Newly declassified intelligence on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic appears to cast doubt on theories that the outbreak that killed millions around the world began at a research laboratory in Wuhan, China. A report issued late Friday by U.S. intelligence agencies and shared with members of Congress said that …
your ad hereIndian PM Modi Wraps Up Washington Trip With Appeal to Tech CEOs
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with U.S. and Indian technology executives in Washington on Friday, the final day of a state visit where he agreed to new defense and technology cooperation and addressed challenges posed by China. U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for Modi on …
your ad hereCarter Center Celebrates Elimination of Trachoma in Mali
In May, the World Health Organization certified that the countries of Benin and Mali eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, the fifth and sixth African countries to do so. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, while the Carter Center is celebrating the milestone in Mali, its work in eliminating and …
your ad hereCarter Center Celebrates Trachoma Elimination Milestone in Mali
The Carter Center was already a decade into its fight against Guinea worm globally when former President Jimmy Carter and his nonprofit took on another neglected tropical disease in the African nation of Mali. “From 1996 to 1998, it was estimated about 85,000 to 90,000 people would go blind from …
your ad hereFour Ukrainians Intern at New York’s Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera in New York not only organizes concerts and campaigns to support Ukraine but also has offered four Ukrainians an internship. Iryna Solomko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …
your ad hereBig Names in Fashion, Tech, Entertainment Attend DC Dinner for India’s Modi
Titans of business, fashion, entertainment and more made the guest list for Thursday’s big White House dinner in honor India’s Narendra Modi, with the likes of designer Ralph Lauren, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and tennis legend Billie Jean King rubbing shoulders with tech leaders from Apple, Google and Microsoft. Shyamalan …
your ad hereA Year After Fall of Roe, 25 Million Women Live in States With Abortion Bans or Tighter Restrictions
One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded a five-decade-old right to abortion, prompting a seismic shift in debates about politics, values, freedom and fairness. Twenty-five million women of childbearing age now live in states where the law makes abortions harder to get than they were before the ruling. Decisions …
your ad hereKenya Video Gamers Unite to Bridge Africa’s Esports Server Gap
Kenyan video gamers are joining forces to advocate for bringing to Africa more world-class gaming servers that provide greater stability and control. Apart from South Africa, many African countries lack servers, placing players at a disadvantage and discouraging many from joining esports. Mohammed Yusuf has more from Nairobi. …
your ad hereHope for Baseball Flourishes in Nigeria, Despite Lack of Resources
Introduced in Nigeria by the U.S. Peace Corps in the 1960s, baseball is slowly becoming a sport of note, thanks to the efforts of a few dedicated enthusiasts of the game. Timothy Obiezu reports from Ekiti state. …
your ad hereAI Helping South African Wildlife Rangers Fight Poaching
Artificial intelligence is changing how wildlife reserves prevent poaching, with smart cameras, drones, and other technology helping rangers protect endangered species. Kate Bartlett and Zaheer Cassim report from Limpopo, South Africa. Video editor: Jason Godman. …
your ad hereStudy Reveals How Immune System of Astronauts Breaks Down
Evidence is growing about the many ways that traveling in the microgravity environment of space tampers with the human body, with new research showing how it dials down the activity of genes in white blood cells crucial to the immune system. A study involving 14 astronauts who spent 4½ to …
your ad hereUS CDC Advisers Recommend RSV Shots Be Available to Older Adults
A panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday recommended that new vaccines from Pfizer and GSK to prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections be available to older adults in the U.S. but stopped short of saying all of them should get …
your ad hereSummer Solstice Has Arrived
In astronomical terms, summer begins Wednesday with the arrival of the summer solstice, which marks the longest day of the year for everyone north of the equator. This year, the summer solstice falls at exactly 10:57 a.m. EDT, when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer. South of …
your ad hereUS OKs Chicken Made From Cultivated Cells, Nation’s First ‘Lab-Grown’ Meat
For the first time, U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells, allowing two California companies to offer “lab-grown” meat to the nation’s restaurant tables and, eventually, supermarket shelves. The Agriculture Department gave the green light to Upside Foods and Good Meat, firms that had …
your ad hereDrone Photo and Video Competition Shows Stunning Views of Earth
Drone photographers and videographers from around the world submitted more than 65,000 pieces of work in an annual online competition. VOA’s Julie Taboh highlights some of the winning entries. Editing: Adam Greenbaum …
your ad hereThousands of Whales Begin Their Epic Journey Up Australia’s Humpback Highway
Australia’s annual whale migration has started with researchers documenting an unusually high number of humpbacks off the coast. Scientists say the surge is a sign that whale populations are recovering. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports. …
your ad hereRoman Ruins Where Caesar Was Stabbed Opens to Tourists
Four temples from ancient Rome, dating back as far as the 3rd century B.C. stand smack in the middle of one of the modern city’s busiest crossroads. But until Monday, practically the only ones getting a close-up view of the temples were the cats that prowl the so-called “Sacred Area,” …
your ad hereSickle Cell Advocates in Nigeria Urge Authorities to Take Firm Stand on Interventions
As the world mark Sickle Cell Day on Monday, Nigeria accounts for about 33% of the 300,000 children diagnosed every year with the disease. The World Health Organization and Nigeria’s Health Ministry say 25% of the country’s total population are carriers of mutant genes that give rise to the genetic …
your ad hereIranian Diaspora in Los Angeles Unites to Aid Anti-Government Protesters
A new film charts the response of the large Iranian community in Los Angeles to the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Paris, Iranian communities across the world are coming together to try the help their countrymen and women back home. Camera: Vahid Karami …
your ad hereUN Members Adopt First-Ever Treaty to Protect Marine Life in High Seas
Members of the United Nations adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life in the high seas on Monday, with the U.N.’s chief hailing the historic agreement as giving the ocean “a fighting chance.” Delegates from the 193 member nations burst into applause and then stood up in a sustained …
your ad hereSubmarine Exploring Titanic Wreck Missing, Search Underway
A submarine on a tourism expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing off the coast of southeastern Canada, according to the private company that operates the vessel. OceanGate Expeditions said in a brief statement on Monday that it was “mobilizing all options” to rescue those on …
your ad hereSeattle Marks Summer Solstice With Whimsical Parade
June 21 marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – in Seattle, Washington, the summer solstice was celebrated this past weekend with the annual Fremont Solstice Parade. Natasha Mozgovaya has more. …
your ad hereNetherlands Soon to Announce Controls on IT Exports to China
The Dutch government is soon to join the United States and Japan in rolling out new semiconductor export control measures aimed at keeping sensitive technology away from China due to concern for potential misuse, the country’s economic affairs minister told reporters on a visit to Washington. The measures are likely …
your ad hereVenezuelans Lack Access to HPV Vaccine
Getting vaccinated is an effective way to prevent infection from human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, a virus that can lead to cervical cancer in women and other cancers in men. But the vaccine is neither available nor affordable to many in Venezuela. For Adriana Nunez Rabascall in Caracas, Venezuela, …
your ad hereMicrosoft Says Early June Disruptions to Outlook, Cloud Platform, Were Cyberattacks
In early June, sporadic but serious service disruptions plagued Microsoft’s flagship office suite — including the Outlook email and OneDrive file-sharing apps — and cloud computing platform. A shadowy hacktivist group claimed responsibility, saying it flooded the sites with junk traffic in distributed denial-of-service attacks. Initially reticent to name the …
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