U.N. agencies warn that the widespread prevalence of female genital mutilation is exacting a heavy toll in both human and economic terms. The U.N. is calling for an end to the practice by 2030. Around 200 million girls and women alive today are suffering the physical and psychological effects of female …
your ad hereFemale Genital Mutilation Still Prevalent in West Africa
February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The practice, also known as female circumcision or cutting, poses serious health risks but remains common in many countries, particularly in West Africa.More than 200 million women and girls who are alive today have been cut, according …
your ad hereWomen Enter Afghanistan’s Male Dominated Restaurant Industry
Women are slowly moving into Afghanistan’s male-dominated restaurant industry. And one entirely women-run restaurant in central Afghanistan’s Bamyan province is attracting food lovers from the region. VOA’s Zafar Bamyani gives us a taste of the restaurant in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard …
your ad hereVOA Explains: How to Reduce Risk of Viral Infection
Germs are everywhere. How can you reduce the risk of viral infection? Here are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself. …
your ad hereTourists Visiting Hollywood for the Oscars Unconcerned About Coronavirus
As the number of U.S. cases of coronavirus continues to inch upward, some people are getting panicky. But the health scare doesn’t seem to impress many tourists visiting Los Angeles to watch the upcoming Oscars ceremony this weekend. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story narrated by Anna Rice …
your ad hereRolling Stones Returning to North America for 15-City Tour
The Rolling Stones are returning to some North American cities where they haven’t played in years. The band announced Thursday that it will kick off a 15-city leg of its No Filter tour in San Diego on May 8. Other cities where the band will play that …
your ad hereNASA’s Record-Setting Koch, Crewmates Safely Back From Space
NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who has spent nearly 11 months in orbit on the longest spaceflight by a woman, landed safely in Kazakhstan on Thursday along with two of her International Space Station crewmates. The Soyuz capsule carrying Koch, along with station Commander Luca Parmitano of the European …
your ad hereOscars Seen as Slow to Embrace Diversity
Only two of the 20 actors and actresses nominated for an Oscar this year are minorities, and no women were nominated in the Best Director category. Upon announcing the Oscar nominations, actress Issa Rae made a point of that by remarking, “Congratulations to those men.” But why is there lack …
your ad hereTen More Japanese Cruise Ship Passengers Diagnosed with New Coronavirus
Japanese health authorities say 10 more people aboard a cruise ship have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus that has killed hundreds of people in China and triggered a global health emergency.A total of 20 people aboard Carnival Japan’s Diamond Princess have been diagnosed with the virus since it arrived …
your ad hereCoronavirus Cases, Deaths and Global Concerns Rising
The World Health Organization on Wednesday called for $675 million to fight the novel coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly at risk. This comes as the number of deaths nears 500 with more than 24,300 confirmed cases in China. Outside of China there are 191 confirmed cases in …
your ad hereHollywood Legend Kirk Douglas Dies at 103
One of the last survivors of Hollywood’s golden age, movie legend Kirk Douglas, has died.His son, actor Michael Douglas, announced his father’s death Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. He was 103 years old.The son of poor Russian Jewish immigrants, Douglas appeared in 90 films over a 60-year career.He worked a …
your ad hereWeight Loss Movement Tries to Combat Malaysia’s Obesity Crisis
“1-2-3,” shouts Dr. Noradhiah Tumirin, a physician and fitness trainer. “You can do it,” she enthusiastically says as her client Sarah Baharudin is lying flat on her back and struggling to lift her legs from the ground to a 90-degree angle.Baharudin, age 35, is breathing heavily throughout the workout. She’s …
your ad hereChina Coronavirus Lockdown Complicates North Korea Refugee Journeys
A vast transportation lockdown meant to contain the spread of a new coronavirus in central China is complicating the already grueling journey of North Korean refugees, according to two sources who help arrange North Korean defector trips.Chinese authorities have implemented what one World Health Organization official called an “unprecedented” lockdown …
