SpaceX is set to launch its third crew to the International Space Station early Friday, reusing a rocket and crew capsule in a human mission for the first time.The Crew-2 mission blasts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:49 a.m. Eastern Time (0949 GMT), …
your ad hereRussians to be Serenaded by Tchaikovsky Music at Olympics After Anthem Ban
Russian Olympic medal winners in Tokyo this year and at the 2022 Beijing Games will be serenaded by Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s music, the country’s Olympic committee said on Thursday, as their national anthem is banned because of doping offenses.Russian athletes are barred from competing at major international events, including the Olympics, …
your ad hereMexico’s Drought Reaches Critical Levels as Lakes Dry Up
Drought conditions now cover 85% of Mexico, and residents of the nation’s central region said Thursday that lakes and reservoirs are simply drying up, including the country’s second-largest body of fresh water.The mayor of Mexico City said the drought was the worst in 30 years, and the problem can be …
your ad hereNational Football Leagues Ponder Next Moves After Super League Collapses
Now that plans to create a European Super League comprising 12 of the continent’s elite clubs have collapsed, officials from the English, Italian and Spanish leagues are considering what to do in the aftermath.Six clubs from Britain (Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea), three from Spain …
your ad hereThe Week in Space
NASA makes history with its flying robot on Mars, a new commander takes the helm of the International Space Station, and the European Space Agency looks for solutions to the problem of space junk. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
your ad hereBiden Sets Ambitious CO2 Target at Virtual Global Summit on Climate Change
President Joe Biden has kicked off a two-day virtual global Summit on Climate with a pledge to substantially reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 2030 and double annual climate change funding to developing countries by 2024. Forty world leaders as well as climate activists and representatives of international organizations are attending the summit, as VOA’s White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports. …
your ad hereA Look at Why Ghana Is Attracting IT Firms
Ghanaian social media users were in a state of ecstasy earlier this month when the U.S. social networking service, Twitter, announced it was setting up its first African office in Ghana. President Nana Akufo-Addo described the move as “excellent news.” A statement by Twitter said Ghana’s democratic credentials and support for …
your ad hereOver 250,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Delivered to Syria
The Syrian government and the country’s last rebel-controlled enclave received their first doses of COVID-19 vaccines Thursday.In a joint statement, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the GAVI vaccine alliance announced the delivery of 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Syria’s government and another 53,800 to the opposition-held area …
your ad hereNASA’s Mars Rover Makes Its Own Oxygen
The U.S space agency NASA says its Perseverance rover has converted carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Martian atmosphere to oxygen, a critical step toward future human exploration of Mars. NASA on Monday said a toaster-size, experimental instrument on the rover called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), …
your ad hereStanford University Disavows Study Claiming Masks ‘Worthless’ Against COVID-19
The Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, Wednesday issued a statement disavowing a study being circulated online that claims face masks are “worthless” against COVID-19. The report, “Facemasks in the COVID-19 era: A health hypothesis,” was published in November in the journal Medical Hypotheses. Its author, Baruch …
your ad hereIndia Reports World’s Biggest Single-Day Total of COVID-19 Infections
India reported 314,835 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, the highest one-day total posted by any nation during the yearlong global pandemic.By contrast, the United States posted 300,310 single day new cases on Jan. 2, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.India, the world’s second-most populous country, is dealing with a second …
your ad hereKenyan Ladies’ Soccer Clubs’ Goal to Reduce Teen Pregnancy
As teenage pregnancies soared during coronavirus lockdowns in Africa’s largest urban slum, Kibera, teachers and parents looked for a way to reduce the problem. Their idea was to form a women’s football (soccer) club, to direct their energy in a healthy way, and they became so good they are about …
your ad hereGreta Thunberg Docuseries Amplifies Her Climate Change Fight
Greta Thunberg turned 18 in January, but she’s already made peace with her future: While most college students will change their concentrations multiple times, the Swedish high school student says climate change activism will be her life’s mission.”In a perfect world, there wouldn’t need to be a climate activist, but …
your ad hereStudents Graduate From Earth Day Planting to Environmental Degrees
Fifty-one years ago, young people planted trees for the first Earth Day. Today, students are taking part in environmental law, science and other disciplines to heal the planet. “You don’t have to be an environmental professional to help the environment,” Briana Allison, an environmental science student at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, wrote to …
your ad hereUS Olympian Slams Call for China Winter Games Boycott
Clare Egan is an American athlete who qualified for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team. She competes in the biathalon, a sport that combines the winter survival skills of cross-country skiing with target shooting.As chair of the FILE – Amanda Kessel (28), of the United States, drives the puck against Russia’s …
your ad hereQueen Elizabeth Expresses Thanks for ‘Support and Kindness’
Queen Elizabeth II has expressed her thanks for all the “support and kindness” shown following the death of her husband, Prince Philip. In a statement Wednesday posted on social media on her 95th birthday and which she personally signed off as Elizabeth R, the monarch said it has been …
your ad hereJapan Nears Decision on New COVID Emergency Decree
The Japanese government may declare a new state of emergency for the cities of Tokyo and Osaka in response to another surge of COVID-19 infections. The Mainichi newspaper reported Wednesday that Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is requesting to impose an emergency decree from April 29 to May 9, which coincides with …
your ad hereNew Rules Allowing Small Drones to Fly Over People in US Take Effect
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that final rules announced in December took effect on Wednesday allowing for small drones to fly over people and at night, a significant step toward their eventual use for widespread commercial deliveries.The effective date was delayed about a month during the change in administration. …
your ad hereEuropean Union Moves to Regulate Artificial Intelligence
The European Union’s executive branch on Wednesday announced proposals designed to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI), banning its use in practices such as surveillance and facial scanning that threaten personal rights.At a news briefing in Brussels, European Commission Executive Vice President and Tech Commissioner Margrethe Vestager noted the …
your ad hereCameroonian Startup Creates Soil Analysis Kit for Farming Efficiency
Cameroon’s agricultural sector employs the majority of the country’s workers, but too many know too little about the soil, resulting in inefficient farming. To help Cameroon’s farmers, a computer engineer created an electronic analysis kit to test soil quality and suitability for crops. Moki Edwin Kindzeka has this report by Anne …
your ad hereBiden Plans to Boost Electric Bus Production
This week the Biden administration is promoting a plan to boost electric bus production, proposing $45 billion spending to reduce American-made bus emissions to zero by 2030. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …
your ad hereCOVID-19, BLM Create New Interest, Opportunities for African Artists
A new Nigerian art gallery opened in Los Angeles this year reflecting a growing international interest in contemporary African art. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details.Camera: Roy Kim, Rodmy Dorcil, Michelle Quinn …
your ad hereMore Football Teams Exit Super League
Juventus, Atlético Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan announced Wednesday they were dropping out of the Super League of 12 leading European football clubs.The development followed the Tuesday withdrawal of six British teams that were part of the project launched this week.Four other teams were included in Sunday’s announcement of the breakaway competition that drew sharp criticism …
your ad hereJapanese Government Nears Decision on New COVID Emergency Decree
The Japanese government may declare a new state of emergency for the cities of Tokyo and Osaka in response to another surge of COVID-19 infections. The Mainichi newspaper reported Wednesday that Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is requesting to impose an emergency decree from April 29 to May 9, which coincides with …
your ad hereA Whale Chorus Reveals How Climate Change May Be Shifting Migration
Eerie wails, explosive trumpets and ghostly moans. The sounds from the underwater recorders had a story to tell, even without a single intelligible word: the whales had stayed put. The recordings gathered during the 2018-2019 winter in the freezing cold Arctic waters off Canada proved that a population of bowhead whales …
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