Members of the LightSail 2 team declared their mission a success in a teleconference Wednesday. The citizen-funded spacecraft is the highest-performing solar sail to date and the first to demonstrate the ability to orbit Earth in a controlled way. “This is a very exciting day for us, and for …
your ad hereTowering Broadway Director, Producer Hal Prince Has Died
Harold Prince, a Broadway director and producer who pushed the boundaries of musical theater with such groundbreaking shows as “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cabaret,” “Company” and “Sweeney Todd” and won a staggering 21 Tony Awards, has died. Prince was 91.Prince’s publicist Rick Miramontez said Prince died Wednesday after a …
your ad hereSouth Africa Hosts World’s Largest Marimba and Steelpan Festival
South Africa hosted the world’s largest marimba and steelpan festival July 27 and 28, with nearly 2,000 musicians from around Africa, including Botswana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The festival — now in its eighth year — mixes traditional African, classical and even rap music. “As Africans, we encourage our students also …
your ad hereHuawei Remains No. 2 Smartphone Seller Despite US Sanctions
Huawei remained the No. 2 global smartphone vendor in the past quarter despite tough U.S. sanctions imposed on the Chinese technology giant, market trackers said Wednesday.The Chinese firm managed to boost its sales even as the overall market declined, remaining on the heels of sector leader Samsung and ahead of …
your ad hereUS to Set Up Plan Allowing Prescription Drugs From Canada
The Trump administration said Wednesday it will set up a system to allow Americans to legally import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, weakening a longstanding ban that had stood as a top priority for the politically powerful pharmaceutical industry.Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Wednesday morning. …
your ad hereSecond Ebola Death in DRC City of Goma
Lisa Schlein contributed to this report from Geneva.Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the person who was confirmed as the second case of Ebola in the city of Goma has died.The announcement was made Wednesday, a day after the latest case was first revealed.The case involved a man …
your ad hereTeens From Around the Globe Solve Problems at Google Competition
When Celestine Wenardy, a 16-year-old teenager from Indonesia, learned that diabetes was a “silent killer” in her country, she wondered how to make it easier for people to test their blood glucose levels. She entered her idea into the Google Science Fair, an annual competition that attracts teens from around the …
your ad hereTeens From Around the Globe Compete at Google
Teenagers from around the world were on Google’s campus this week to compete in a science competition. Their projects brought novel approaches to address health, disability and environmental issues. Michelle Quinn visited their booths to find out more. …
your ad hereEthiopia Plants Trees to Curb Climate Change Effects
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his guest, director of the World Food Program David Beasley, planted tree seedlings on Tuesday in a salute to Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, which seeks to combat climate change through mass tree planting. Volunteers in the Horn of Africa state planted 350 million trees …
your ad hereCongo Confirms 2nd Ebola Case in Border City of Goma
VOA’s Lisa Schlein contributed to this report.Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a second case of the deadly Ebola virus in the city of Goma. Goma is home to more than a million people and lies directly on Congo’s border with Rwanda, where tens of thousands cross on …
your ad hereSemenya Out of World Championships After Swiss Court Reverses Reprieve
Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya will not defend her 800-meters title at the World Championships in September after the Swiss Federal Tribunal reversed a ruling that temporarily lifted the IAAF’s testosterone regulations imposed on her, a spokesman for the athlete said Tuesday.Semenya is appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s …
your ad hereUS Presidential Envoy Sent to Sweden for A$AP Rocky’s Trial
American rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to assault as his trial in Sweden opened Tuesday, a month after a street fight that landed him in jail and became a topic of U.S.-Swedish diplomacy. Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of beating a 19-year-old man …
your ad hereLebanon Music Festival Cancels Show After Christian Pressure
A multi-day international music festival in Lebanon said Tuesday that it’s cancelled a planned concert by a popular Mideast rock band whose lead singer is openly gay, apparently caving to pressure after weeklong calls by some Christian groups to pull the plug on the show, as well as online threats …
