Fred “Curly” Neal, the dribbling wizard who entertained millions with the Harlem Globetrotters for parts of three decades, has died. He was 77. The Globetrotters said Neal died in his home outside of Houston on Thursday morning. “We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known,” …
your ad hereCoronavirus Cancels Baseball’s Opening Day
Baseball stadiums across the U.S. were uncharacteristically empty and silent Thursday — no cheers, no beers, no jeers for the umpires. The coronavirus outbreak forced Major League Baseball to cancel the springtime tradition of Opening Day, when teams play the first of what are supposed to be 162 games for the right to go to the World Series in October. The 30 …
your ad hereAmid Coronavirus Pandemic, Europe’s Myriad Cultural Sites Thrive Online
The Louvre is closed tight, but visitors can still see its most popular masterpieces — including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa — without being sandwiched between selfie-snapping tourists. The Berlin Philharmonic is similarly shuttered, but classical music buffs can relive Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, under chief conductor Kirill Petrenko’s baton. The Berlin Philharmonic’s website announcing its temporary closure and …
your ad hereVietnamese Restaurant Offers Chance to Take a Bite Out of Coronavirus
A restaurant in Vietnam has created a way for its customers to “take a bite” out of the coronavirus that has disrupted much of the world — by serving burgers designed to look like the actual virus.Hanoi pizza shop owner and chef Hoang Tung said he wanted to make something …
your ad hereIf You Don’t Laugh, You Cry: Coping With Virus Through Humor
Neil Diamond posts a fireside rendition of “Sweet Caroline” with its familiar lyrics tweaked to say, “Hands … washing hands.” A news anchor asks when social distancing will end because “my husband keeps trying to get into the house.” And a sign outside a neighborhood church reads: “Had not planned …
your ad hereFACTBOX: US Lawmakers Who Tested Positive for Coronavirus
Three members of the U.S. Congress have tested positive for the new coronavirus, and more than two dozen others have said they are self-quarantining in hopes of limiting the spread of the pandemic. House of Representatives leaders aim on Friday to pass the $2.2 trillion relief bill passed by …
your ad hereVirginia Man Uses 3D Printer to Make Mask Shields for Health Workers
A Virginia man has come up with a way to help medical workers caring for people with COVID-19. Jeremy Filko is using his 3D printer to create plastic mask shields for doctors, nurses and other first responders. VOA’s Shih-Wei Chou reports. …
your ad hereRepurposed Drugs Offer Shortest Path to Coronavirus Treatment
With the global COVID-19 death toll surging past 20,000 people this week, accelerated efforts to develop coronavirus treatments are primarily focused on adapting existing drugs intended to fight other diseases. “The shortest path to a treatment, we think, is to repurpose something that already exists based on our knowledge of the mechanisms of action,” said Dr. Hana Akselrod, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at …
your ad hereCoronavirus Pandemic Deals Blow to US, China Film Industries
The coronavirus has shut down movie theaters and postponed movie releases in the two largest film markets in the world, the U.S. and China.The film industry in the two countries has become more closely tied in recent years, and the economic impact of the coronavirus in one country will be …
your ad herePandemic Likely to Damage US, China Film Industries
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down movie theaters and caused movie releases to be postponed in the U.S. and China, the two largest film markets in the world. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has details on how the pandemic is affecting moviegoers and movie producers in both countries. …
your ad hereUganda Opposition Figure Bobi Wine Releases COVID-19 Awareness Song
In Uganda, authorities have confirmed five new cases of COVID-19, among them an eight-month-old baby and two Chinese nationals who left their quarantine. Ugandan officials are trying to raise awareness of the coronavirus, including one well-known opposition lawmaker who, not surprisingly, issued his warning in song.Legislator and musician Robert Kyagulanyi, …
your ad hereToo Big to Infect? Some US Leaders Defy Virus Guidelines
The State Department has advised against all international travel because of the coronavirus, but that didn’t stop Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from flying to Afghanistan this week. Gyms across the nation’s capital are shuttered, but Sen. Rand Paul, an eye doctor, still managed a workout at the Senate on …
your ad hereStreet in Britain Serenades Girl on her Birthday
Neighbors on British street this week pulled together to help an eight-year-old girl celebrate her birthday after coronavirus lockdown regulations left her stuck in her house. The entire street in a Southhampton neighborhood Wednesday sang “Happy Birthday” out their windows for the girl — named “Sophia” — who stood outside her home in …
