The U.S. State Department is urging Americans not to travel to Britain because of the rising levels of new COVID-19 cases in the country. The State Department raised its travel advisory for Britain to its highest level on Monday, following a similar action taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease …
your ad hereIn Mecca, Women Take Part in Hajj as ‘Guardian’ Rule Dropped
Bushra Shah, a 35-year-old Pakistani, says she is realizing a childhood dream by making the great pilgrimage to Mecca, and under new rules she’s doing it without a male guardian.The hajj ministry has officially allowed women of all ages to make the pilgrimage without a male relative, known as a …
your ad hereBillionaire Bezos Ready to Realize Dream of Traveling to Space
American businessman Jeff Bezos is set to become the second billionaire to self-fund a trip to space this month when he blasts off Tuesday morning from a remote desert launch site in Texas. The 57-year-old founder of e-commerce giant Amazon and three companions will fly into space aboard the New Shepard …
your ad hereDane Who Drew Controversial Muhammad Caricature Dies at 86
Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose image of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban was at the center of widespread anti-Danish anger in the Muslim world in the mid-2000s, has died. He was 86. Westergaard’s family announced his death to Danish media late Sunday and told the newspaper Berlingske …
your ad hereEthiopian Police Reject Claims of Arbitrary Tigrayan Arrests
Ethiopian police have confirmed the arrest of hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans in the capital Addis Ababa in recent weeks. The police said they were supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which authorities banned after the Tigray conflict broke out in November. But rights group Amnesty International says dozens were …
your ad hereTeaching Others the Tradition of Making Babkas
Pastry chef Shimi Aaron fell in love with babkas — a dessert that originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century. Aaron started making his own, and today he is teaching others how to make this unusual pastry. Genia Dulot met with the chef to hear his story.Camera: Genia Dulot …
your ad hereChess Brings Hope to Kenya Youth in Informal Settlement
More than half of the Kenyan capital’s nearly five million people live in slums, where many young people are lured by drugs and crime. In one neighborhood, a group is using the game of chess to help transform the lives of young people. We are in Mukuru Kwa Njenga …
your ad hereDeadly Australia Spider Venom Could Save Heart Attack Victims
Venom from an Australian spider that is one of the world’s deadliest could save the lives of heart attack victims.A potentially life-saving treatment for victims of heart attacks has been found in a most unlikely source — the venom of one of the world’s deadliest spiders. The World Health Organization says …
your ad hereAmerican Gymnastics Alternate Tests Positive at Olympics
An alternate on the United States women’s gymnastics team has tested positive for COVID-19 in an Olympic training camp in Japan.Olympic champion Simone Biles was not affected, nor were any of the other favorites to win the team gold, but another alternate was placed into isolation because of contact tracing, …
your ad hereAfrican Beat
The ‘No Fun’ Olympics May Struggle to Attract Viewers
Cavernous, empty stadiums. Do-it-yourself medal presentations. A prohibition on athlete high-fives and hugs. Those are just a few of the ways the Summer Olympics will look different this year, as the pandemic forces organizers to forgo many Olympic traditions. The Tokyo Games, which start Friday, will instead rely on technological innovations, …
your ad hereInternational Edition
Taliban Want Afghan Deal, Leader Says, Even As They Battle On
The leader of the Taliban said Sunday that his movement is committed to a political settlement to end decades of war in Afghanistan, even as the insurgents battle in dozens of districts across to country to gain territory. The statement by Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada came as Taliban leaders were meeting with a …
your ad hereHajj in Mecca Pared Back Due to COVID for 2nd Year
Tens of thousands of vaccinated Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday but remained socially distanced and wore masks as the coronavirus takes its toll on the hajj for a second year running.The hajj pilgrimage, which once drew about 2.5 million Muslims from all walks of life …
your ad hereVOA Learning English
Hundreds of Jews Visit Contested Holy Site in Jerusalem
Hundreds of Jewish pilgrims visited a contested Jerusalem holy site under heavy police guard on Sunday, shortly after Muslim worshippers briefly clashed with Israeli security forces at the flashpoint shrine. No injuries were reported, but the incident again raised tensions at the hilltop compound revered by Jews and Muslims. Heavy …
your ad hereIndonesian Doctors Dying of COVID-19 Amid Surge
COVID-19 is taking a devastating toll on medical professionals in Indonesia, where 114 doctors have died so far this month, more than double the number of doctors who died in June, according to a physicians’ network known as the Mitigation Team of the Indonesian Medical Association, or IDI. …
your ad hereBiden Administration Struggles to Boost Vaccination Rates as COVID-19 Surges
With COVID-19 cases rising in the United States, some cities and counties are telling residents to wear masks indoors, even if they are vaccinated, while the Biden administration points to the prevalence of misinformation about vaccinations, especially on social media, as one of the drivers keeping people from getting shots. …
your ad hereMusic Time in Africa
An Idea to Chew on Amid Sea Urchin Overgrowth in Australia
Once part of a balanced ecosystem, the number of native sea urchins in Australia is multiplying. Scientists have offered a solution, but will people find it palatable? VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. Produced by: Arash Arabasadi …
your ad hereUS Surgeon General: ‘Pandemic Isn’t Over’
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Sunday he is worried about the increasing number of new coronavirus cases in the country and laid part of the blame on social media companies for not doing enough to remove misinformation about the need to get vaccinated. “I’m concerned about what we’re seeing,” …
your ad hereBritain’s Prime Minister, Finance Minister Exposed to COVID-19
Britain’s National Health Service has contacted Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his finance minister, Rishi Sunak, to let them know that they have been close to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.Downing Street said Sunday in a statement the men will participate in a daily contact testing pilot that will …
your ad hereFirst Athletes Positive for COVID-19 in Tokyo Olympic Village
Two athletes have become the first to test positive for the coronavirus in the Tokyo Olympic Village, officials said on Sunday, just days before the pandemic-delayed Games open.The cases will heighten concerns over the Olympics, which are facing opposition in Japan over fears they will bring new cases to a …
your ad hereThousands Protest Against Vaccination, COVID Passes in France
More than 100,000 people protested Saturday across France against the government’s latest measures to push people to get vaccinated and curb rising infections by the delta variant of the coronavirus. In Paris, separate protest marches by the far right and the far left wound through different parts of the city. …
your ad hereMartine Moise, Wife of Slain President, Returns to Haiti
Martine Moise, the wife of Haiti’s assassinated president who was injured in the July 7 attack at their private home, returned to the Caribbean nation on Saturday following her release from a Miami hospital. Her arrival was unannounced and surprised many in the country of more than 11 million people …
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