Profile, a film by Timur Bekmambetov about an investigative journalist infiltrating recruitment practices online by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, is the latest of a series of ‘screenlife’ films, where everything the viewer sees happens on a computer or smartphone screen. VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with the filmmaker and …
your ad hereJapan Says US Travel Warning for Virus Won’t Hurt Olympians
The Japanese government Tuesday was quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan would have an impact on Olympians wanting to compete in the postponed Tokyo Games. U.S. officials cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan caused by virus variants that may even be risks …
your ad hereThousands Evacuated in India as Strong Cyclone Inches Closer
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated Tuesday in low-lying areas of two Indian states and moved to cyclone shelters to escape a powerful storm barreling toward the eastern coast. Cyclone Yaas is set to turn into a “very severe cyclonic storm” with sustained wind speeds of up to 177 kilometers per hour …
your ad hereIndia, Twitter Dispute Intensifies Over Alleged ‘Manipulated Media’
Indian police officials say they visited Twitter’s Delhi and Gurgaon offices to serve notice to the company’s managing director concerning an investigation into the company tagging some government official’s tweets as “manipulated media.”Several leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared parts of a document they said …
your ad hereUS Doubles Funding to Prepare for Hurricane Damage
Ahead of what is forecast to be an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin, the U.S. government is doubling funding to prepare communities for such storms or other extreme weather events. “We have to be ready when disaster strikes,” President Joe Biden said on a visit to Federal Emergency …
your ad hereItaly Eurovision Winners Return Home to Cheers, a Drug Test
The Italian glam rock band that won the Eurovision Song Contest returned home Sunday to the adulation of fans, congratulations from the government and so much speculation that the lead singer had snorted cocaine during the show that he vowed to take a drug test. “We want to shut down …
your ad hereTaiwan Criticizes WHO ‘Indifference’ After Summit Snub
Taiwan has criticized what it calls the “indifference” of the World Health Organization to the health rights of the island’s people, according to Reuters. The WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, begins its A man reacts as a health worker in protective suit takes his nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19 in New Delhi, India, May 22, 2021.India became the …
your ad hereDrake, Pink, The Weeknd Win Big at Billboard Music Awards
It was a family affair at the Billboard Music Awards: Pink twirled in the air in a powerful performance with her daughter, and Drake was named artist of the decade, accepting the honor alongside his 3-year-old son. Drake, who extended his record as the most decorated winner in the history …
your ad hereThe Poor, The Rich: In a Sick India, All Are on Their Own
For the family of the retired diplomat, the terror struck as they tried desperately to get him past the entrance doors of a private hospital. For the New Delhi family, it came when they had to create a hospital room in their ground-floor apartment. For the son of an illiterate …
your ad hereAustralia Urged to Offer Cash Incentives to Boost Slow COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
The Australian government is being urged to offer citizens cash and lottery tickets as incentives to boost slow rates of COVID-19 vaccinations. Public health and advertising experts say more needs to be done to counter mounting hesitancy and confusion about a mass inoculation program. Research commissioned by two Australian newspapers found a third of respondents don’t intend to get vaccinated soon. There are community-wide doubts about …
your ad hereChina Probes Deaths of 21 Runners After Freak Weather Hits Ultra-marathon
An investigation was underway Monday into the deaths of 21 runners during a mountain ultra-marathon in northwest China, as harrowing testimony emerged from survivors who battled to safety through freezing temperatures and bone-chilling winds. The extreme weather struck a high-altitude section of the 100-kilometer (62-mile) race held in the scenic Yellow River Stone Forest …
your ad hereIndia Nearing 300,000 COVID Deaths
India is nearing 300,000 recorded deaths from the coronavirus, after adding more than 3,700 deaths in the last 24 hours. The country reported more than 240,000 new infections Sunday – a number that many believe is an undercount because of limited testing resources. The Indian government said Saturday …
your ad hereAgeless Wonder Mickelson Wins PGA to Be Oldest Major Champ
