The World Health Organization says one in 10 people worldwide is expected to suffer from hearing loss by 2050. But in the United States, health officials say around 20 percent of America’s adult population is already experiencing some level of hearing loss and the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the problem to a greater extent. As the…
read moreU.S. infrastructure rates a C-minus grade, the American Society of Civil Engineers said Wednesday, with years of inaction by the federal government leaving the country with deteriorating roads and bridges while airports, water supplies and public transit systems need upgrades. The civil engineers said the United States needs to spend $5.9 trillion over the next decade,…
read moreU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared Wednesday that the relationship between the United States and China is the world’s “biggest geopolitical test” of the century. In remarks released before he delivers his first major foreign policy speech, Blinken says the new Biden administration will “manage” ties with China “from a position of strength.”“That requires engaging in diplomacy and in international organizations, because where we have pulled back, China has filled in,” the statement said…
read moreScientists are warning that a variant of the novel coronavirus that was first detected in Brazil could reinfect people already recovering from COVID-19. The P.1 variant has spread to more than 20 countries since it was first detected last November in the Amazonian region city of Manaus. A joint study by scientists in Britain and Brazil…
read moreTo mark World Hearing Day, the World Health Organization is calling for action to stem the epidemic of hearing loss, which currently affects 1.5 billion people globally. A roadmap for action is contained in WHO’s first World Report on Hearing. WHO officials warn nearly 2.5 billion people will be living with some degree of hearing loss…
read moreFederal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray told U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday that the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters trying to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory was domestic terrorism. As VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, Wray admitted the bureau did have raw intelligence warning of violence that day. …
read moreMerck will help its pharmaceutical competitor Johnson & Johnson make the single-shot coronavirus vaccine. That was announced on Tuesday by President Joe Biden.VOA’s White House bureau chief Steve Herman was in the room when the president also said he wants every American educator to receive at least one vaccine dose by the end of this…
read moreIt’s the sort of chance that comes along just once in a blue Moon: a Japanese billionaire is throwing open a private lunar expedition to eight people from around the world. Yusaku Maezawa, an online fashion tycoon, was announced in 2018 as the first man to book a spot aboard the lunar spaceship being developed by SpaceX. Maezawa,…
read moreFBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday defended the bureau against criticism that it missed warning signs about the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and failed to adequately sound the alarm about the possibility of violence by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.At the same time, Wray, in his first congressional appearance since the riot,…
read morePresident Joe Biden’s pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn her nomination after she faced opposition from key Democratic and Republican senators for her controversial tweets. Her withdrawal marks the first high-profile defeat of one of Biden’s nominees. Eleven of the 23 Cabinet nominees requiring Senate approval have been confirmed,…
read moreFrom a smart dog collar that can tell you your pet’s emotional state to toys that automatically move, the pet tech industry is growing, especially during the pandemic when many people staying at home have been adopting dogs and cats. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more on the latest tech devices for pets.Camera: Elizabeth Lee, Sam Verma Producer:…
read moreTexas is lifting its mask mandate, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday, making it the largest state to no longer require one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus.The announcement in Texas, where the virus has killed more than 42,000 people, rattled doctors and big city leaders who said they are…
read moreThe global COVAX vaccine distribution plan aims to deliver tens of millions of vaccine doses to low-income countries — many of them in Africa – in the coming months, top global health officials say, describing this as a turning point in the quest to quash the coronavirus pandemic.The world’s largest, fastest, and most ambitious vaccine…
read moreThe U.S. Senate voted 84-15 Tuesday to confirm Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to head the U.S. Commerce Department, the agency that repeatedly sparred with China during the prior administration.Raimondo, a Democrat tapped by President Joe Biden, will oversee the Commerce Department and its bureaus, which have about 46,000 employees.The department includes the National Telecommunications…
read moreThe director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation told a Senate panel Tuesday that the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building aimed at preventing the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory over Donald Trump was domestic terrorism. “That siege was criminal behavior, plain and simple. It’s behavior that we, the FBI,…
read moreU.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck has agreed to help manufacture rival Johnson & Johnson’s new coronavirus vaccine to help speed production of millions of new doses of the single shots to inoculate more Americans in the coming months, White House officials said Tuesday.Johnson & Johnson has encountered unexpected production problems, even as it won emergency use…
read moreFBI Director Chris Wray is set to testify for the first time since the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, with lawmakers likely to press him on whether the bureau adequately communicated with other law enforcement agencies about the potential for violence that day. Questions about the FBI’s preparations for the riot, and…
read moreFrance will now vaccinate people aged 65 years and older with the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca. The decision was announced Tuesday by Health Minister Olivier Veran during a televised interview. Veran said anyone older than the age of 50 with pre-existing conditions can receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, “including…
read moreOne in four of the world’s population will suffer from hearing problems by 2050, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday, calling for extra investment in prevention and treatment. The first-ever global report on hearing said that the causes of many of the problems — such as infections, diseases, birth defects, noise exposure and lifestyle choices —…
read moreThe Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote.He takes charge of the Education Department…
read moreA third COVID-19 vaccine is heading to clinics and pharmacies across the United States. But U.S. health officials are warning that another surge in cases could be on the horizon.Regulators authorized the vaccine from pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson over the weekend. Nearly 4 million doses are expected to be available at vaccination sites beginning…
read morePresident Joe Biden’s choice for attorney general, Merrick Garland, moved one step closer to confirmation Monday when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance his nomination to the full Senate.Garland received bipartisan support from the committee with a final vote of 15-7.The vote comes one week after Garland was questioned by the committee.During his appearance…
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