Two U.S. astronauts say it’s hard to comprehend the changes on Earth that have occurred due to the coronavirus pandemic, as they prepare to return from the International Space Station.The astronauts, Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir, have been in space for more than half a year, having left Earth before …
your ad here50 Years Ago, Apollo 13 Moon Mission Became NASA’s ‘Successful Failure’
By the time the towering Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 13 crew left the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, thundering into the skies on April 11, 1970, traveling to the moon seemed about as interesting to the general public as commuting to work.It was, after all, America’s third mission …
your ad hereAmid COVID-19 Pandemic, ‘Global Hack’ Searches for Solutions
The internet is playing a special role in the coronavirus pandemic, allowing billions of people sheltered at home to communicate. A global event is underway online to seek creative ways to deal with the crisis. Mike O’Sullivan has more on the Hack the Crisis movement and its worldwide Global Hack …
your ad hereFilmmaker Obayashi, Who Portrayed War’s Horrors, Dies at 82
Nobuhiko Obayashi, one of Japan’s most prolific filmmakers who devoted his works to depicting war’s horrors and singing the eternal power of movies, has died. He was 82.The official site for his latest film, “Labyrinth of Cinema,” said that Obayashi died late Friday.Obayashi was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2016, …
your ad hereThe Beatles’ Handwritten ‘Hey Jude’ Lyrics Sell for $910,000 at Auction
Artist Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to The Beatles’ hit song “Hey Jude” sold for $910,000 on Friday, nine times its original estimate, auction house Julien’s Auctions said. A vintage bass drumhead with The Beatles’ logo that was used during the English band’s first North American tour in 1964 was another top …
your ad hereAre Coronavirus Restrictions Having Impact on Air Quality?
As the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, there are questions about whether restrictions to contain the virus are leading to cleaner air and skies. Some say there is a correlation between lockdowns and pollution levels, but others disagree. VOA correspondent Mariama Diallo reports. …
your ad hereNASA Satellite Spots Less Air Pollution on US East Coast
Scientists with the U.S. space agency NASA say recent satellite data are showing as much as a 30 percent drop in air pollution along the U.S. East Coast compared with the same time last year.Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, studied March’s data from the Ozone …
your ad hereGlobal Hack Searches for Solutions
With billions locked down at home by COVID-19, the internet is a lifeline, allowing people to work, study and share ideas online.It also presents opportunities, say the organizers of the Global Hack, a virtual gathering of hundreds of thousands of people in 50 nations taking place Thursday through Saturday, April 9-11. Prizes for the best ideas …
your ad hereApple, Google to Harness Phones for Virus Infection Tracking
Apple and Google on Friday launched a major joint effort to leverage smartphone technology to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.New software the companies plan to add to phones would make it easier to use Bluetooth wireless technology to track down people who may have been infected by coronavirus carriers. The idea …
your ad hereSoutheast Asian Ministers Endorse Pans for Pandemic Fund
Southeast Asian foreign ministers have endorsed the setting up of a regional fund to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and discussed a planned video summit of their leaders with counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Friday that the top diplomats of …
your ad hereUS Military, Government Workers Still Use Zoom Despite FBI Warning
U.S. military and government employees continue to use the popular videoconferencing application Zoom for official business, despite FBI warnings about privacy and security issues, an action experts fear is increasing the risk of government data breaches. Zoom has seen a surge in activity during the coronavirus pandemic as office workers across the country have …
your ad hereSingapore Battles Virus Hotspots in Migrant Workers’ Dorms
After managing to keep on top of the first wave of coronavirus outbreaks, Singapore is grappling with an alarming rise in infections among migrant workers housed in crowded dormitories. Such cases now account for about a quarter of Singapore’s 1,910 infections. The government reported 287 new cases Thursday, its …
your ad hereToy Manufacturers Look to Reduce Carbon Footprint
Taking a toy out of the box can make a mess.Hardly eco-friendly, the process can yield more clutter from plastic and cardboard than the actual toy.But there are moves to change that as some toy manufacturers say they’re going green with a series of environmentally friendly initiatives: Army soldiers and …
your ad hereTie Game: Ancient Bit of String Shows Neanderthal Handiwork
It looked like a white splotch on the underside of a Neanderthal stone tool. But a microscope showed it was a bunch of fibers twisted around each other.Further examination revealed it was the first direct evidence that Neanderthals could make string, and the oldest known direct evidence for string-making overall, …
your ad hereNASA Marks 50 Years Since Apollo 13 Mission
Apollo 13’s astronauts never gave a thought to their mission number as they blasted off for the moon 50 years ago. Even when their oxygen tank ruptured two days later — on April 13.Jim Lovell and Fred Haise insist they’re not superstitious. They even use 13 in their email addresses.As …
your ad hereIs Zoom Endangering Government Data?
