Muslim Americans Run for Charity During Ramadan Fast

During the month of Ramada, millions of U.S. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. This year, Ramadan has fallen in May. Already temperatures in Washington, D.C., have risen above 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit.) Running while fasting on hot days can be challenging and ill-advised. Still about 70 fasting …

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‘Ramy’ Show Depicts Life of Arab American Muslims

In his semiautobiographical comedy “Ramy,” Ramy Youssef satirizes the daily life of a first-generation millennial Arab American Muslim. In an interview with VOA’s Penelope Poulou, he describes his show as funny, darkly satirical and down to earth — aiming to dispel stereotypes about Muslims in America. …

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Superman Building Makes National List of Endangered Places

Providence’s iconic Superman Building is included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of the nation’s most endangered historic places.   The 2019 list highlights 11 architectural and cultural sites the private nonprofit deems at risk because of neglect, development or other threats.   The 91-year-old vacant skyscraper …

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Should Facebook Delete Fake Pelosi Video?

When a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — one altered to show the Democratic leader slurring her words — began making the rounds on Facebook last week, the social network didn’t take it down. Instead, it “downranked” the video, a behind-the-scenes move intended to limit its spread. That …

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Word Whiz Kids Tap Memory Tricks at Spelling Bee

Spelling savants traced letters onto their palms or gazed at the ceiling on Wednesday while racking their brains in hopes of advancing to the next level of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  The field shrunk considerably throughout the day, from 490 down to 50 finalists who are competing for the …

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S. African Athlete Semenya Appeals Testosterone Ruling 

South African runner Caster Semenya filed an appeal Wednesday against the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to uphold testosterone regulations for some female athletes in track and field.    Attorneys for the two-time Olympic 800-meter champion said she lodged an appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s supreme court. …

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Drought Forces Water Bans in Sydney

Water restrictions are to be imposed in Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, for the first time in almost a decade because of falling reservoir levels and a long-standing drought. Residents who breach the regulations could be fined US$150. The flow of rainwater into some of Sydney’s reservoirs is at its lowest …

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