Nearly a year’s worth of rain fell on the Chinese city of Zhengzhou over four days this month. Flooding killed 71 people, including 14 trapped in a subway station as waters rose.Zhengzhou is part of a Chinese government initiative to build “sponge cities” in response to increasing urban flooding across …
your ad hereMyanmar, in Coup Aftermath, Faces Exploding Pandemic
Six months after its coup, Myanmar now faces a mushrooming COVID-19 pandemic.Deaths have risen sharply daily during the third, delta variant, infection wave that began May 25; 326 deaths were reported July 23, bringing the coronavirus death toll to 6,459. Myanmar reported 5,506 new infections out of 13,487 samples, a …
your ad hereBig Tech Companies to Allow Only Vaccinated Employees into US Offices
Big tech companies are making it mandatory for employees in the United States to get COVID-19 vaccinations before entering campuses, as the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus drives a resurgence in cases.Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. said on Wednesday all U.S. employees must get vaccinated to step …
your ad hereFossil Found in Canadian Mountains May Be Earliest Evidence of Animal Life
A scientist says fossils she collected from an ancient seabed in the mountains of northwestern Canada may be the earliest evidence of animal life on Earth ever discovered. In a study published Wednesday in the science journal Nature, Laurentian University geologist Elizabeth Turner detailed how she found fossilized three-dimensional structures that …
your ad hereFormer US President Obama Purchases Minority Stake in NBA Africa
Former U.S. president Barack Obama has purchased a minority share of NBA Africa, the National Basketball Association announced Tuesday.NBA Africa was established this year to oversee the league’s business activities on the continent.The NBA said in a statement that Obama is a strategic partner and would use any profits from …
your ad hereHaitians Displaced by Gang Violence Face Bleak Future
Haitians displaced by gang incursions into swaths of the capital now live on the sharpest edge of insecurity in the Caribbean country, which is reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moise earlier this month. Officials say thousands of people have lost their homes to encroachment by violent gangs into …
your ad hereUS-sanctioned Militia Leader Killed in East Libya, Officials Say
A Libyan militia leader sanctioned by the United States for allegedly killing civilians was shot dead Tuesday in an exchange of fire with forces attempting to arrest him in an eastern city, officials said. Libyan officials said security forces raided Mohamed al-Kani’s house in Benghazi to carry out an arrest …
your ad hereOlympic Champ Biles Withdraws from All-around Competition
Simone Biles will not defend her Olympic title. The American gymnastics superstar withdrew from Thursday’s all-around competition to focus on her mental well-being. USA Gymnastics said in a statement on Wednesday that the 24-year-old is opting to not compete. The decision comes a day after Biles removed herself from the team final …
your ad hereSomalia Green Energy Association Touts Clean Power Potential
Somalia lacks a national power grid and relies on imported fuel and wood and charcoal for its energy needs. But energy experts say with the longest coastline in mainland Africa and an average of 10 hours of sunshine per day, Somalia has great potential for onshore wind and solar power. …
your ad hereAs Britain Reopens, Scientists Warn of Fertile Ground for Coronavirus Variants
As Britons celebrate the lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions earlier this month, some scientists warn that the country risks becoming a breeding ground for new variants of the virus that could be more resistant to vaccines.Most restrictions were removed July 19, including social distancing regulations and the compulsory wearing of …
your ad hereUS Gymnast Simone Biles Withdraws From Teams Finals in Day of Olympic Upsets, Setbacks and Surprises
Tuesday’s slate of competitions at the Tokyo Olympics has been filled with a number of stunning defeats and setbacks over a variety of events.One of the biggest shocks of the day came when U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, seeking to burnish her already legendary career, withdrew from the overall team finals …
your ad hereWeightlifter Guryeva Wins Turkmenistan’s 1st Olympic medal
Sparsely populated and isolated from most of the outside world, Turkmenistan has finally won its first Olympic medal since independence from the Soviet Union.Weightlifter Polina Guryeva won a silver medal for the Central Asian nation at the Tokyo Games on Tuesday, and then predicted she would go down in the …
your ad hereEU: 70% of Adults in Bloc Now Have at Least One COVID Vaccination
