Chinese companies like Huawei and the Transsion group are responsible for much of the digital infrastructure and smartphones used in Africa. Chinese phones built in Africa come with already installed apps for mobile money transfer services that increase the reach of Chinese tech companies. But while many Africans may find …
your ad hereAlec Baldwin: ‘My Heart Is Broken’ After Fatal Movie Set Shooting
Hollywood star Alec Baldwin said Friday, “My heart is broken” after a cinematographer died when he fired a prop gun on a New Mexico movie set, adding that he was cooperating with a police investigation to determine how the incident occurred. “There are no words to convey my shock and …
your ad hereProtests Mount Over 2022 Winter Olympics in China
There has been controversy leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympics scheduled to begin in China in February. The latest protest is in Greece. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. Camera: Laurent Laughlin Produced by: Elizabeth Lee …
your ad herePM Ardern: New Zealand Must Be 90% Vaccinated to Reopen
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday the country will end its strict COVID-19 lockdown once 90% of its citizens are fully vaccinated. The nation of 5 million people has been among the best in the world at containing the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, largely because New Zealand closed its borders for most of the last 18 months to non-residents. The strategy to eliminate COVID-19 worked for the …
your ad hereResearchers in Uganda Start Trials for HIV Injectable Drug
Uganda has kickstarted a trial for the injectable HIV drugs cabotegravir and rilpivirine. Researchers and those living with HIV say the trial will likely end pill fatigue, fight stigma, improve adherence and ensure patients get the right dosage. The two drugs have been in use as tablets. The World Health Organization last year licensed their use as injectables. …
your ad hereNew Zealand Scientists Investigate Microplastics’ Impact on Climate Change
New Zealand scientists have found that microplastics have a direct impact on global warming. They published the first study linking airborne plastic fragments and fibers to climate change Wednesday. They also found that microplastics, which have been widely detected on land and in rivers and oceans, are detrimental to health. …
your ad herePolice: Prop Gun Fired by Alec Baldwin Kills Woman on Film Set
US actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed a cinematographer and wounded the director on a film set in New Mexico, US law enforcement officers said Thursday. The incident happened on the set of “Rust” in the southwestern US state, where Baldwin is playing the lead in a …
your ad hereIn Colombia, Blinken Announces Deal to Curb Amazon Deforestation
After a day of high-level talks in Colombia, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday a regional partnership to address deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. “We’ll give much-needed financial assistance to help manage protected areas and Indigenous territories, and we’ll help scale up low-carbon agricultural practices to farmers …
your ad hereTexas Asks Supreme Court to Leave Restrictive Abortion Law in Place
The U.S. state of Texas on Thursday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to leave in place its restrictive law banning most abortions after the administration of President Joe Biden had asked the country’s highest court to block the statute. In its court filing, Texas, the second most populous U.S. state, …
your ad hereWarming Temperatures Could Spark Conflicts in Global Hot Spots, Reports Say
More than just altering the environment, climate change is threatening to permanently and dangerously reshape the global security landscape, according to a series of new assessments by U.S. military, intelligence and security officials. The reports, ordered earlier this year by U.S. President Joe Biden as part of an effort to better …
your ad hereSouth Korea Takes Another Step Toward Reaching the Moon
A global giant in technology completes a space launch as it aims to eventually send a probe to the moon. Plus, NASA launches its latest deep-space explorer and a look at a robot that turns humidity into drinking water. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space. …
your ad hereLargest Triceratops Skeleton Ever Found Sells for $7.7M
The largest triceratops skeleton ever found was sold for $7.74 million Thursday at an auction in Paris to a private American collector. In a statement on its website, the Drouot auction house said the fossilized remains of “Big John,” as the skeleton is known, was expected to go for between …
your ad hereFacebook Kept Oversight Board in Dark about Special Treatment of VIP Accounts
