Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died. She was 76. The daughters announced her death Saturday in a statement provided to The Associated Press. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the …
your ad hereSatellites Detect California Cow Burps, a Major Methane Source, From Space
Satellites have detected methane emissions from belching cows at a California feedlot, marking the first time emissions from livestock – a major component of agricultural methane – could be measured from space. Environmental data firm GHGSat this month analyzed data from its satellites and pinpointed the methane source from a …
your ad hereIndia, Pakistan Reeling From Pre-Monsoon Season Heat Wave
Meteorologists warn the extreme heat gripping India and Pakistan is likely to have many cascading effects on human health, ecosystems, agriculture, water, energy, and the economy. For the past few days, hundreds of millions of people have been sweltering under temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius in widespread areas …
your ad hereBeijing Tightens COVID Restrictions as Long Holiday Begins
Beijing residents will need clear COVID tests to enter public spaces, officials said Saturday, announcing fresh virus controls at the start of a Labor Day holiday muted by creeping infections in the capital. The five-day break is typically one of China’s busiest travel periods, but the country’s worst COVID resurgence …
your ad hereForeign Businesses Consider Leaving China Amid Lockdowns
Chris Mei has been stuck in his Shanghai flat for a month save for PCR testing and occasional volunteer work delivering food to neighbors. That will change in a couple of days when he boards his flight for a long-scheduled trip home to Portland, Oregon. He uses Zoom to do …
your ad hereCalifornia Group Working to Help Ukraine With Low-Cost Incubators
A San Francisco area-based nonprofit is working to send easily operated, simply maintained and low-cost incubators to Ukraine. After learning that 260,000 women in Ukraine are pregnant, with many now giving birth in bomb shelters or without access to modern medical care, Embrace Global is working to send 3,000 of …
your ad hereFirst US Case of H5N1 Bird Flu in Human Confirmed in Colorado
A Colorado prison inmate who worked at a poultry farm culling infected birds has become the first person in the U.S. to test positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed the case Thursday. H5N1 has been spreading rapidly among birds …
your ad hereMuslim Students at Princeton University Break Ramadan Fast Together
For many students, living and studying at one of the most prestigious schools in the United States can be stressful and sometimes a little lonely. But some Muslim students at Princeton University can find comfort in their community during the month of Ramadan. VOA’s Nida Samir reports. …
your ad hereNew NASA Spacecraft Nearly Ready for Asteroid Mission
After years of preparation and testing, a new NASA spacecraft is almost ready for its mission to an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists hope the journey will uncover clues into the origins of Earth. For VOA, Villafañe visited NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to see the …
your ad hereGoogle Adds Ways to Keep Personal Info Private in Searches
Google has expanded options for keeping personal information private from online searches. The company said Friday it will let people request that more types of content such as personal contact information like phone numbers, email and physical addresses be removed from search results. The new policy also allows the removal …
your ad hereAustralian Musical Charts Family’s Escape from Nazis in Europe
A musical that depicts the remarkable escape from the Holocaust of a renowned Jewish sculptor and his family is about to open in Australia. Driftwood recounts the journey of Karl Duldig, his wife Slawa Horowitz-Duldig – inventor of the modern foldable umbrella – and their baby daughter, Eva. They fled …
your ad hereChina, N.Korea Halt Border Rail Crossing Over COVID Fears
China has suspended cross-border freight train services with North Korea following consultations after COVID-19 infections in its border city of Dandong, the foreign ministry said Friday. The suspension came within four months after North Korea eased border lockdowns enforced early in 2020 against the coronavirus, measures global aid groups have …
your ad hereSouth Korea to End Outdoor Mask Mandate
South Korea said Friday it will lift its outdoor mask mandate next week in response to a steady drop in COVID-19 cases after an omicron-fueled surge. The announcement comes after Seoul dropped almost all other social-distancing measures earlier this month, ending two years of strict requirements that put a massive …
your ad hereTurkey’s Soaring Inflation Mars Ramadan Celebrations
Muslim worshippers in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakir say they are struggling to purchase essential groceries for Ramadan celebrations because of the country’s high inflation rate. VOA’s Xecican Farqin has details in this report narrated by Rikar Hussein. Camera: Xecican Farqin …
your ad hereThis Week: SpaceX Station Swap and Midair Rescue You Have to See
Mission accomplished for the latest SpaceX and NASA trip to the International Space Station. Plus, the first-ever all-private charter to the ISS ends and … see what it looks like to catch a four-story rocket out of the sky. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
your ad hereUS Plan to Ban Menthol Tobacco Products Moves Forward
Menthol cigarettes and other menthol tobacco products may soon be things of the past, according to an announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday saying authorities are moving forward on a plan to ban them. It could still be years before the products are removed from stores. …
your ad hereVaccine-Preventable Diseases Surging in Africa Due to COVID-19 Disruptions
The World Health Organization warns that vaccine-preventable diseases are spreading across the African continent because routine immunizations against killer diseases have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tens of millions of people have missed out on routine immunization services. That not only puts their lives at risk from potentially deadly …
your ad hereNew Kenyan Fish Marketing App Aims to Reduce Sexual Exploitation of Women Fishmongers
An application developed in Kenya to improve the marketing of fish caught in Lake Victoria is helping women fishmongers fend off sex-for-fish exploitation by fishermen. The Aquarech app allows traders to buy fish without having to negotiate with fishermen – as Ruud Elmendorp reports from Kisumu, Kenya. Videographer: Ruud Elmendorp …
your ad hereHong Kong Actor Kenneth Tsang Dies in Quarantine Hotel
Veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang has died while in a COVID-19 quarantine hotel in the southern Chinese city, local media reported. Tsang was best known internationally for his action roles in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day,” John Woo’sThe Killer” in 1989, Rush Hour 2” in 2001 …
your ad here‘Pandemic Phase’ Over for US, but COVID-19 Still Here, Fauci Says
Dr. Anthony Fauci has given an upbeat assessment of the current state of the coronavirus in the United States, saying the country is “out of the pandemic phase” with regard to new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, and that it appears to be making a transition to COVID-19 becoming an endemic …
your ad hereMajor Japan Railway Now Powered Only by Renewable Energy
Tokyo’s Shibuya is famed for its Scramble Crossing, where crowds of people crisscross the intersection in a scene symbolizing urban Japan’s congestion and anonymity. It may have added another boasting right. Tokyu Railways’ trains running through Shibuya and other stations were switched to power generated only by solar and other …
your ad hereMusk’s Twitter Ambitions Likely to Collide with Europe’s Tech Rules
A hands-off approach to moderating content at Elon Musk’s Twitter could clash with ambitious new laws in Europe meant to protect users from disinformation, hate speech and other harmful material. Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist,” pledged to buy Twitter for $44 billion this week, with European …
your ad hereElon Musk Quest to Scrap Deal Over 2018 Tweets is Rejected
Elon Musk’s request to scrap a settlement with securities regulators over 2018 tweets claiming he had the funding to take Tesla private was denied by a federal judge in New York. Judge Lewis Liman on Wednesday also denied a motion to nullify subpoenas of Musk seeking information about possible violations …
your ad hereFlutists Worldwide Unite in Music to Show Support for Ukraine
Belarusian-American composer Eugene Magalif has organized an international musical event to honor and show support for Ukraine. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. Videographer: Andrey Degtyarev …
your ad hereWHO: Congo Starts Ebola Vaccinations to Stem Outbreak in Northwest
The Democratic Republic of Congo has kicked off Ebola vaccinations to stem an outbreak in the northwest city of Mbandaka, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Two people are known to have died so far in the city of over one million inhabitants where people live in close …
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