 15 million people in Europe have been infected with coronavirus, making it the worst-hit region in the world. Authorities hope new lockdowns will get the situation under control. More with VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo. …
your ad hereTrump Makes Late-term Bid to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Trying to close out major unfinished business, the Trump administration issued regulations Friday that could lower the prices Americans pay for many prescription drugs.But in a time of political uncertainty, it’s hard to say whether the rules will withstand expected legal challenges from the pharmaceutical industry or whether President-elect Joe …
your ad hereWHO: More COVID Cases in Past Month Than in First 6 Months of Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday said more COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide in the last four weeks than in the first six months of the pandemic. In his regular news briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said hospitals and intensive care units are filling up …
your ad hereWHO Advises Against Use of Remdesivir on COVID Patients
The World Health Organization says the antiviral drug remdesivir is not beneficial and should not be used in treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19. A WHO panel of international experts who reviewed the results of clinical trials have concluded there currently is no evidence that remdesivir improves survival of COVID-19 …
your ad hereCambodian-Canadian Actress Gains Insight On Refugee Parents’ Tribulations During Film Role
Ellen Wong is a Cambodian-Canadian actress well known in Hollywood. But as VOA’s Chetra Chap reports, her latest role hits very close to home. Camera: Chetra Chap …
your ad hereJoint NASA-ESA Satellite Which Will Monitor Sea Levels to Launch Saturday
The U.S. space agency, NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), is set to launch a satellite Saturday designed to monitor rising sea levels, the latest in a series of orbiting spacecraft monitoring the status of the world’s oceans. NASA says the satellite, called the Sentinel-6 Michael …
your ad hereTen Restaurants That Changed How America Eats
Delmonico’s, America’s very first restaurant, is also one of its most influential, according to Yale University history professor Paul Freedman. “It defined what elegant food was in the 19th century United States, and that has influenced, to some extent, the food that is eaten today,” Freedman says. Founded in 1830, Delmonico’s invented …
your ad hereUS Undersecretary of Defense Tests Positive for COVID-19 as Pandemic Continues to Surge
The Pentagon has confirmed that acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Anthony Tata has COVID-19. Tata and several other people were exposed to the virus, the Pentagon said, after meeting with a Lithuanian delegation, including Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis, who has tested positive for COVID.”Mr. Tata was tested today and has tested positive for COVID-19 on two successive tests. He will …
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