Despite the pandemic, voters in the midwestern U.S. states of Nebraska and Wisconsin will be voting in elections on Tuesday.For the mostly rural Wisconsin 7th Congressional District, it is the second time they will leave their homes in five weeks to cast ballots in the middle of a stay-at-home order issued to slow the spread…
read moreYou can count on viruses to change. VOA explains the process and why it could pose problems for researchers who are working on a COVID-19 vaccine. …
read moreChina’s health commission is reporting a spike in new COVID-19 cases in several provinces, prompting health officials to urge citizens to use personal protection. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.At a Beijing news conference, National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said 17 new cases were reported Monday, up from 14 the day before.…
read morePresident Donald Trump rarely holds his fire, hurling accusations true and false. But when it comes to the sexual assault allegation leveled against Joe Biden, his Democratic rival, the president has been unusually reticent. Trump didn’t publicly address the issue until April 30, more than a month after former Senate staffer Tara Reade alleged…
read moreThe Trump administration’s leading health experts on safely dealing with the novel coronavirus will be testifying in a Senate hearing by a videoconference this week after three of them and the committee’s chairman were exposed to people who tested positive for COVID-19.Adding to a string of potentially awkward moments for President Donald Trump, Vice President…
read moreIf the coronavirus pandemic forces large-scale events to be either discouraged or cancelled this summer, American political conventions may be among the country’s cultural casualties. Instead of the four-day festival that fills sports arenas, a virtual convention would connect thousands of delegates from all 50 states, plus U.S. territories, to cast votes on everything from political…
read moreEvents and event planning are among the societal casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, in the United States, the biggest among them could be national political nominating conventions. VOA’s Steve Redisch examines what a virtual political convention might look like and how it may change the way American politics is conducted. …
read moreAs the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on, an invisible fight is emerging for many at home, triggered by the anxiety, joblessness, death, isolation and uncertainty that accompany the virus.May is mental health awareness month, and never before has the topic of mental health been more relevant. Federal agencies and experts are reporting increasing rates…
read moreA main coronavirus vaccine trial — a joint venture between an American and a German company — got underway this week in the United States. Some participants are U.S. medical students. This trial joins others around the world, as pharmaceutical companies compete to discover the breakthrough for COVID-19. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti takes us through what’s being done…
read moreFive players in Spain’s top two divisions have tested positive for COVID-19 since clubs began testing players and staff members last week, organizing body La Liga said in a statement on Sunday.La Liga said the players would remain at their homes where they would continue individual training before being tested again “in the next few…
read moreIn a world suddenly fearful of touch, voice technology is getting a fresh look.Voice-activated systems such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri have seen strong growth in recent years, and the virus pandemic could accelerate that, analysts say.Voice assistants are not only answering queries and shopping, but also being used for smart home…
read moreStone by stone, digital artists and game developers from Mosul are rebuilding Nineveh’s heritage sites in the digital world.By looking through a virtual reality headset, a person can see the wonders of ancient Iraq. Via VR, it’s possible to fly over Nergal Gate, built 2,700 years ago, and see two winged bulls at its entrance.”Since…
read moreCoinciding with Friday’s observance of the African Day for the Reduction of Maternal and Newborn Mortality, Cameroon disclosed that tens of thousands of newborn babies continue to die at birth and thousands of women continue to lose their lives while giving birth each year in the central African of 25 million. Health officials say the…
read moreOpposition to President Donald Trump has consolidated Democratic party support for Joe Biden, the presumptive party nominee, in the upcoming presidential election. However, VOA’s Brian Padden reports that pressure from progressives for more expansive government assistance programs, especially now during the coronavirus pandemic, along with concerns over a recent sexual assault allegation and a challenge…
read moreCalifornia on Friday became the first state to commit to sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters for the November election as a result of the coronavirus pandemic to safeguard voter access and public safety.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order for the mail-in ballots but said they were no substitute for safe places for…
read moreCalifornia on Friday became the first state to commit to sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters for the November election as a result of the coronavirus pandemic to safeguard voter access and public safety.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order for the mail-in ballots but said they were no substitute for safe places for…
read moreAs the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the World Health Organization reports the methods used to rid the world of the devastating disease can be used today to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.In the 20th century alone, more than 300 million people died from smallpox until it was eradicated in 1975…
read moreFiumicino International Airport in Rome is the first one in Europe to use “smart helmets” to check the temperature of travelers from a safe distance. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo explains how the helmets are helping fight against the coronavirus pandemic. …
read moreAs some states moved to open their economies from the pandemic lockdown this week, Salon owner Shelley Luther reacts as supporters chant for her after she was released from jail in Dallas, May 7, 202 for refusing to keep her business closed amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19.Best guessIn the absence of experience, models…
read moreThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly found its suggestions for fighting the coronavirus outbreak taking a backseat to other concerns within the Trump administration. That leaves public health experts outside government fearing the agency’s decades of experience in beating back disease threats are going to waste. “You have the greatest fighting…
read moreMarine life in the politically disputed South China Sea took another hit over the past year, researchers said, due to overfishing and lack of international efforts to protect species.Vessels from multiple Asian countries are going farther out into the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea and casting deeper because coastal waters yield increasingly little, scholars and published research…
read moreOn May 9th, 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the world’s first commercially produced oral contraceptive. The birth control drug — popularly known as ‘The Pill’ — was hailed by supporters as “revolutionary” but 60 years later, insufficient access to the drug and other methods of birth control around the world have hampered what many hoped would be the…
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