Comedian Norm Macdonald, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and performer who was “Weekend Update” host when former U.S. President Bill Clinton and O.J. Simpson provided comic fodder during the 1990s, has died. Macdonald, who was 61, died Tuesday after having cancer for nine years but kept it private, according to …
your ad hereBiden Pitches Spending Plan as Key to Fight Climate Change
President Joe Biden tried to advance his domestic spending plans in Colorado on Tuesday by warning about the dangers of climate change while highlighting how his clean-energy proposals would also create well-paying jobs.The trip to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Flatirons Campus outside Denver capped the president’s two-day swing to …
your ad hereUS Accuses Russia of Stonewalling on Cybercrime
U.S. warnings to Russian President Vladimir Putin over shielding cybercriminals holed up in Russia appear to have made little impact, according to top U.S. law enforcement and cyber officials. “There is no indication that the Russian government has taken action to crack down on ransomware actors that are operating in the …
your ad hereApple Plugs ‘No-Click’ Phone Hack Attributed to Pegasus Spyware
Apple released a critical software patch to fix a security vulnerability that researchers said could allow hackers to directly infect iPhones and other Apple devices without any user action. Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said the security issue was exploited to plant spyware on a Saudi …
your ad hereHospitals Turn to Robots to Free Up More Time for Patients
A robot called Moxi is helping nurses and hospital staff focus more on patients by taking care of menial tasks. The VOA’s Deana Mitchell has the story. …
your ad hereFirst Private All-Civilian Orbital Spaceflight Set for Wednesday
Four people are set to become the world’s first all-civilian crew to fly into Earth orbit when they blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday as space tourism takes its biggest leap yet. Weather conditions are 70% favorable for Wednesday night’s scheduled launch of Americans Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris …
your ad hereBillie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, Lil Nas X Dazzle at Met Gala
Billie Eilish went full glam in a huge peach ball gown at the pandemic-delayed Met Gala on Monday night, while fellow host of the evening Amanda Gorman was breathtaking in blue custom Vera Wang with a diamond laurel wreath in her hair.Co-host Timothée Chalamet raced onto Fifth Avenue to take …
your ad hereGeorge Wein, Newport Jazz Festival Co-founder, Dies at 95
George Wein, an impresario of 20th century music who helped found the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals and set the template for gatherings everywhere from Woodstock to the south of France, died Monday. Wein, 95, died “peacefully in his sleep” in his New York City apartment, said Carolyn McClair, a family …
your ad hereCyber Arms Dealer Exploits New iPhone Software Vulnerability, Watchdog Says
A cyber surveillance company based in Israel developed a tool to break into Apple iPhones with a never-before-seen technique that has been in use since February, internet security watchdog group Citizen Lab said Monday. The discovery is important because of the critical nature of the vulnerability, which requires no user interaction …
your ad hereBritain to Offer COVID-19 Vaccines to 12-to-15-year-Olds
Britain’s chief medical officer (CMO), Professor Chris Whitty, recommended Monday that children between the ages of 12 and 15 be offered the COVID-19 vaccine, saying they would benefit from reduced disruption to their education. More than a week ago, Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, the panel that advises British …
your ad hereWorld Bank: Climate Change Could Force Migration of 216 Million People by 2050
A World Bank report released Monday suggests climate change could force 216 million people across six regions to migrate within their countries in the next 30 years, with “hotspots” emerging within the next nine years unless urgent steps are taken. The “Groundswell Part 2” report examines how climate change is …
your ad hereOn with the Show: Amid Pandemic, Broadway Prepares to Reopen
Broadway will welcome back musical lovers and playgoers this fall as theaters in New York City reopen at 100% capacity despite an ongoing threat of the spread of COVID-19. Tina Trinh reports.Camera: Tina Trinh, Janine Phakdeetham Produced by: Tina Trinh …
your ad hereNew Zealand’s Largest City Remains in Strict Lockdown
New Zealand’s prime minister has announced Monday that the country’s largest city, with a population of 1.7 million, will remain in a strict lockdown in an effort to curb small outbreaks of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.“It’s clear there is no widespread transmission of the virus in …