Facebook’s quasi-independent oversight board criticized the company Thursday, saying many high-profile accounts such as celebrities and politicians are not held to the same standards as other accounts. In a blog post, the board said, “Facebook has not been fully forthcoming with the Board on its ‘Cross-Check’ system, which the company …
your ad hereLone Democratic Senator Blocks Biden’s Climate Agenda as COP26 Nears
With the U.N. Climate Change Conference set to begin in less than two weeks, a vital piece of the Biden administration’s climate agenda is in danger of dying in the U.S. Senate, at the hands of a member of the president’s own party. Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who represents …
your ad hereNew Name for Facebook? Critics Cry Smoke and Mirrors
Facebook critics pounced Wednesday on a report that the social network plans to rename itself, arguing it may be seeking to distract from recent scandals and controversy. The report from tech news website The Verge, which Facebook refused to confirm, said the embattled company was aiming to show its ambition …
your ad herePig-to-human Transplants Come a Step Closer With New Test
Scientists temporarily attached a pig’s kidney to a human body and watched it begin to work, a small step in the decades-long quest to one day use animal organs for lifesaving transplants. Pigs have been the most recent research focus to address the organ shortage, but among the hurdles: A …
your ad hereFrench African Mom Works to Boost Numbers of African Bone Marrow Donors
A French woman of African origin is leading a campaign to encourage more members of France’s African diaspora to register as bone marrow donors to potentially save lives. Elhame Lecoeur filed this report for VOA from Paris, narrated by Michael Lipin. Camera: Elhame Lecoeur Produced by: Marcus Harton …
your ad hereFrench African Woman Works to Boost Numbers of African Bone Marrow Donors
A French woman of African origin is leading a campaign to encourage more members of France’s African diaspora to register as bone marrow donors to potentially save lives. Elhame Lecoeur filed this report for VOA from Paris, narrated by Michael Lipin. …
your ad hereNew York City Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for City Workers
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a vaccine mandate for city workers Wednesday. The order calls for employees, including police officers and firefighters, to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 29 or else they will be placed on unpaid leave. The mayor’s …
your ad hereFacebook to Pay Up to 14 Million Over Discrimination Against US Workers
Facebook must pay a $4.75 million fine and up to $9.5 million in back pay to eligible victims who say the company discriminated against U.S. workers in favor of foreign ones, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. The discrimination took place from at least January 1, 2018, until at least September …
your ad hereAfrica Warming More, Faster Than Other World Regions
Authors of a new report on Africa’s climate warn the continent is heating up more and faster than other regions in the world, and they said Africa needs immediate financial and technological assistance to adapt to the warming environment. The African continent is home to 17% of the global population …
your ad hereIsraeli Diver Discovers 900-Year-Old Crusader Sword in Mediterranean
The Israeli Antiquities Authority said Tuesday that a diver swimming in the Mediterranean Sea has recovered a large sword that experts believe to be about 900 years old, dating back to the Crusades. The antiquities authority’s Director of Marine Archaeology, Kobi Sharvit, said the amateur diver was swimming about 150 …
your ad hereNew York Statue Honors Resilient Human Spirit in COVID Era
In New York City, artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada unveiled a unique piece of art called The Hug, created to honor those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Nina Vishneva was there for the unveiling and has more in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Elena Wolf contributed to this report. Camera: Max Avloshenko, …
your ad hereCatching a Ride: A ‘Robotaxi’ Drives Itself to You
Consider it a “robotaxi.” For customers who need a ride in Las Vegas, they can now use a ride-hailing startup whose cars drive themselves to customers. Tina Trinh reports. …
your ad hereUS VP Harris Says Nation Must Address Climate Change with ‘A Sense of Urgency’
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said final congressional passage of the Biden administration’s major infrastructure plan comes down to “a fundamental issue” of the lack of water brought on by climate change. Harris made the comments Monday during a visit to Lake Mead, a man-made reservoir near the gambling and tourist …
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