your ad hereKenya Fighting to End Female Genital Mutilation by 2023
Despite Kenya banning female genital mutilation in 2011, the tradition of circumcising girls has continued in some ethnic communities. President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed to end FGM by 2023, but activists say more needs to be done as millions of girls are still at risk of undergoing the cut.At just seven …
your ad hereAnnual Virginia Ice Sculpture Festival Attracts Carvers From All Over US
In Leesburg, Virginia, near Washington DC, it’s well above freezing but that has not stopped scores of artists and carvers who come each year during the winter to turn ice into magic. Maxim Moskalkov visited the city’s annual ice festival and talked to the sculptors about their evanescent masterpieces …
your ad hereIran-Linked Hackers Pose as Journalists in Email Scam
When Iranian-born German academic Erfan Kasraie received an email from The Wall Street Journal requesting an interview, he sensed something was amiss.The Nov. 12 note purportedly came from Farnaz Fassihi, a veteran Iranian-American journalist who covers the Middle East. Yet it read more like a fan letter, asking Kasraie to …
your ad hereVietnam Goes Big on Solar Power
Solar power is making a strong showing in Vietnam after years of shuttling from one extreme to the other, with the nation looking sometimes like it would revert to coal, and other times like it would invest in renewable energy.By the end of last year Vietnam had surpassed Malaysia and …
your ad hereCoronavirus’ Impact on Global Economy Becoming a Worry
With many Chinese cities on a virtual lockdown and businesses closed until next week at the earliest, there are growing concerns about coronavirus’s impact on the global economy. On Tuesday, automaker Hyundai Motor said it will suspend production in South Korea, its biggest manufacturing base, becoming the first major automaker …
your ad hereThe Stories Behind The Academy Awards
It’s Oscar week in Los Angeles, and until the awards are handed out on Sunday the city will be ground zero for parties. Many of these events and traditions go back decades – to the time when Hollywood actors weren’t multi-millionaires and the Award Ceremony was invented. Angelina Bagdasaryan has …
your ad hereWith an App and Smartphones, Citizen Scientists Create Massive Database of Natural World
A smartphone app that combines computer vision with a host of experts is empowering nature enthusiasts across the globe to document the organisms around them. Matt Dibble takes a closer look. …
your ad hereRihanna to Receive Special Honor at NAACP Image Awards
Rihanna will receive the President’s Award during the 51st NAACP Image Awards this month.The NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a U.S. civil rights organization) announced Tuesday that it had selected the 31-year-old pop star and fashion icon for her “groundbreaking career as an artist and …
your ad hereIrish Regulator Probes Google, Tinder Over Data Processing
Irish regulators have launched separate inquiries into Google and dating app Tinder over how they process user data, in a new round of regulatory scrutiny aimed at tech companies.Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Tuesday that it decided to look into how Google handles location data after a number of consumer …
your ad hereHong Kong Medical Workers Still On Strike as Territory Confirms 1st Coronavirus Death
Medical workers in Hong Kong are staging a second consecutive day of strikes Tuesday as the Chinese territory reports its first death from a coronavirus that has killed 425 people in mainland China.Hong Kong shut down nearly all land and sea border crossings with the mainland at midnight local time …
your ad hereTwitter Says State-Backed Actors May Have Accessed Users’ Phone Numbers
Twitter said on Monday that it had discovered attempts by possible state actors to access the phone numbers associated with user accounts, after a security researcher unearthed a flaw in the company’s “contacts upload” feature.In a statement published on its privacy blog, Twitter said it had identified a “high volume …
your ad hereHong Kong Medical Workers on Strike for Second Straight Day as Territory Confirms First Coronavirus Death
Medical workers in Hong Kong are staging a second consecutive day of strikes Tuesday as the Chinese territory reports its first death from a coronavirus that has killed 425 people in mainland China.Hong Kong shut down nearly all land and sea border crossings with the mainland at midnight local time …
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