The Biden administration announced on Tuesday actions taken by the federal government and private industry that it says will bolster the supply chain of rare earths and other critical minerals used in technologies from household appliances and electronics to defense systems. They say these steps will reduce the nation’s dependence …
your ad hereWildfires Will Rise by 50% by End of Century, Experts Warn
A report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says climate change will fuel an increase in wildfires in coming decades. The report warns that if preventive measures are not taken, the fires will damage environments, human health, and economies. The report, released Wednesday ahead of the 5th session of …
your ad hereHow Russia’s War Against Ukraine Has Damaged Children
The psycho-social wellbeing of an entire generation of Ukrainian children is at risk from war in the country’s eastern Donbas region, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. With legions of Russian troops pouring in, the situation is only worse, as VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. …
your ad hereStudy: Infant Formula Makers Use Unethical Practices to Boost Sales
Aggressive marketing practices by formula milk companies undermine women’s confidence, discouraging them from breastfeeding their babies, a World Health Organization-U.N. Children’s Fund study reports. Some 8,500 parents and pregnant women and 300 health workers in cities across eight countries were surveyed over a three-year period. The report reveals six of …
your ad here9 Percent of Plastic Worldwide is Recycled, OECD Says
Less than 10% of the plastic used around the world is recycled, the OECD said Tuesday, calling for “coordinated and global solutions” ahead of expected talks on an international plastics treaty. A new report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report found that 460 million metric tons of …
your ad hereAmerican Women Players Settle Suit Against US Soccer for $24M
U.S. women soccer players reached a landmark agreement with the sport’s American governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay, a deal in which they are promised $24 million plus bonuses that match those of the men. The U.S. Soccer Federation and the women announced a deal …
your ad hereStorm Franklin Batters Britain and Northern Europe, Leaves 14 Dead
Northern Britain and parts of France and Germany were battered Sunday and Monday by Franklin — the third major storm to strike the region in less than a week. The severe weather has flooded roads, knocked out power and left at least 14 people dead. Storm Franklin brought heavy rains …
your ad hereBritain’s PM Dropping all Remaining COVID-19 Restrictions
As expected, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday the end of all domestic COVID-19 restrictions as of November 24, even self-isolation for those testing positive for the infection. Speaking before Parliament, Johnson said the nation will still encourage those who test positive or experience symptoms to stay home …
your ad hereChile Museum to Return Easter Island ‘Head’
Chile’s National Museum of Natural History said Monday it will return to Easter Island an enormous stone statue taken from the Rapa Nui people and brought to the mainland 150 years ago. The monolith is one of hundreds, called Moai, carved by the Rapa Nui in honor of their ancestors …
your ad hereKamau Bell Addresses Bill Cosby’s Complex Legacy in ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’
Kamau Bell’s four-part documentary “We Need to Talk About Cosby” addresses the rise and fall of African American comedian Bill Cosby from revered ‘America’s Dad’ to an alleged sexual predator. Bell, a comedian himself and a show host, told VOA’s Penelope Poulou that countless people, especially African Americans, were shocked …
your ad hereHuge Opal Sells for Nearly $144,000 at Alaska Auction
A gemstone, billed as one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence, was sold for $143,750 at auction in Alaska on Sunday. The opal, dubbed the “Americus Australis,” weighs more than 11,800 carats, according to the auction house Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals. It also has a long history. Most …
your ad hereRace Excluded as White House Rolls Out Climate Justice Screening Tool
The Biden administration has released a screening tool to help identify disadvantaged communities long plagued by environmental hazards, but it won’t include race as a factor in deciding where to devote resources. Administration officials told reporters Friday that excluding race will make projects less likely to draw legal challenges and …
your ad hereTropical Butterflies Spread as Monarchs Dwindle in East Asia
Sparked by global warming and other forms of climate change, tropical butterflies are starting to arrive in Hong Kong and Taiwan in greater numbers, while temperate-zone species like the monarch appear to be dwindling in the region, conservationists told RFA. “Seven new butterfly species were discovered in Hong Kong in …
your ad hereWhen Will the Pandemic End?