your ad hereSpaceX to Launch Private, All-civilian Crew into Earth Orbit
SpaceX is set to launch four people into space Wednesday on a three-day mission that is the first to orbit the Earth with exclusively private citizens on board, as Elon Musk’s company enters the space tourism fray. The “Inspiration4” mission caps a summer that saw billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos …
your ad hereMedvedev Ends Djokovic’s Bid for Year Slam at US Open
Novak Djokovic’s bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969 ended one victory short with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final on Sunday. Medvedev’s surprisingly lopsided triumph gave him his first major championship and prevented Djokovic from winning what …
your ad hereBangladesh Schools Reopen After 18-Month COVID Shutdown
Children in Bangladesh flooded back into classrooms on Sunday as schools reopened after 18 months, one of the world’s longest coronavirus shutdowns.The resumption came after UNICEF warned that prolonged school closures during the COVID-19 crisis were worsening inequities for millions of children across South Asia.In the capital Dhaka, students at …
your ad herePrehistoric Winged Lizard Unearthed in Chile
Chilean scientists have announced the discovery of the first-ever southern hemisphere remains of a type of Jurassic-era “winged lizard” known as a pterosaur.Fossils of the dinosaur which lived some 160 million years ago in what is today the Atacama desert, were unearthed in 2009.They have now been confirmed to be …
your ad hereA Tale of 2 COVID Vaccine Clinics: Lines in Kenya, Few Takers in Atlanta
Several hundred people line up every morning, starting before dawn, on a grassy area outside Nairobi’s largest hospital hoping to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Sometimes the line moves smoothly, while on other days, the staff tells them there’s nothing available and they should come back tomorrow.Halfway around the world, at …
your ad hereWith More Doses, Uganda Takes Vaccination Drive to Markets
At a taxi stand by a bustling market in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, traders simply cross a road or two, get a shot in the arm and rush back to their work.Until this week, vaccination centers were based mostly in hospitals in this East African country that faced a brutal COVID-19 …
your ad hereDisney to Debut Rest of 2021 Films in Cinemas First
Disney announced Friday that all of its films slated for release by the end of the year will be exclusively screened in cinemas first, bringing relief to theaters anxious to reconnect with audiences after the coronavirus pandemic devastated their industry.The animated film Encanto will be released on the big screen …
your ad hereWHO: Low-Income Countries Still Lack Enough COVID-19 Vaccines
The World Health Organization says low-income countries still do not have enough COVID-19 vaccines and is urging wealthier nations to deliver more doses. VOA’s Mariama Diallo has this report. Producer: Kim Weeks …
your ad hereNew Studies Show Unvaccinated Are 11 Times More Likely to Die of COVID-19
New U.S. studies released Friday show that COVID-19 vaccines provide strong protection against hospitalizations and death, even in cases involving the highly contagious delta variant.One study, which followed 600,000 people from April through mid-July, found that people who were not vaccinated were more than 10 times more likely to be …
your ad hereApple Must Loosen App Store Grip, Judge Says; What’s the Impact?
Apple will be forced to loosen the grip it holds on its App Store payment system, a U.S. federal judge ruled Friday in a closely watched battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games.Though app makers will be able to take steps to skirt the up to 30% commission Apple takes on …
your ad hereHow Did It Come to This? Why Biden Is Mandating COVID Vaccines
Just over two months ago, on Independence Day, President Joe Biden declared that the United States was “closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus.” Vaccines had driven down the average daily death toll from COVID-19 from more than 3,400 at the start of the year to around …
your ad hereUS Soccer Chief Vows to Equalize World Cup Payments in Gender Pay Dispute
United States Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone said Friday the body hopes to “equalize” World Cup prize money for its men’s and women’s national teams as part of efforts to settle ongoing litigation with its women footballers. In an open letter addressed to U.S. fans, Parlow Cone said the gulf …
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