To entice a European TV executive shopping for programs a few years ago, ABC offered up glossy fare including “Scandal” starring Kerry Washington and “How to Get Away with Murder” with Oscar-winner Viola Davis. “‘This is great, but when are you going to start bringing us shows that don’t …
your ad hereWHO: Spread From People Without Symptoms Is Rare
The World Health Organization says it still believes the spread of the coronavirus from people without symptoms is “rare,” despite warnings from numerous experts worldwide that such transmission is more frequent and likely explains why the pandemic has been so hard to contain. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead …
your ad hereK-Pop Fans Show Organizing Prowess with Black Lives Matter Activism
Until last week, if you clicked the hashtag #whitelivesmatter on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you’d find a smattering of right-wing posts by those opposed to the wave of global protests against racism and police brutality. But follow that hashtag now, and you’re likely to find something much different: random, fan-created …
your ad hereIranians Told to Wear Masks as Virus Toll Mounts
Iran on Monday urged its citizens to wear masks in public as it announced another 70 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 2,043 new cases of infection. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the latest figures took the overall toll to 8,351 dead out of a total of 173,832 …
your ad hereHead of Samsung Conglomerate Facing New Legal Jeopardy
The heir to South Korea’s Samsung empire appeared in a Seoul court Monday for a hearing to decide whether he will be arrested and jailed in connection with a controversial merger. Lee Jae-yong was silent as he walked through an army of shouting reporters when he arrived at the courthouse. If the …
your ad hereNASCAR Vows to do Better Job Addressing Racial Injustice
Bubba Wallace donned a black T-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” and NASCAR paused before Sunday’s Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway to acknowledge the country’s social unrest. The governing body vowed to to do a better job of addressing racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death. During their warm-up …
your ad hereLive Music-and-Dance Party, But COVID Era-Style
Social distancing in the age of COVID-19 bars crowds from dense gatherings like movies or rock concerts. This ‘new normal’ changes the business model of venues relying on turnout for profit. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi cues up this story of a nightclub selling tickets and embracing the new normal. …
your ad hereVirginia NGO Provides Computer Lessons To Low-Income Immigrants
A Virginia NGO called Computer CORE helps low-income immigrants master using computers in order to help them find jobs. However, the coronavirus pandemic has made life hard for the organization because so few of the students have computers or an internet connection at home. VOA’s Maxim Moskalkov has the story. Camera: …
your ad hereHow Messaging Technology is Helping Fuel Global Protests
Protesters are using a variety of technology tools to organize rallies, record police violence and communicate during the marches sweeping the U.S. and other countries following the death of George Floyd. Some of that involves secure messaging services like Signal, which can encrypt messages to thwart spies. Those apps, along …
your ad hereNetflix to Remove Show That Sparked Outrage Among Haitian Americans
Netflix is removing an episode of the History 101 program that says AIDS originated in Haiti.“We have seen the concerns raised and, together with the series creators, have decided to remove the episode while we review the issues involved,” a spokesperson for the online streaming service told VOA via email …
your ad hereReddit Co-Founder Leaves Board, Urges Black Replacement
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced his resignation from the board of the social media site and urged the board to replace him with a black candidate. Ohanian, who is white, implicitly linked his move to protests around the globe over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died …
your ad hereComic Strips Thank Front-Line COVID-19 Workers
Newspaper comic strips have always operated in a parallel universe, seldom reflecting the problems of the real world.No matter what the reader is going through, Dagwood has never had to apply for unemployment benefits; there’s no global warming in Mark Trail’s forest; and people get old but don’t die in …
your ad hereVietnam Saves Animals in 35% of Wildlife Crimes Reported, NGO Says
Police in Vietnam showed up at a private home last year to find what they had suspected: a menagerie of illegal pets, from a clouded leopard to flying squirrels. Acting on a tip, the police ended up with a haul of 16 wild animals in total that had made up …
your ad hereClimate Change Reaches New Heights: WMO
Weather scientists said May was the warmest month on record worldwide, with one observing station reporting carbon dioxide levels hitting a record high.The World Meteorological Organization warned that will have a major impact on biodiversity and nature as well as on people’s socioeconomic development and well-being. Pandemic won’t affect climateAt the same time, lockdowns due to the COVID-19 virus have led to …
your ad hereBlack Birdwatchers Face Racism Too
The day that George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a white woman called the police on an African American man birdwatching in New York’s Central Park.”I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” the woman is heard in a video of the …
your ad hereOil Spill in Russia Draws Criticism from Putin, Sparks Investigation
A massive oil spill that occurred a week ago in Russia’s Arctic region has resulted in an emergency declaration by the country’s president and a government response to assess and clean up the damage. Approximately 20,000 tons of diesel oil leaked from a storage tank on May 29, seeping into …
your ad hereWear Masks in Public Says WHO, in Update of COVID-19 Advice
The World Health Organization (WHO) updated its guidance on Friday to recommend that governments ask everyone to wear fabric face masks in public areas where there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19 to help reduce the spread of the pandemic disease. In its new guidance, prompted by evidence …
your ad hereUN Launches Program to Protect Vanishing Snow Leopards
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched a monitoring project to protect the habitat of rare snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan.UNEP says the program, called Vanishing Treasures, has found 15 snow leopards in the mountains above the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Wildlife scientists say climate change is driving farmers higher into …
your ad hereLancet Retracts Study on Safety of Malaria Drugs for Coronavirus
Several authors of a large study that raised safety concerns about malaria drugs for coronavirus patients have retracted the report, saying independent reviewers were not able to verify information that’s been widely questioned by other scientists. Thursday’s retraction in the journal Lancet involved a May 22 report on hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, …
your ad hereMeghan Speaks Out on Racial Divisions in US
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has shared her sadness about racial divisions in the United States, telling students at her former high school that she felt moved to speak out because the life of George Floyd mattered. Meghan told graduates at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles that she …
your ad hereNASA Monitoring ‘Near-Earth’ Asteroid to Pass by Saturday
NASA’s Near-Earth observatory (NEO) is monitoring an asteroid bigger than New York’s Empire State building that is expected to pass by the Earth Saturday.According to the NEO, the asteroid known as 2002 NN4 at its broadest section, has a diameter of 570 meters. The Empire State building is just more …
your ad hereTelehealth Expansion Could Become Permanent Post-Pandemic
The temporary expansion of telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic would become permanent under a bill considered Thursday by a Senate committee. As passed by the House in March, the bill would allow reimbursement for medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders conducted via telehealth. But an amendment before the Senate Health …
your ad hereER Visits for Non-Coronavirus Illnesses Plunged in April, CDC Says
A report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says emergency room visits for non-coronavirus illnesses plummeted in April at the peak of the pandemic.The agency released an analysis Wednesday that the declines were greatest among children 14 years old and younger, women and for people living in …
your ad hereSilicon Valley Entrepreneurs Reach Out to Help Venezuela
A group of young professionals in California’s Silicon Valley has created a non-profit organization called “Code for Venezuela,” dedicated to bringing together tech innovators to solve the most pressing needs of the South American nation. The group’s latest initiative aims to help residents in Venezuela find information about COVID-19. Cristina …
your ad hereDoctors Kept Close Eye on Trump’s Use of Malaria Drug
The White House medical team kept a close eye on President Donald Trump’s heart rhythms, including at least one electrocardiogram, to watch for potential side effects when he took a two-week course of a malaria drug to try to prevent the coronavirus, his doctor reported Wednesday.”The President completed the regimen …
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