It’s a question many have been asking for almost two years: when will the coronavirus pandemic end? “Epidemiologically speaking, we don’t know. Perhaps in another month or two — if there’s no other variants of concern that pop up, at least here in United States,” says J. Alexander Navarro, assistant …
your ad hereCanadian Police Push to Restore Normality to Capital
Canadian police on Saturday worked to restore normality to the capital after trucks and demonstrators occupied the downtown core of Ottawa for more than three weeks to protest against pandemic restrictions. The push to clear the city began Friday and continued into the night. Four of the main organizers have …
your ad hereHong Kong Health Experts Call for Home Isolation as Omicron Cases Overwhelm Hospitals
Hong Kong health experts on Friday said the city needs to change its pandemic strategies to cope with the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases. In recent weeks Hong Kong has been hit hard by a fifth wave of cases caused by the omicron variant, which is increasing pressure on …
your ad hereAfrica’s Biggest International Contemporary Art Fair Opens Doors
Africa’s biggest international contemporary art fair has opened its doors to the public for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The Investec Cape Town Art Fair went online last year, but this year has nearly 100 artists exhibiting works in-person from 20 countries. “It’s absolutely a joy to …
your ad hereMalawi Declares Health Emergency Following Polio Case Discovery
Health authorities in Malawi say a 3-year-old girl is paralyzed after contracting polio, the first known case in Africa in more than five years and the first in Malawi in three decades. Authorities say the child was infected by a strain of poliovirus that matches a strain found in Pakistan. …
your ad hereHong Kong Working-Class District Reels as COVID Runs Rampant
Lam Foon, 98, sits propped up and swaddled in soggy woolen blankets in a hospital bed just outside the entrance to Hong Kong’s Caritas Medical Centre, waiting for tests to confirm her preliminary positive result for COVID-19. “I don’t feel so good,” she told Reuters through a surgical mask, next …
your ad hereChina Sets 5-Year Commercial, Scientific Plans for Space
A Chinese rocket, according to astronomers, is expected to crash into the moon on March 4. It is the latest example of China’s presence in space. News of the predicted crash comes after Beijing released a development blueprint for satellite improvements, deep-space exploration and putting more people in orbit. Analysts …
your ad hereYoung Asian American Figure Skaters See Themselves in US Olympians
Jumping, spinning and landing back on the ice, the young figure skaters at the Fairfax Ice Arena in a Washington, D.C., suburb have big dreams. “My future goal is to reach the Olympics,” said Sherry Naree Wester. The 8-year-old’s mother is from Thailand, and her father is a white American. …
your ad hereCalifornia Adopts Nation’s First ‘Endemic’ Virus Policy
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the first shift by a state to an endemic approach to the coronavirus pandemic. He said it emphasizes prevention and quick reactions to outbreaks over mandates, a milestone nearly two years in the making that harkens to a return to a more normal …
your ad hereBill Gates Hails ‘Zero’ Polio Cases in Pakistan
Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday in Pakistan to acknowledge the country’s progress against polio. During the trip, his first to Pakistan, Gates also stressed the need to curb virus transmissions in neighboring Afghanistan and preserve global gains. Pakistan and Afghanistan …
your ad hereUS, Allies Warn Possible Russian Cyberattacks Could Reverberate Globally
The United States and its Western allies are bracing for the possibility that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have a ripple effect in cyberspace, even if Western entities are not initially the intended target. “I am absolutely concerned,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told the virtual Munich Cyber …
your ad hereTesla Faces Another US Investigation: Unexpected Braking
U.S. auto safety regulators have launched another investigation of Tesla, this time tied to complaints that its cars can come to a stop for no apparent reason. The government says it has 354 complaints from owners during the past nine months about “phantom braking” in Tesla Models 3 and …
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