Lebanon can't handle next COVID wave: hospital chief

Lebanon's deepening economic crisis has piled pressure on hospitals, leaving them ill-equipped to face any new wave of the coronavirus, a top hospital director has warned.

AstraZeneca searching for vaccines for virus-hit Southeast Asia

Drugmaker AstraZeneca said Saturday it was scouring its supply chain to find more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for Southeast Asia, which is facing its most serious outbreak yet of the virus.

India rescuers hunt for survivors as monsoon toll hits 115

Rescuers in India waded through knee-deep mud and debris Saturday in a grim search for survivors as the death toll from heavy monsoon rains climbed to 115, with nearly 150,000 others evacuated.

Algeria to produce Chinese Sinovac vaccines

Algeria will manufacture the Chinese coronavirus vaccine Sinovac locally, the government announced Saturday, in a country hit by rising cases and constrained by a patchy inoculation rollout.

States scale back virus reporting just as cases surge

Several states scaled back their reporting of COVID-19 statistics this month just as cases across the country started to skyrocket, depriving the public of real-time information on outbreaks, cases, hospitalizations and deaths in their communities.

Monsoon rains flood Philippine villages, thousands evacuate

Thousands of residents fled flooded communities and swollen rivers in the Philippine capital and outlying provinces Saturday after days of torrential monsoon rains, which left at least one villager dead, officials said.

Surfing science: Dependent on weather, defined by the ocean

Olympic surfing's debut is making clear that these wave riders are unsung masters of science—in climatology, meteorology and oceanography to be exact.

Image: Hubble views a faraway galaxy through a cosmic lens

The center of this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is framed by the tell-tale arcs that result from strong gravitational lensing, a striking astronomical phenomenon which can warp, magnify, or even duplicate the appearance of distant galaxies.

Artificial intelligence helps improve NASA's eyes on the Sun

A group of researchers is using artificial intelligence techniques to calibrate some of NASA's images of the Sun, helping improve the data that scientists use for solar research. The new technique was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on April 13, 2021.

Iceland reimposes COVID restrictions after cases surge

Iceland, one of the first nations in the world to lift all COVID restrictions for vaccinated tourists, on Friday announced new curbs following a spate of infections.

Baby orca dies in New Zealand after fruitless search for mother

Toa, the baby orca who captured hearts after he was found stranded in New Zealand waters, has lost his fight for survival, conservationists confirmed Saturday.

6.7-magnitude quake hits Philippines: USGS

A strong earthquake shook the Philippines on Saturday, the US Geological Survey reported, but it was deep, and local authorities said they did not expect damage.

NASA selects SpaceX for mission to Jupiter moon Europa

NASA on Friday said it had selected SpaceX to launch a planned voyage to Jupiter's icy moon Europa, a huge win for Elon Musk's company as it sets its sights deeper into the solar system.

Covid cases surpass 40 million in Latin America and the Caribbean

The number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 40 million on Saturday in Latin America and the Caribbean.

China closing county near Myanmar for mass virus testing

Everyone in a county in China's southwest near Myanmar will be tested for the coronavirus following a spike in infections, the government announced Saturday.

Vietnam locks down capital Hanoi for 15 days as cases rise

Vietnam announced a 15-day lockdown in the capital Hanoi starting Saturday as a coronavirus surge spread from the southern Mekong Delta region.

UN adopts first resolution on vision, aims to help 1 billion

The U.N. General Assembly approved its first-ever resolution on vision Friday, calling on its 193 member nations to ensure access to eye care for everyone in their countries which would contribute to a global effort to help at least 1.1 billion people with vision impairment who currently lack eye services by 2030.

Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations jump significantly again

Florida's COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases again jumped significantly this week as the vaccination rate in rural counties where some of the worst outbreaks are occurring remains well below the state and national averages.