ISLAMABAD — Only 12 children around the world have been paralyzed by wild poliovirus so far this year, all of them in Pakistan and Afghanistan — with six reported in each. They are the last two countries in which the highly infectious disease still exists. Moreover, the World Health Organization has …
your ad hereUS Trashing Troves Pandemic Gear as Huge, Costly Stockpiles Expire
Chatty Robot Uses AI to Help Seniors Fight Loneliness
Coral Springs, florida — Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day. A few miles away, the same voice comforted Deanna Dezern, 83, when her …
your ad hereUS Treasury, IRS Unveil Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit
Dengue Surging Globally as Climate Change Kicks In
GENEVA — The World Health Organization says dengue, a mosquito-borne illness, is surging worldwide because of climate change, along with social, environmental and other factors, such as population growth and the globalization of travel, which facilitates the spread of the viral infection. “Climate change has an impact on transmission because it …
your ad hereRussia Arrests Head of Space Equipment Maker, Suspected of Fraud
MOSCOW — The head of a company that makes navigation systems for Russia’s space program was arrested in Moscow and charged with major fraud, state media reported Friday. TASS news agency quoted an unidentified law enforcement official as saying that Yevgeny Fomichev had been interrogated and charged with large-scale fraud, which …
your ad hereHow Did America’s Founding Father Celebrate the Holidays?
Have you ever wondered how the holidays were celebrated in 18th-century America? VOA’s Saqib Ul Islam visits Mount Vernon, the historic home of America’s first president, George Washington. At this historic site, one of the nation’s most visited, holiday traditions from the 1770s are preserved. …
your ad hereCharity: For Many Older People Christmas is ‘Hardest Day’
Christmas for many is a time of family togetherness and good cheer, but for older adults, it can too often be one of the year’s loneliest days. Age UK, a charity group that deals with ageism and the problems of this demographic, says people can take simple steps to help. …
your ad hereFDA Warns About Counterfeit Versions of Diabetes Drug Ozempic
Chinese Chip Import Concerns Prompt US to Review Semiconductor Supply Chain
washington — The U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday that it would launch a survey of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and national defense industrial base to address national security concerns from Chinese-sourced chips. The survey aims to identify how U.S. companies are sourcing so-called legacy chips — current-generation and mature-node …
your ad hereBird Flu Set to Spread in Antarctic, Causing Huge Damage, Report Says
PARIS — Bird flu is likely to spread further in the Antarctic region, causing immense damage to wildlife, according to experts on the highly contagious disease that has killed hundreds of millions of birds worldwide in recent years. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, commonly called bird flu, …
your ad hereMalawi Bans Maize Imports From Kenya, Tanzania Over Disease
BLANTYRE, MALAWI — Malawi, which already is suffering from food shortages, this week banned the import of unmilled maize from Kenya and Tanzania over concerns that the spread of maize lethal necrosis disease could wipe out the staple food. The ministry of agriculture announced the ban in a statement that said …
your ad here2023: The Year Artificial Intelligence Broke Through
From ChatGPT to the impacts of machine learning on the music and film industry, academia and politics, generative artificial intelligence dominated technology news in 2023. Deana Mitchell takes a look. …
your ad hereHundreds of Volunteers Get White House Ready for Christmas
300 people from across the country spend up to a week decorating the presidential mansion for the holidays …
your ad hereFIFA, UEFA Acted Contrary to EU Competition Law in Blocking Super League, Court Says
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday in a landmark decision for the future of soccer’s club competitions that UEFA and FIFA acted contrary to EU competition law in blocking plans for the breakaway Super League. The case was heard last year at the court after Super League failed …
your ad herePoinsettia’s Origins, Namesake’s Checkered History Get New Attention
SANTA FE, N.M. — Like Christmas trees, Santa and reindeer, the poinsettia has long been a ubiquitous symbol of the holiday season in the U.S. and across Europe. But now, nearly 200 years after the plant with the bright crimson leaves was introduced in the U.S., attention is once again turning …
your ad hereInternational Astronaut Will Be Invited on Future NASA Moon Landing
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade’s end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House. The news came as Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting in Washington of the National Space Council, the third such gathering under …
your ad hereOfficials Push to Get Kids Vaccinated as More US Parents Opt Out
Big Wins and Setbacks in 2023 For Biden’s Green Agenda
Injecting billions of dollars into green solutions to fight climate change has been a top priority of the Biden administration in 2023. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at this year’s achievements and setbacks in the president’s environmental agenda. …
your ad hereIn Sudan, Health Care Crisis Looms for Unborn, Newborn as Conflict Escalates
Nairobi, Kenya — According to the British charity Save the Children, some 30,000 children will be born in war-torn Sudan over the next three months without access to proper medical care, such as through doctors, hospitals and medicines. The group says the lack of basic health care endangers both mothers and …
your ad hereToyota’s Daihatsu to Halt Vehicle Shipments in Widening Safety Scandal
TOKYO — Toyota Motor’s Daihatsu unit will halt shipments of all of its vehicles, Japan’s biggest automaker said on Wednesday, after an investigation into a safety scandal found issues at 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota’s brand. An independent panel has been investigating Daihatsu after it said in …
your ad hereBlue Origin Returns to Space After Year-long Hiatus
WASHINGTON — Blue Origin launched its first rocket in more than a year on Tuesday, reviving the U.S. company’s fortunes with a successful return to space following an uncrewed crash in 2022. Though mission NS-24 carried a payload of science experiments, not people, it paves the way for Jeff Bezos’ aerospace …
your ad hereDrought-Prone California OKs New Rules for Turning Wastewater Directly Into Drinking Water
SACRAMENTO, California — When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places: an ice skating rink in Ontario, ski slopes around Lake Tahoe, farmland in the Central Valley. And — coming soon — kitchen faucets. California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to …
your ad hereWHO Classifies JN.1 Coronavirus Strain as ‘Variant of Interest’
Volunteers Join Annual Christmas Bird Count
North America’s oldest citizen science project is underway with thousands of volunteers measuring bird populations in the annual Christmas Bird Count. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya joined a birdwatching team in Seattle. …
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