Mai Mahiu, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday deployed the military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas in a nation where 171 people have been killed since March by torrential rains. Seasonal rains, amplified by the El Nino weather pattern, have devastated the East African nation, with floodwaters …
your ad hereFrench Iranian author wins top Spanish prize for graphic novel
Barcelona, Spain — French Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel “Persepolis” tells the story of a girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran, was awarded Spain’s prestigious Princess of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanity on Tuesday. The prize jury praised the 54-year-old as “one of the most prominent names in …
your ad hereSurvey: US consumer confidence at lowest level since 2022
Washington — U.S. consumers appear less optimistic about the jobs market and more worried about future financial conditions, bringing a closely watched confidence metric to its lowest level since July 2022, a survey showed Tuesday. The consumer confidence index fell to 97.0 in April, said The Conference Board, significantly below the …
your ad hereG7 ministers: Energy storage is key to global renewable goals
Paris, France — G7 environment ministers committed on Tuesday to ramp up the production and deployment of battery storage technology, an essential component for increasing renewable energy and combating climate change. Here is how and why batteries play a vital role in the energy transition: Growing demand Batteries have …
your ad hereChinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
SHANGHAI — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of the Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online …
your ad hereLogOn: Nigerian Artist Creates AI Fashion Show for Elderly
Images of African senior citizens walking a fashion runway created a buzz on social media, with AI-generated pictures challenging traditional depictions of elderly Africans. VOA’s Karina Choudhury has all the looks in this week’s episode of LogOn. Videographer: Samuel Okocha …
your ad hereRolling Stones show no signs of slowing down as they begin their latest tour
houston — Time marches on and all good things must come to an end. But don’t tell that to The Rolling Stones. What many believe to be the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they kicked off their latest tour …
your ad hereUS and Mexico drop bid to host 2027 World Cup
new york — The U.S. Soccer Federation and its Mexican counterpart dropped their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Monday and said they instead will focus on trying to host the 2031 tournament. The decision left a proposal from Brazil and a joint Germany-Netherlands-Belgium plan competing to …
your ad hereTalks on global pandemic agreement are in race against time
geneva — Countries trying to negotiate a new global agreement on combating future pandemics began bridging their differences Monday, but they’re racing against time to seal a deal. The 194 nations in the World Health Organization are back at its Geneva headquarters for one last round of negotiations, after a two-year …
your ad hereStudy: Add timekeeping to the list of climate change victims
Not only is climate change responsible for sea level rise and extreme weather events, but a new peer-reviewed study signals it may also impact global timekeeping. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details. …
your ad hereChina set to launch high-stakes mission to moon’s ‘hidden’ side
BEIJING — China will send a robotic spacecraft in coming days on a round trip to the moon’s far side in the first of three technically demanding missions that will pave the way for an inaugural Chinese crewed landing and a base on the lunar south pole. Since the first Chang’e …
your ad hereTesla clears key regulatory hurdles for self-driving in China during Musk visit
BEIJING — Tesla has cleared some key regulatory hurdles that have long hindered it from rolling out its self-driving software in China, paving the way for a favorable result from Elon Musk’s surprise visit to the U.S. automaker’s second-largest market. Tesla CEO Musk arrived in the Chinese capital Sunday, where he …
your ad hereIran bans Egyptian TV drama on historical Islamic leader
Tehran, Iran — Iranian authorities have banned an Egyptian TV series depicting a medieval Persian figure over historical “distortions” and “a biased approach,” state media reported Sunday. “The Assassins,” or “El-Hashashin” in Arabic, recounts the story of Hassan-i Sabbah, the controversial founder of an offshoot Shiite Muslim sect known for bloody …
your ad herePrince Harry due in London, then Nigeria with Meghan
London — Prince Harry will return to Britain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games in May, before joining his wife Meghan on a visit to Nigeria, his spokesperson said Sunday. Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the United States with Meghan and their two children …
your ad hereZendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Dubai to move international airport to $35B facility in 10 years
African farmers look to the past and the future to address climate change
HARARE — From ancient fertilizer methods in Zimbabwe to new greenhouse technology in Somalia, farmers across the heavily agriculture-reliant African continent are looking to the past and future to respond to climate change. Africa, with the world’s youngest population, faces the worst effects of a warming planet while contributing the least …
your ad herePope visits Venice to speak to artists, inmates behind Biennale’s must-see prison show
VENICE, Italy — Venice has always been a place of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to produce an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a place that prides itself on its culture of unusual encounters, Pope …
your ad hereUkrainian duo heads to the Eurovision Song Contest
KYIV, Ukraine — Even amid war, Ukraine finds time for the glittery, pop-filled Eurovision Song Contest. Perhaps now even more than ever. Ukraine’s entrants in the pan-continental music competition — the female duo of rapper alyona alyona and singer Jerry Heil — set off from Kyiv for the competition Thursday. In …
your ad hereClimate change is bringing malaria to new areas. In Africa, it never left
LAGOS, Nigeria — When a small number of cases of locally transmitted malaria were found in the United States last year, it was a reminder that climate change is reviving or migrating the threat of some diseases. But across the African continent malaria has never left, killing or sickening millions of …
your ad hereInstagram, YouTube, smaller rivals likely to get boost from TikTok ban
Long lines, frustration grow as Cuba runs short of cash
HAVANA — Alejandro Fonseca stood in line for several hours outside a bank in Havana hoping to withdraw Cuban pesos from an ATM, but when it was almost his turn, the cash ran out. He angrily hopped on his electric tricycle and traveled several kilometers to another branch, where he finally …
your ad hereGeorgia to host development summit; climate change, aging on agenda
SYDNEY — The Asian Development Bank holds its annual meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, next week, with discussions on climate change and the world’s aging population high on the agenda. The four-day summit, starting Thursday, marks the first time that the ADB’s 68 members have gathered for a meeting in Georgia, which …
your ad hereOlympic chief backs world doping body over positive Chinese tests
Lausanne, Switzerland — The head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has backed the World Anti-Doping Agency in a row over its handling of positive drug tests by 23 Chinese swimmers. “We have full confidence in WADA and the regulations and that WADA have followed their regulations,” Bach told AFP …
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