your ad hereUnprecedented Number of Children Infected by Ebola in Congo
The United Nations’ Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, reports an unprecedented number of children in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are being infected with Ebola and many are dying from this deadly disease.Children account for more than 700 of the 2,671 reported cases of Ebola. UNICEF health specialist Jerome Pfaffman …
your ad hereUnder Trump, Expert Advisory Panels on the Decline
The move to dismantle the Jason scientific panel follows other Trump administration efforts to abolish or delay the work of independent groups that have been a staple of the U.S. government for decades.U.S. officials say many panels simply add bureaucracy and costs. Opponents of the closures see the change as …
your ad hereUS Rapper A$AP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty in Swedish Assault Case
U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a charge of assault on the first day of a trial in Sweden that has drawn international attention and prompted President Donald Trump to intervene on the artist’s behalf.The 30-year-old performer, producer and model, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, …
your ad hereSouth Africa’s ‘Reclaimers’ Shoulder the Bulk of Nation’s Recycling
It’s 6 a.m on a chilly Johannesburg morning, and Luyanda Hlatshwayo is elbow-deep in a trash can, pulling out milk bottles, soda cans, the lid of a pot, a broken blender. His eyes light up as he hits pay dirt: a tranche of used white paper. Hlatshwayo, who is 35, has …
your ad hereAfter Moon Landing Anniversary, NASA Aims Beyond Earth Orbit
What looks like an unusual giant orange metal canister, rising high above the windy and humid Alabama landscape, has some familiar design features.“There’s a lot of heritage shuttle technology here,” said NASA engineer Mike Nichols.But this canister is not intended to return the iconic fixed-wing, reusable space shuttle back into …
your ad hereAfter Anniversary, NASA Aims Beyond Earth Orbit
The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing celebrated the crowning achievement in crewed space flight, but also reminded the public the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, is not currently sending astronauts into space from the U.S. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, if everything goes according to …
your ad hereRiskiest Time for Surgery Patients Is Not In Operating Room
The deadliest time for many surgery patients isn’t when they’re on the operating table, it’s while they’re recovering in the hospital and after they go home, a new study suggests.For the study, researchers examined outcomes for more than 40,000 patients age 45 and older who underwent non-cardiac surgery at 28 …
your ad hereSoutheast Asia’s Most Effective Anti-Malaria Drug Is Becoming Ineffective
Scientists warn the most effective drug used to treat malaria is becoming ineffective in parts of Southeast Asia — and unless rapid action is taken, it could lead to a global health emergency.Writing in the Lancet journal, researchers from Thailand’s Mahidol University and Britain’s Oxford University say parasites that carry malaria …
your ad hereIraq Displays Stolen Artifacts Recovered From UK, Sweden
Iraqi officials are displaying stolen artifacts from the country’s rich cultural heritage that were recently recovered from Britain and Sweden.Many archaeological treasures from Iraq, home of the ancient “fertile crescent” considered the cradle of civilization, were looted during the chaos that followed the 2003 U.S. invasion and whisked out of …
your ad hereCensus: Nearly 3,000 Tigers in India
Tigers are one of the world’s endangered species.India, however, is working hard to change that classification for its national animal.In just four years, its tiger population has grown from 2,226 to 2,976.In 2010, India’s tiger population was down to 1,400.India is now one of the safest places in the world …
your ad hereWorld Champions Crowned in Annual Thumb vs. Thumb Combat Sport
In the world of combat sports, only one emerges with a consensus thumbs-up vote. This weekend in Britain, judges crowned the strongest digits in this year’s men’s, women’s and children’s World Thumb Wrestling Championships. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi points the way to victory. …
your ad hereColombia’s Egan Bernal Makes History as Tour de France Champ
Updated July 27, 4:25PMTwenty-two-year-old Egan Bernal has become the first Colombian to win the Tour de France — and the youngest cyclist to place first in more than a century.Welshman Geraint Thomas placed second and Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk third.The 2019 edition of the Tour de France was marked by high …
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