your ad hereUS Cybersecurity Experts See Recent Spike in Chinese Digital Espionage
A U.S. cybersecurity firm said Wednesday it has detected a surge in new cyberspying by a suspected Chinese group dating back to late January, when coronavirus was starting to spread outside China. FireEye Inc. said in a report it had spotted a spike in activity from a hacking group it …
your ad hereSouth Korea to Provide Coronavirus Test Kits to US
South Korea, which has been among the best in the world at coronavirus testing, has agreed to provide the United States with badly needed test kits. Seoul says U.S. President Donald Trump asked South Korea for the coronavirus help on Tuesday. As VOA’s Bill Gallo reports, Trump’s request comes at …
your ad hereUS Whiskey Maker Starts Producing Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is one of the products Americans have been stockpiling during the coronavirus outbreak and that’s left many store shelves empty of the product. That shortage is prompting companies like a small distillery in Falls Church, Virginia, to find creative ways to help.Instead of producing whiskey, gin or vodka, Falls Church Distillers is busy …
your ad hereMultiple Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally Dies at 81
Terrence McNally, one of America’s great playwrights whose prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Master Class” and the musicals “Ragtime” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 81.McNally died Tuesday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in …
your ad hereJackson Estate Gives to Broadway, Vegas Needy Amid Outbreak
The Michael Jackson estate is donating $300,000 to help entertainment industry workers on Broadway, the music business and in Las Vegas who have been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. The estate announced Wednesday that it will give $100,000 apiece to Broadway Cares, the food bank Three Square in Nevada and …
your ad hereNew Study Looks into Why Females Live Longer than Males
Women live longer than men across the world and scientists have by and large linked the sex differences in longevity with biological foundation to survival. A new study of wild mammals has found considerable differences in life span and aging in various mammalian species. Among humans, women’s life span is almost 8% on average longer than men’s life span. But among wild mammals, females in 60% of the studied species have, on average, 18.6% longer lifespans. The ratio is considerably different for different groups …
your ad hereRobots Rise to Battle Against Coronavirus
They are known as “Little White Snails,” self-driving street sweepers that for several years cleaned up parks and other public places across China. Kids liked them. Now the 4-foot-high sweepers are keeping humans safe. After the outbreak in China, over 200 Little White Snails were enlisted to fight the spread of the …
your ad here2020 Summer Olympics Officially Moved to 2021
The global coronavirus outbreak keeps many of us at home and away from the things we enjoy. Sporting leagues around the world have postponed or canceled live competitions, and on Tuesday, the biggest event of them all, the summer Olympics, announced the Tokyo Games will be postponed to 2021. VOA’s …
your ad hereCoronavirus Forces Delay of 2020 Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be postponed until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday. Although the International Olympic Committee had said it would spend up to a month debating the matter, the decision to postpone became inevitable after several countries said …
your ad hereEuropeans Sing Praises of Health Workers from their Windows
At a time of isolation, people in many European cities hit hard by the new coronavirus are taking at least a minute each night to come together in gratitude.They stand at open windows or on balconies in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Athens and Amsterdam, singing, cheering and applauding even though they …
your ad hereEU Commission Warns of Increased Cybercrime During Coronavirus Crisis
The president of the European Commission is warning EU citizens to beware of on-line scams, particularly for counterfeit medical products and medicines during the coronavirus crisis. In a video message released Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said with more people working from home and spending time online, they have become more susceptible to cyber criminals, particularly those exploiting …
your ad hereOlympics-Reaction to Postponement of The Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Athletes, national associations and sporting federations from around the world reacted with a mixture of sadness, relief and goodwill to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.After weeks of speculation and mounting criticism at the delay in announcing a postponement, Japan’s Prime …
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