In the realm of film, the year 2021 seems to be the year of woman. Dozens of acclaimed films and TV series by female directors pondering a woman’s complex world are being released every week. Many are already Oscar contenders. VOA’s Penelope Poulou looks at few examples. Camera, Producer: Penelope Poulou …
your ad hereNBCUniversal Vows Auditions for Actors with Disabilities
Actors with disabilities will be included in auditions for each new film and television production at NBCUniversal, which becomes the second major media company to make such a commitment.NBCUniversal said Friday that the pledge covers projects by the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, NBC network and Peacock streaming …
your ad hereEU Tightens Vaccine Export Rules, Creates Post-Brexit Outcry
The European Union introduced tighter rules Friday on exports of COVID-19 vaccines that could hit shipments to nations like Great Britain, deepening a dispute with London over scarce supplies of potentially lifesaving shots.But amid an outcry in Northern Ireland and Britain, the European Commission made clear the new measure will …
your ad hereCapitol Police Bolstering Travel Security for Lawmakers
The Capitol Police are stepping up security at Washington-area transportation hubs and taking other steps to safeguard traveling lawmakers as Congress continues to react to this month’s deadly assault on the Capitol. Capitol Police will be stationed at area airports and Washington’s Union Station railway hub on busy travel days, …
your ad hereEU Drug Regulator Approves AstraZeneca Vaccine for Emergency Use
European Union regulators on Friday approved the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the third vaccine approved for use on the European continent. Amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population, the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) expert committee unanimously recommended the vaccine for adults, despite concerns of inadequate …
your ad hereJohnson & Johnson One-dose Vaccine 66% Successful
U.S. pharmaceutical and medical device maker Johnson & Johnson says after a global trial, the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed is 66% effective in preventing infection. The one-dose vaccine, which was developed by the company’s Belgian subsidiary Janssen, appears to be 85% effective in preventing serious illness, even against the South …
your ad hereReport Finds US Feds Were Unprepared to Meet First American Evacuees from Wuhan in 2020
Federal officials at a California military base last year who met with the first American evacuees from Wuhan, China, the place where the coronavirus emerged, were not prepared for their mission, according to The Washington Post. They did not wear masks and had “no virus prevention plan or infection-control training” when …
your ad hereGerman Health Minister Expects Approval of AstraZenaca COVID-19 Vaccine
Germany’s health minister said Friday he expects the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use later in the day but possibly only for restricted use. Speaking at a Berlin news briefing, German Health Minster Jens Spahn said Europe’s drug regulator, the Europe Medicines Agency (EMA) could approve the …
your ad hereUS Unprepared to Meet its First COVID Evacuees from Wuhan Last Year
Federal officials at a California military base last year who met with the first American evacuees from Wuhan, China, the place where the coronavirus emerged, were not prepared for their mission, according to The Washington Post.They did not wear masks and had “no virus prevention plan or infection-control training” when …
your ad hereBiden Revokes Restrictions on Women’s Reproductive Rights
President Joe Biden reversed several Trump administration health care policies Thursday, including one that restricted access to abortion both inside and outside the United States. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this story on what Biden’s actions may mean for women’s reproductive rights around the world. Producer: Bakhtiyar Zamanov …
your ad hereCicely Tyson, Groundbreaking Award-winning Actor, Dead at 96
Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” died Thursday at age 96.Tyson’s death was announced by her …
your ad hereNovavax COVID-19 Vaccine Works, But Less So Against Variants
Novavax Inc. said Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine appears 89% effective based on early findings from a British study and that it also seems to work — though not as well — against new mutated versions of the virus circulating in that country and South Africa.The announcement comes amid worry …
your ad hereNorth America’s Largest Cemetery Struggles to Cope with COVID Deaths
Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier, California, may be the biggest cemetery in North America, but the 1,400-acre park is struggling to cope with the number of bodies awaiting funeral services because of an increase in COVID-19 deaths.Despite the numerous facilities at Rose Hills, there is about a …
