Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s philanthropic organization will help 18 small news publishers in the country to negotiate collectively with Google and Facebook to secure licensing deals for the supply of news content. Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation on Monday said it would submit an application with the country’s competition regulator, the …
your ad hereSpotify Bows to Adele, Drops ‘Shuffle’ as Album Song-Playing Default
For many musicians, like storytelling superstar Adele, the order of songs on an album is a matter of the keenest concern, affecting how a narrative is presented, how listeners react and ultimately how many albums are sold. That is a big reason why customers of Spotify saw “play” as the …
your ad hereFauci Urges Vaccinated Americans to Get Booster Shots
The top U.S. infectious disease expert on Sunday urged millions of Americans who already are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to get booster shots “to optimize their status.” To date, 34.5 million of the 196 million fully vaccinated people in the United States have received booster shots, according to the government’s …
your ad hereCOVID-19 Wave Pushes Ukraine’s Doctors to the Limit
As coronavirus infections hit Ukraine, a single shift for Dr. Oleksandr Molchanov now stretches to 42 hours — 24 of them in Kakhovka’s hospital, followed by another 18 hours spent visiting tents set up to care for 120 COVID-19 patients. While vaccination rates in Eastern Europe have generally lagged, Ukraine …
your ad hereDutch Riot Over COVID Restrictions a Second Night; 7 Arrested
Police arrested seven rioters in The Hague on Saturday night after youths set fires in the streets and threw fireworks at officers. The unrest came a day after police opened fire on protesters in Rotterdam amid what the port city’s mayor called “an orgy of violence” that broke out at …
your ad hereEurope’s COVID Crisis Pits Vaccinated Against Unvaccinated
This was supposed to be the Christmas in Europe where family and friends could once again embrace holiday festivities and one another. Instead, the continent is the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic as cases soar to record levels in many countries. With infections spiking again despite nearly two years …
your ad hereBaby’s Superpowered Scent Can Manipulate Parents’ Moods, Researchers Find
A chemical that babies give off from their heads calms men but makes women more aggressive, according to new research in the journal Science Advances. It could be a chemical defense system we inherited from our animal ancestors, the authors speculate, making women more likely to defend their babies and …
your ad hereTracking Tech Turns Theft Victims into Sleuths
Frustrated with slow or no action, some Americans are using Bluetooth trackers to retrieve stolen items themselves. It’s a risky strategy that isn’t endorsed by police and could put users in harm’s way, as VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. …
your ad hereUS FDA Authorizes Pfizer, Moderna Boosters for All
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday expanded emergency use authorization for the booster shot of the PFizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to all U.S. adults. The decision was announced by the drug companies Friday and comes after at least 10 states already had expanded their booster programs to …
your ad hereIn Photos: Partial Lunar Eclipse Visible From North America to Parts of Asia
A partial lunar eclipse could be seen from the Americas and East Asia on Friday. The phenomenon, when the Earth partially aligns between the sun and the full moon, was visible in much of the United States, in South America and in Philippines and Japan. “This one’s been kind of …
your ad hereAfter Pledging to Lead on Climate Issues, US Sells New Oil Drilling Rights
In a move that has some environmental activists charging it with hypocrisy, the Biden administration has approved the sale of oil and gas drilling rights to more than 80 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico — an act it says was mandated by a federal court ruling. The auction …
your ad hereUS Aims to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Production by a Billion Doses in 2022
The intended increase in effort and manufacturing comes as US lawmakers question inequities in global vaccine distribution and vaccination rates among richer and poorer nations. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. Producer: Katherine Gypson …
your ad herePartial Lunar Eclipse to be Longest Since 1440
The longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years, which will bathe the moon in red, will be visible Thursday and Friday for a big slice of humanity. The celestial show will see the moon almost completely cast in shadow as it moves behind the Earth, reddening 99% of its …
your ad hereNASA’s Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Still in Action
As researchers at U.S space agency NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory prepare for the 16th flight of Ingenuity, the Mars helicopter, the team has used recently downloaded data from the Mars mission to create the best video yet of one of Ingenuity’s previous flights. The 1.8-kilogram aircraft arrived on the planet …
your ad hereSpace Junk Threatens ISS as Russia Litters Sky with Debris
This week, space junk threatens the International Space Station, forcing four new arrivals who came on board to take safety measures. Plus, tragedy befalls a space tourist, and the longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space Produced by: Arash Arabasadi …
your ad hereKim Kardashian West Helps Fly Afghan Women Soccer Players to UK
Members of Afghanistan’s women’s youth development soccer team arrived in Britain early Thursday after being flown from Pakistan with the help of a New York rabbi, a U.K. soccer club and Kim Kardashian West. A plane chartered by the reality star and carrying more than 30 teenage players and their …
your ad hereCoal in the Crosshairs at Glasgow Climate Talks
One of the takeaways from this year’s COP26 summit in Glasgow is that much of the world is actively planning for a world without oil and coal. But as Jessica Stone reports, some of the world’s worst polluters, at least for now, need fossil fuels. Video editor – Keith Lane. …
your ad hereNew York to Charge Drivers for Pollution, Congestion
Someday soon, drivers entering downtown Manhattan can expect to pay for the pollution and traffic jams they cause. Congestion pricing is a way that places such as Stockholm and Singapore are trying to unclog streets and clean up their air by making it more expensive for drivers to bring dirty …
your ad hereHead of Women’s Tennis Association Concerned About ‘Safety and Whereabouts’ of Chinese Tennis Star
The head of the Women’s Tennis Association on Wednesday voiced concern over an email it received in which Chinese professional tennis player Peng Shuai was said to deny her previous allegations of sexual assault. Peng, one of China’s biggest sport stars, said on social media earlier this month that former …
your ad hereExperts Urge Australia Supermarket Cigarette Sale Ban
Australian public health experts are making new efforts to curb the use of tobacco products, comparing its adverse effects on health to that of asbestos and lead paint. Australia has led the world on tobacco control, with plain packaging laws introduced in 2012, higher taxes and graphic public health warnings. But campaigners say those steps are not enough to stop people from …
your ad hereWhite House: 10% of Kids Have Been Vaccinated in First 2 Weeks
The White House says about 10% of eligible kids aged 5 to 11 have received a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine since its approval for their age group two weeks ago. At least 2.6 million kids have received a shot, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday, with …
your ad hereGhanian Entrepreneur Teaches Rural Students About Robotics
A Ghanian entrepreneur is helping prepare students in rural areas for the modern economy by teaching them about robotics. His roaming classes have been so successful that Ghana’s Ministry of Education has adopted the lessons in schools. Victoria Amunga reports from Accra, Ghana. Camera – Senanu Tord. Video editor – …
your ad hereOverdose Deaths in US Top 100,000, CDC Says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that 100,000 Americans died of drug overdose between May 2020 and April 2021 — a nearly 30% increase over the previous year. While not an official count, the CDC says it can confirm 98,000 deaths so far during the period and …
your ad hereIs China’s Door Closing on Hollywood?
China has been making patriotic movies for its domestic audiences while tightening control of its film industry, developments that have left Hollywood wondering whether its movies will still be welcome in China’s lucrative market. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. …
your ad hereDelhi’s Air Pollution Crisis Prompts Shutdown of Thermal Plants, Schools, Colleges
With the Indian capital enveloped in a haze of toxic smog, authorities ordered six thermal plants in the city’s vicinity to shut temporarily, closed schools and colleges indefinitely and imposed work-from-home restrictions to control pollution levels that turned severe on several days this month. A panel of the federal environment …
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