Britain is launching a polio vaccine booster campaign for children in London aged below 10, after confirming that the virus is spreading in the capital for the first time since the 1980s. The UK Health Security Agency has identified 116 polioviruses from 19 sewage samples this year in London. It …
your ad hereCOVID-19 Experts Urge Australians to Wear Masks Even as Latest Omicron Wave Passes
Australian health officials say there are encouraging signs that a wave of COVID-19 omicron variant infections is in decline. However, more than 4,000 Australians are hospitalized with the virus and an unknown number of others are suffering the effects of long COVID. COVID-19 no longer makes the headlines as it …
your ad hereFamed Japanese Fashion Designer Issey Miyake Dies at 84
Issey Miyake, who built one of Japan’s biggest fashion brands and was known for his boldly sculpted pleated pieces as well as former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ black turtlenecks, has died. He was 84. Miyake died August 5 of liver cancer, Miyake Design Office said Tuesday. Miyake defined an era …
your ad hereUS Will Stretch Monkeypox Vaccine Supply With Smaller Doses
U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a plan to stretch the nation’s limited supply of monkeypox vaccine by giving people just one-fifth the usual dose, citing research suggesting the reduced amount is about as effective. The so-called dose-sparing approach also calls for administering the Jynneos vaccine with an injection just …
your ad hereWMO: July Is One of Warmest Months on Record
The World Meteorological Organization or WMO reports the month of July was one of the three warmest on record globally. This, despite a weak La Nina event, which is supposed to have a cooling influence. Meteorologists warn the heatwave that swept through large parts of Europe last month is set …
your ad hereNigerians Praise London Museum’s Decision to Return Precious Artifacts
The 72 artifacts that the Horniman museum agreed to return include 12 of the famous Benin Bronzes – symbolic of the ancient Benin Kingdom in southern Nigeria. The museum said in a statement Sunday it was moral and appropriate to return the artifacts, stating the objects were taken by force …
your ad hereBiden Signs Semiconductor Bill Boosting US Competitiveness
U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost U.S. competitiveness against China by allocating billions of dollars toward domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research. “The United States must lead the world in the production of these advanced chips. This law will do exactly …
your ad hereSerena Williams Says She Is ‘Evolving Away From Tennis’
Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. “I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine. Williams said …
your ad hereNonprofits Launch $100M Plan to Support Local Health Workers
A new philanthropic project hopes to invest $100 million in 10 countries, mostly in Africa, by 2030 to support 200,000 community health workers, who serve as a critical bridge to treatment for people with limited access to medical care. The Skoll Foundation and The Johnson & Johnson Foundation announced Monday …
your ad here‘Grease’ Star Olivia Newton-John Dies Aged 73
Singer Olivia Newton-John, who gained worldwide fame as the high school sweetheart Sandy in the hit movie “Grease,” died Monday after a 30-year battle with cancer. She was 73. Newton-John “passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” said a statement from …
your ad hereFive Southern African Countries Kick-Start Elephant Census
Five southern African countries, with more than half the continent’s elephants, are conducting a first-ever aerial census to determine the elephant population and how to protect it. Light aircraft will fly simultaneously across the plains of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — in a conservation area known as the …
your ad hereAustralia to Permit Offshore Wind Farms
Offshore wind farms are to be permitted for the first time in Australia. The Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has declared part of the Victoria coast an offshore wind zone and a 60-day community consultation process will soon begin. The Australian government has designated the country’s first offshore wind zone, …
your ad hereUK Museum Agrees to Return Looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
A London museum agreed Sunday to return a collection of Benin Bronzes looted in the late 19th century from what is now Nigeria as cultural institutions throughout Britain come under pressure to repatriate artifacts acquired during the colonial era. The Horniman Museum and Gardens in southeast London said that it …
your ad hereAt Least 100,000 Expected for NASA’s Moon Launch
Sold-out hotels. Excitement that seems to grow by the day. The potential for hundreds of thousands of visitors, support staff, and more. These are just a few of the factors being calculated into preparations for Artemis I, the first launch of NASA’s moon-focused Space Launch System rocket slated for Aug. …
your ad here‘Synthetic Embryo’ Breakthrough but Growing Human Organs Far Off
Stem cell scientists say they have created “synthetic embryos” without using sperm, eggs or fertilization for the first time, but the prospect of using such a technique to grow human organs for transplantation remains distant. The breakthrough was hailed as a major step forward, though some experts said the result …
your ad hereMilk Use and Lactose Tolerance Didn’t Develop Hand in Hand in Europe
Early Europeans drank milk for thousands of years before they evolved the ability to fully digest it as adults, scientists say. New results published in the journal Nature suggest that being able to digest the lactose in milk wasn’t usually much of an advantage for ancient people in Europe. Instead, …
your ad hereSpain Leads Europe in Monkeypox, Struggles to Check Spread
As a sex worker and adult film actor, Roc was relieved when he was among the first Spaniards to get a monkeypox vaccine. He knew of several cases among men who have sex with men, which is the leading demographic for the disease, and feared he could be next. “I …
your ad hereWashington Lightning Toll Rises to 3; Experts See Climate Warning
Scientists say that climate change is increasing the likelihood of lightning strikes across the United States, after lightning struck at a square near the White House, leaving three people dead and one more in critical condition. The hot, humid conditions in the U.S. capital on Thursday were primed for electricity. …
your ad hereLong-COVID Symptoms Affect 1 in 8, Study Suggests
One in eight people who get coronavirus develop at least one symptom of long COVID, one of the most comprehensive studies on the condition to date suggested on Thursday. With more than half a billion coronavirus cases recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic, there has been rising concern …
your ad hereUS Declares Monkeypox Outbreak a Public Health Emergency
The United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, the health secretary said Thursday, a move expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease. The declaration came as the tally of cases crossed 6,600 in the United States on Wednesday, almost all of them among …
your ad hereNigerian Artist Ekele Joins Denver Portraiture Exhibit
Nigerian artist Isaac Ekele is part of an exhibition of portraiture in the Western U.S. state of Colorado. VOA’s Scott Stearns reports on his hyper-realistic drawings. …
your ad hereA Peek at NASA’s Upcoming Moon Mission
NASA discusses its upcoming test flight to the moon. Plus, another look deep into the history of our universe, and we remember a beloved fictional pioneer in spaceflight. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us “The Week in Space.” …
your ad hereLife Expectancy in Africa Increases Nearly 10 Years
Life expectancy in Africa rose by nearly 10 years between 2000 and 2019, from 46 years to 56 years, according to the World Health Organization’s State of Health in Africa report released Thursday. However, WHO officials note that is still well below the global average of 64 years. WHO Assistant …
your ad hereBiden Seeks to Federally Protect Abortion as States Vote on Issue
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order that the White House said would protect access to abortion care, part of the continuing fallout from a June Supreme Court reversal of its landmark 1973 ruling establishing a right to abortion. With each of the 50 states now free to …
your ad hereInvasive Reptiles and Amphibians Cost World $17 Billion
Two invasive species — the brown tree snake and the American bullfrog — cost the world more than $16 billion between 1986 and 2020, according to a study. Researchers say the already-hefty price tag should be seen as a lower limit on the true cost of invasive reptiles and amphibians, …
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