your ad hereBiden Orders Expanded Health Care on Two Fronts
U.S. President Joe Biden signed two orders expanding health care on Thursday, saying they would “undo the damage” of policies favored by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Biden restored U.S. funding for foreign nongovernmental groups that give information to women about abortions, and also opened a special three-month enrollment period …
your ad hereUN Chief Urges US-China ‘Reset’
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged China and the United States on Thursday to “reset” relations, suggesting they cooperate on common interests such as fighting climate change. “It is clear that in human rights there is no scope for an agreement or a common vision,” Guterres acknowledged. “There is an area where …
your ad hereFacebook Oversight Board Announces First 5 Rulings
Facebook’s quasi-independent oversight board has ruled the social media company must restore four of five posts that it had taken down.The cases involved Facebook’s policy regarding adult nudity, hate speech and “dangerous individuals.”The oversight board ordered images of female nipples displayed by a Brazilian user on Instagram to raise awareness …
your ad hereUS Marks 35 Years Since Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster
Thursday, January 28, marked the 35th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The craft exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven on board, including a schoolteacher who was NASA’s first citizen passenger. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has this story and more in the Week in Space. …
your ad hereGM Aims to End Sale of Gasoline-Powered Cars, Light Trucks by 2035
General Motors Co said Thursday it was setting a goal to sell all its new cars, SUVS and light pickup trucks with zero tailpipe emissions by 2035, a dramatic shift by the largest U.S. automaker away from gasoline and diesel engines. GM, which also said it plans to become carbon …
your ad hereIndigenous Tree in Pakistan Touted to Improve Health Among Malnourished
As part of an ongoing project in Pakistan’s Sindh province, efforts are underway to integrate a uniquely nutritious and drought-resistant tree called Moringa, into the local diet to help alleviate malnutrition. Muhammad Saqib has details from Matiari in Sindh province in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. …
your ad hereClimate Change Could Cost Australia Billions, Report Says
Australia is failing to keep up with the growing threat of extreme weather as global warming increases the risk in areas once thought to be safe, according to a new report.Australia is a land well used to nature’s extremes. It is the world’s driest inhabited continent, where droughts can last …
your ad hereWHO Team Investigating Coronavirus Origin Begins Work
World Health Organization investigators exited a two-week quarantine Thursday in Wuhan, China, to begin their work in search of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.The international team boarded a bus after exiting their hotel in the afternoon.China, which for months rejected calls for an international probe, has pledged adequate access …
your ad hereReport: Guinea Worm Disease Cases Drop Despite COVID-19 Restrictions
Human Guinea worm cases in six African countries dropped to 27 in 2020, about 50% less than what was recorded the year before, despite COVID-19 challenges, the Carter Center announced Tuesday.Animal cases fell by 20% over the same period.“The numbers we are seeing are very encouraging,” said Jason Carter, chair …
your ad hereFacebook Says it Will Permanently Stop Recommending Political Groups to Users
Facebook Inc’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would no longer recommend civic and political groups to users of the platform.The social media company said in October that it was temporarily halting recommendations of political groups for U.S. users in the run-up to the presidential election. On Wednesday, …
your ad hereOscar and Emmy-Winning Actress Cloris Leachman Dies at 94
Cloris Leachman, an Oscar winner for her portrayal of a lonely housewife in “The Last Picture Show” and a comedic delight as the fearsome Frau Blücher in “Young Frankenstein” and neighbor Phyllis on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” has died. She was 94. Leachman died in her sleep of natural causes …
your ad hereFacebook’s Profits Surge as Pandemic Fuels Use
Facebook’s profits surged in the final three months of last year as people enduring the holidays in a pandemic turned to the leading social network for work and pleasure, the company said Wednesday.Facebook reported a profit of $ 11.2 billion on revenue of $ 28 billion, increases of 53% and …
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