little rock, arkansas — Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state. Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed the lawsuit in state court, accusing them of violating the state’s deceptive trade …
your ad hereDikembe Mutombo, Hall of Fame basketball player and tireless advocate, dies at 58 from brain cancer
Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88
Los Angeles — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died. Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, family spokesperson Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88. McFarland said …
your ad hereStuck NASA astronauts welcome SpaceX capsule to bring them home next year
Cape Canaveral, Florida — The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday’s arrival of a SpaceX capsule. SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with a downsized crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni …
your ad hereCalifornia governor vetoes bill to create first-in-nation AI safety measures
Sacramento, California — California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a landmark bill aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial intelligence models Sunday. The decision is a major blow to efforts attempting to rein in the homegrown industry that is rapidly evolving with little oversight. The bill would have established some …
your ad here‘Megalopolis’ flops, ‘The Wild Robot’ soars at box office
New York — Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making, self-financed epic “Megalopolis” flopped with moviegoers, while the acclaimed DreamWorks Animation family film “The Wild Robot” soared to No. 1 at the weekend box office. “The Wild Robot,” Chris Sanders’ adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestseller, outperformed expectations to launch with $35 million in ticket …
your ad hereFrigid alien planet may offer a glimpse at Earth’s distant future
WASHINGTON — The first rocky planet ever spotted orbiting a burned out star called a white dwarf offers a glimpse of what may be in store for Earth billions of years from now — showing it is possible our planet might survive the death of the sun, albeit as a cold …
your ad hereUS suicides in 2023 still at highest level in nation’s history, says data
new york — U.S. suicides last year remained at about the highest level in the nation’s history, preliminary data suggests. A little more than 49,300 suicide deaths were reported in 2023, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number that could grow a little as …
your ad hereAlcohol-free beer is gaining popularity, even at Oktoberfest
MUNICH — The head brewmaster for Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery, has a secret: He really likes alcohol-free beer. Even though he’s quick to say he obviously enjoys real beer more, Tobias Zollo says he savors alcohol-free beer when he’s working or eating lunch. It has the same taste but fewer …
your ad hereIn US, it’s time to roll up sleeves for new COVID, flu shots
WASHINGTON — Fall means it’s time for just about everybody to get up to date on their flu and COVID-19 vaccines – and a lot of older adults also need protection against another risky winter virus, RSV. Yes, you can get your flu and COVID-19 shots at the same time. Don’t …
your ad hereSpaceX launches rescue mission for 2 NASA astronauts stranded in space
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station on Saturday, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year. The capsule rocketed into orbit to fetch the test pilots whose Boeing spacecraft returned to Earth …
your ad hereMarburg virus kills 6 in Rwanda, health minister says
KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda has confirmed six deaths and 20 cases of Marburg disease, the country’s health minister Sabin Nsanzimana said late on Saturday. The majority of victims are health workers in the intensive care unit, Nsanzimana said in a video statement posted on X. “We are counting 20 people who …
your ad hereUS town divided by factory deal as candidates compete to be toughest on China
In the American Midwest, a local fight over a Chinese electric vehicle battery factory reflects broader controversy over Chinese investments in the U.S. VOA’s Calla Yu reports on how the issue of U.S.-China competition is playing out in a small city in Michigan during this year’s U.S. presidential election. Videographer: …
your ad hereDozens dead, millions without power after Helene’s march across southeastern US
PERRY, Florida — Hurricane Helene caused dozens of deaths and billions of dollars of destruction across a wide swath of the southeastern United States, and more than 3 million customers went into the weekend without power and, for some, a continued threat of floods. Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend …
your ad hereCambodia’s new canal could boost trade but risks harming key river
PREK TAKEO, Cambodia — The Mekong River is a lifeline for millions in the six countries it traverses on its way from its headwaters to the sea, sustaining the world’s largest inland fishery and abundant rice paddies on Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Cambodia’s plan to build a massive canal linking the Mekong …
your ad hereHalloween superfans see the culture catching up to them
Nearly 1 in 10 Americans report they are severely obese, says study
Brazil imposes new fine, demands payments before letting X resume
SAO PAULO/BRASILIA BRAZIL — Brazil’s Supreme Court said on Friday that social platform X still needs to pay just over $5 million in pending fines, including a new one, before it will be allowed to resume its service in the country, according to a court document. Earlier this week, the Elon …
your ad here‘Downton Abbey’ colleagues, fellow actors mourn death of Maggie Smith
African leaders at UN warn against dwindling malaria funding
Abuja, Nigeria — Leaders in Africa say the fight against malaria on the continent is facing significant funding gaps due to the ongoing global financial crisis and the impact of climate change. African leaders this week met in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and called …
your ad hereZimbabwe currency plunges after central bank move to allow more flexibility
Harare, Zimbabwe — The value of Zimbabwe’s gold-backed currency plunged 44% Friday on the official market. The sudden drop of the gold backed currency, known as ZiG, began Friday shortly after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s monetary committee met and bank governor John Mushayavanhu said that after looking at “the recent …
your ad hereWomen’s choir promotes Ukrainian culture in Brussels
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Yuliia Lebedynska moved to Brussels with her daughter and granddaughter. She was an entrepreneur in Ukraine but in Belgium, she found herself in a Ukrainian women’s choir. Valentina Vasileva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: David Gogokhia …
your ad hereHurricane Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida
Report: US health authorities need to play larger role in cannabis policy
Push for renewable energy sparks new environmental worries
According to the International Energy Agency, the world now invests almost twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels. But with that shift comes environmental risks related to the mining of critical minerals. VOA’s Jessica Stone looks at how nations are navigating the environmental challenges of …
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