European Union leaders said Tuesday that 70% of adult residents have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, hitting the target they set for the end of July. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said 57% of all adults in …
your ad hereWHO: E-Cigarettes Threaten Fight Against Global Tobacco Use
The World Health Organization warns e-cigarettes and other novel nicotine and tobacco products threaten progress in the fight against tobacco use across the globe. Many countries are making progress in adopting tobacco control measures to get their populations to quit smoking or to dissuade them from starting to smoke. But a new …
your ad hereFirst Person Charged Under Hong Kong Security Law Found Guilty
The first person charged under Hong Kong’s national security law was found guilty on Tuesday of terrorism and inciting secession in a landmark case with long-term implications for how the legislation reshapes the city’s common law traditions. An alternative charge of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm was not considered. …
your ad hereFormer US Senator Enzi of Wyoming Dies After Bicycle Accident
Retired U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican known as a consensus-builder in an increasingly polarized Washington, has died. He was 77. Enzi died Monday surrounded by family and friends, former spokesman Max D’Onofrio said. Enzi had been hospitalized with a broken neck and ribs after a bicycle accident near …
your ad hereUpset Victories in Swimming, Women’s Tennis Mark Day 7 of Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics got off to a busy start Tuesday at the Tokyo Aquatics Center with a trio of high-profile finals in the men’s and women’s swimming. In the women’s 100-meter breaststroke, the highly anticipated race between Lilly King of the United States, who won the event in the 2016 Rio …
your ad hereChinese Pair Outduels Russians to Win Mixed Team Pistol Gold
China’s Jiang Ranxin and Pang Wei out-dueled their Russian rivals in a riveting contest to secure gold in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday. The Chinese pair scored a 16-14 victory against newly minted women’s Olympic champion Vitalina Batsarashkina and Artem Chernousov at the Asaka Shooting Range. Jiang and Pang, bronze winners in …
your ad hereMajor Chinese Companies Caught in Squeeze Play Between Beijing, US
Chinese companies with shares traded on American stock exchanges are facing significant challenges from political leaders in both Washington and Beijing. New regulations in both countries will make it much harder for other companies to follow in their footsteps, restricting access to billions of the dollars in funding that helped …
your ad hereDuffy Earns Bermuda’s First Gold With Triathlon Victory
Bermuda has been sending athletes to the Olympics since 1936. Until Tuesday, the Atlantic island’s highest honor was a bronze medal won 45 years ago. Flora Duffy changed that in just less than two hours, swimming, cycling and running through the wind and rain around Tokyo Bay to win the Olympic …
your ad hereRussia Blocks Website of Jailed Opposition Leader Navalny
Russian officials have blocked access to the website of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny along with dozens of other websites run by allies of him. Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor said it blocked navalny.com along with the other sites at the request of the prosecutor general. Included in the blocked sites …
your ad hereAt Tokyo Olympics, Skateboarding Teens Blaze Trail for Women
On the Olympic podium stood three teenage girls — 13, 13 and 16 — with weighty gold, silver and bronze medals around their young necks, rewards for having landed tricks on their skateboards that most kids their age only get to see on Instagram.After decades in the shadows of men’s …
your ad hereUS Stage Late Comeback Over Japan in Tune-up Before Gold Match
The United States beat Japan 2-1 on Monday in an inconsequential game to end round-robin play.But the U.S. team’s failure to record a hit against a third-string Japanese pitcher until the sixth inning demonstrated the challenge it faces in the gold-medal matchup between the two teams.U.S. batters did race their …
your ad hereEpidemics Don’t Have to Happen, Expert Says
The number of known deaths from COVID-19 has passed 4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking both cases and deaths. In the past 100 years, there have been flu and cholera epidemics, the AIDS epidemic and multiple other diseases around the world. VOA’s Carol Pearson says the …
your ad hereEurope Makes New Vaccination Push to Counter Rising COVID Cases
With Europe’s rise in coronavirus infections accelerating, more governments are seeking ways to force the unvaccinated, mainly in their twenties and thirties, to get inoculated, and avoid a return to lockdowns. Italy and Britain have followed France’s lead in planning or imposing restrictions on the unvaccinated. The moves prompted street …
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