Phil Mickelson has delivered so many thrills and spills over 30 years of pure theater that no one ever knows what he will do next.His latest act was a real stunner: A major champion at age 50.Mickelson captured his sixth major and by far the most surprising Sunday at the …
your ad hereRome Band Brings Eurovision Back Where Song Contests Began
Italy woke up Sunday to news that a glam rock band who got their start busking on Rome’s main shopping drag had won the Eurovision Song Contest and was bringing next year’s competition back to the place where Europe’s song contests began. From the premier’s office on down, congratulations poured in …
your ad hereItalian Eurovision Singer to Take ‘Voluntary Drug Test,’ Organizers Say
The singer for Italy’s Eurovision Song Contest winning rockers Maneskin will take a voluntary drug test after denying speculation that he was snorting cocaine during the broadcast, organizers said Sunday. Red lederhosen-clad vocalist Damiano David will be tested after going back to Italy, following viral footage of him leaning over a …
your ad herePandemic Treaty, Vaccine Equity Seen Topping UN Health Meeting Agenda
Ending the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future pandemics is expected to dominate discussions during this week’s 74th World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. The session will also address other pressing global health issues.The 2021 World Health Assembly will be held virtually, from tomorrow (May 24) through …
your ad hereCDC Investigates Reports of Heart Inflammation After COVID Inoculations
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is investigating reports that young people have developed myocarditis, or heart inflammation, after being inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine.The agency’s vaccine safety group said in a recent report that there have been “relatively few reports“ of the heart inflammation, but …
your ad hereChina’s ‘Father of Hybrid Rice’ Dies; His Research Helped Feed World
Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist who developed higher-yield rice varieties that helped feed people around the world, died Saturday at a hospital in the southern city of Changsha, the Xinhua News agency reported. He was 91.Yuan spent his life researching rice and was a household name in China, known by …
your ad hereRock Band Maneskin Wins Eurovision Song Contest for Italy
Move over sequins, disco beats and power ballads. A four-piece band of Italian rockers won the Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday.Maneskin’s win was only the third victory for Italy in the immensely popular contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990.Italy, the …
your ad hereVirgin Galactic Shuttle’s First Rocket-powered Flight Reaches Edge of Space
Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere.High above the desert in a cloudless sky, VSS Unity ignited its rocket to hurtle …
your ad hereRansomware Moves from ‘Economic Nuisance’ to National Security Threat
The recent cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline, the operator of the largest petroleum pipeline in the U.S., shows how internet criminals are increasingly targeting companies and organizations for ransom in what officials and experts term a growing national security threat.These hackers penetrate victims’ computer systems with a form of malware that …
your ad hereBiden Announces US-South Korea Vaccine Partnership
COVID-19, climate change and cooperation in high-tech industries were the focus of a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House Friday. While the leaders also discussed North Korea, prospects for a breakthrough on denuclearization appear dim. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara …
your ad herePfizer, BioNTech Pledge 2 Billion Vaccine Doses to Poor Nations
U.S. and German vaccine partners Pfizer and BioNTech on Friday pledged to deliver 2 billion doses of their vaccine to low- and middle-income nations as part of a global effort to close the vaccine gap between rich and poor nations.Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, speaking in Rome at the Global Health …
your ad hereApp Store Would Be ‘Toxic’ Mess Without Control, Apple CEO Says
Apple’s online marketplace would become a “toxic” mess if the iPhone maker were forced to allow third-party apps without reviewing them, chief executive Tim Cook said in testimony at a high-stakes trial challenging the company’s tight control of its platform.Cook, the last scheduled witness in the case brought by Fortnite …
your ad hereOnline Dating Sites Offer Incentives to Get Vaccinated, White House Says
The White House COVID-19 response team said Friday that major online dating sites are pitching in to encourage more people in the United States to get vaccinated.At the response team’s Friday briefing, Andy Slavitt, senior White House adviser, told reporters that major dating sites including Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid …
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