U.S. military and government employees continue to use the popular videoconferencing application Zoom for official business, despite FBI warnings about privacy and security issues, an action experts fear is increasing the risk of government data breaches. Zoom has seen a surge in activity during the coronavirus pandemic as office workers across the country have …
your ad here24 Hours in The Life And Death of a Besieged New York City
Brooklyn is dark except for the streetlamps when Carla Brown’s alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m. — much too early for an average Monday. But with the coronavirus laying siege to New York, today looms as anything but ordinary.Brown runs a meals-on-wheels program for elderly shut-ins and in her embattled …
your ad hereCorona Chorus Unites Voices Worldwide Despite Isolation
You’re about to meet the virtual Corona Community Chorus — a group based in New York City. Each Sunday, the chorus members gather online to unite voices forced into isolation in the global effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak. VOA correspondent Mariama Diallo reports on its founder — an author and …
your ad hereAmerican Prima Ballerina Talks About Life Beyond the Stage
American ballet dancer Julie Kent was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre from 1993 to 2015. Her farewell role was as Juliet, and in 2016 Kent was named the artistic director of The Washington Ballet. Karina Bafradzhian spoke with Kent about what it takes to be a ballerina …
your ad hereKhamenei: Mass Ramadan Events in Iran May Stop Over Virus
Iran’s supreme leader suggested Thursday that mass gatherings may be barred through the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan amid the coronavirus pandemic, as Amnesty International said it believed at least 35 Iranian prisoners were killed by security forces amid rioting over the virus. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made …
your ad hereUS, Russian Crew Heads to Space Station
A U.S.-Russian space crew blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner lifted off as scheduled in a Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft.Russian space officials had taken extra precautions to protect the crew during …
your ad hereNew York’s ‘Corona Community Chorus’ Aims to Unite Voices Now in Isolation
You’re about to meet the virtual Corona Community Chorus — a group based in New York City. Each Sunday, the chorus members gather online to unite voices forced into isolation in the global effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak. VOA correspondent Mariama Diallo reports on its founder — an author and …
your ad hereVirus Outbreak Gives Tech Darlings a Harsh Reality Check
Just as the coronavirus outbreak has boxed in society, it’s also squeezed high-flying tech companies reliant on people’s freedom to move around and get together.Since the beginning of March, for instance, Uber shares have lost a quarter of their value. Rival Lyft is down 28 percent. Over the same period, …
your ad hereRenowned Somali Musician Dies of COVID-19 Complications
A renowned Somali musician and oud player, Mohamud Ismail Hussein, commonly known as Hudeydi, died on Tuesday night in London, as a result of complications of COVID-19.The 92-year-old musician had been popular among Somalis in the Horn of Africa and around the world since the 1950s, when he started …
your ad hereThe Juliet of American Ballet Talks About the Profession
American ballet dancer Julie Kent was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre from 1993 to 2015. Her farewell role was as Juliet, and in 2016 Kent was named the artistic director of The Washington Ballet. Karina Bafradzhian spoke with Kent about what it takes to be a ballerina …
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