“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will begin streaming on Disney Plus on May 4, about two months earlier than scheduled. The Walt Disney Co. said Monday that “The Rise of Skywalker” will land on the streaming service timed to what’s referred to as “Star Wars Day” after the slogan …
your ad hereUndefeated, High Schoolers Head Online For Isolation Proms
In party dresses or come as you are, with colored lights flashing in their bedrooms and teachers-turned-DJs spinning, high schoolers have turned to virtual proms to salvage at least one slice of fun and tradition for the Class of 2020. And they’re getting help from familiar brands like Teen Vogue …
your ad hereUgandan HIV-Positive Volunteer Goes Distance to Deliver ARVs
Amid a three-week suspension of public and private transport in Uganda due to the coronavirus, some HIV-positive Ugandans have struggled to get hold of needed antiretroviral medications. Noticing a higher risk for HIV patients with compromised immune systems, health worker Simon Bukenya jumped on his bicycle and began making home …
your ad hereCOVID-Hit Businesses Weigh Cost vs. Environment
By 2025, Indonesia is expected to generate 150 thousand tons of trash per day, much of it plastic. Indonesian entrepreneur David Christian is developing everyday products to edge the world’s 4th most populous nation toward producing zero waste. But with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on businesses around the world, some outlets …
your ad hereCOVID-19’s Huge Greenhouse Gas Cut Won’t Last, Experts Say
From a hill four miles outside Boston, World Resources Institute economist Michelle Manion says she can read the letters on top of the Prudential building, a city landmark.”I’ve never been able to do that,” she said. “It’s really amazing.”Since FILE – Gas prices are listed for unleaded at a gas …
your ad hereAustralians Race to Download COVID-19 Tracing App Despite Privacy Concerns
More than a million Australians have downloaded a coronavirus contact tracing app within hours of it being released by the government. Officials have said the technology would help Australia get back to normal and help lift restrictions, but it has been criticized by civil liberties groups. Australia has managed to …
your ad herePandemic Has Businesses Weighing Cost vs. Environmentally-friendly Material
By 2025, Indonesia is expected to generate 150 thousand tons of trash per day, much of it plastic. Indonesian entrepreneur David Christian is developing everyday products to edge the world’s 4th most populous nation toward producing zero waste. But with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on businesses around the world, some outlets …
your ad hereAmazon Tests Screening New Merchants for Fraud via Video Calls in Pandemic
Amazon.com Inc is piloting the use of video conference calls to verify the identity of merchants who wish to sell goods on its websites, in a new plan to counter fraud without in-person meetings in the pandemic, the company said on Sunday. The world’s largest online retailer has long faced scrutiny …
your ad hereSenior Communities Adopt Virtual Reality to Fight Dementia, Social Isolation
Seventy-five-year-old Eileen Higa loves to travel and has visited many countries, but she never got a chance to see the Indonesian island of Bali. After moving into Silverado Beverly Place, a memory care community in Los Angeles, she thought she would never have a chance to see exotic places again. …
your ad hereAthletes Run Marathons Despite Quarantine – Only Now They Do It Online
The cancellation of marathons and major races because of coronavirus lockdown measures doesn’t mean sports lovers can’t compete. Racing and breaking records is still possible – it’s just a bit more complicated. Maxim Moskalkov reports. …
your ad hereMany Muslims Called to Medical Profession in Michigan
The Detroit metropolitan area in the state of Michigan is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.S. Some of those Muslims chose to work in the medical field as physicians working the front lines in the COVID-19 pandemic. VOA’s Alam Burhanan reports. …
your ad hereSeniors Use Virtual Reality to Fight Dementia, Social Isolation
Elderly people are believed to be especially susceptible to the coronavirus. As a result, many senior living facilities have been on lockdown mode, not allowing visitors in order to protect the residents. But experts say this social isolation could lead to feelings of loneliness for many seniors. One virtual reality …
your ad hereCOVID-19 Frightens Malaria Patients in Cameroon
A song urging Cameroonians not to relent in the fight against malaria blasted through speakers Saturday — World Malaria Day — at road junctions and popular neighborhoods, as well as from publicity vans driving through Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.Dr. Daniel Etoundi of Cameroon’s public health ministry said health teams were being …
your ad hereThe Doctor Will See You Now, But by Phone or Video Chat
Outside of rural areas and some medical practices, telemedicine in the U.S. has been slow to catch on. But the pandemic’s social-distancing requirement has accelerated the use of telemedicine worldwide, particularly primary care visits over video chat. Doctor and patient alike are learning that a lot can be accomplished remotely. …
your ad hereUnmanned Cargo Spacecraft Docks at the International Space Station
An unmanned cargo spacecraft with food, fuel and supplies docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday.Russian Progress 75 cargo ship left the Baikonur Cosmodrom in Kazakhstan, a few minutes before 1 a.m. GMT and transported almost 3 tons of food and other supplies to the ISS.Scientists and staff, …
your ad hereSteve Dalkowski, Inspiration for ‘Bull Durham’ Character, Dies at 80
Steve Dalkowski, a hard-throwing, wild left-hander whose minor league career inspired the creation of Nuke LaLoosh in the movie “Bull Durham,” has died. He was 80.He died Sunday at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. His sister, Patricia Cain, said Friday that he had several pre-existing conditions that …
your ad hereTrump’s Suggestion to Use Disinfectants for COVID-19 Alarms Experts
U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that disinfectants could be used to treat coronavirus patients is triggering alarm among health experts, and warnings from a maker of the sanitizing solutions.Trump said at his regular White House coronavirus media briefing Thursday that scientists should investigate inserting disinfectants into patients’ bodies to cure …
your ad hereWHO Announces Broad Collaborative Effort to Tackle COVID-19
The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday announced a collaborative effort with world leaders and private industry to ensure equitable distribution of any viable vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus joined U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres via teleconference from Geneva, along with European Union leaders, to announce …
your ad herePandemic Brings Gloom to Muslims Marking Month of Ramadan
Millions of Muslims in Asia on Friday started the holiest month on the Islamic calendar under the coronavirus lockdown or strict social restrictions, deepening their anxiety over the disease. For many, Ramadan is a time to get closer to God, family and community, but the pandemic has upended those traditions. …
your ad hereSpace Telescope Begins Operations; ISS Crew Returns Home
After months of testing, a European space telescope finally begins its work studying far-off planets. Meanwhile, a crew return home from the International Space Station after more than two hundred days in orbit. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the week in space. …
your ad hereMy Synagogue is Closed
In Israel, all synagogues have been closed for more than a month because of the coronavirus. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA on her synagogue in Jerusalem. …
your ad hereFight Against Malaria Could Be Set Back 20 Years, WHO Warns
One of the hard lessons the World Health Organization learned during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was this: Other diseases can be forgotten and take a deadlier toll. The WHO is now warning that the battle against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where it already kills hundreds of thousands of …
your ad hereArmy Corps Suspends Blanket Permit for Utility Projects Amid Environmental Concerns
After last week’s court ruling brought to light potential environmental concerns, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspended a nationwide program meant to approve utility work, despite industry representatives’ warnings it could stop important infrastructure projects.Nationwide Permit 12, a blanket permit used by utility companies to build gas and oil …
your ad hereSupreme Court Rules Against Trump’s EPA in Clean Water Case
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration on Thursday, saying industry cannot avoid the Clean Water Act when it pumps wastewater into the ground instead of directly into oceans and rivers.In a 6-3 decision, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the majority. He said putting the polluted water into …
your ad hereCOVID-19 Shines Spotlight on Shy Pangolin
The arrival of the new coronavirus pandemic has made something of a wildlife celebrity of a previously not very well-known scaly mammal known as a pangolin. These cute or creepy looking (depending upon whom you ask) creatures are hunted in sub-Saharan Africa for their scales and meat and illegally trafficked primarily to Southeast …
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