Authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, a classical pianist. The couple were found dead, along with one of their dogs, Wednesday in their home in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico. …
your ad hereChinese companies expand overseas as domestic economy stalls
WASHINGTON — On a recent cold day in February, Virginia resident Raymond Fong sat outside the Tysons Corner mall for nearly two hours on a stool he brought from home to wait in line for a taste of milk tea from a new China-based beverage business. China’s popular fruit and milk …
your ad hereSouthern Africa pushes for better energy access
GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Southern Africa energy experts and political leaders pledged to improve access to energy at a summit in Botswana this week. The commitments come as most countries in the region still rely on coal, a major contributor to global warming. More than 500 participants from 16 Southern African Development …
your ad hereIndia, EU, pledge to push free trade agreement, elevate strategic ties
New Delhi — India and the European Union agreed to wrap up a free trade deal by the end of this year, the two sides announced Friday following talks in the Indian capital between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. While negotiations between India and …
your ad hereRussian chess grandmaster Boris Spassky dies at 88
MOSCOW — Soviet chess grandmaster Boris Spassky, who was famously defeated at the height of the Cold War, has died at 88, the Russian Chess Federation announced Thursday. “The tenth world champion Boris Spassky has died at 88,” the Russian Chess Federation said in a statement on its website, calling this …
your ad hereWith $500B US investment, Apple pulling away from China, analysts say
Apple announced this week it would spend $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years and create 20,000 jobs, signaling its pro-U.S. jobs and investment policy. U.S. President Donald Trump also announced he would double tariffs on China, where most Apple products are made. Michelle Quinn reports. …
your ad hereHarsh flu season has health officials worried about brain complications in children
WASHINGTON — This year’s harsh flu season — the most intense in 15 years — has federal health officials trying to understand if it sparked an increase in a rare but life-threatening brain complication in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 19,000 people have died from the flu …
your ad hereModern-day moonshot blasts off from Earth
A public-private partnership aims for a dark landing on the moon. Plus, a look at why Mars is red, and a phenomenon known as a planetary parade. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
your ad hereAs tariffs expand, focus also on workarounds for Chinese goods
WASHINGTON — As U.S. President Donald Trump moves forward with an expanding net of tariffs, including an additional 10% for Chinese imports starting next week, industry insiders and experts say closing existing loopholes and workarounds that companies use to avoid trade taxes is also key. One practice that so far has …
your ad hereKaty Perry, Gayle King to join Blue Origin spaceflight
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — Katy Perry and Gayle King are headed to space with Jeff Bezos’ fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, and three other women. Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, announced the all-female celebrity crew on Thursday. Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, picked the crew who will join her on …
your ad hereEpic journey of bringing ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ to the screen
The first of two seasons of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude has hit the screen. Netflix is currently working on the second season of this attempt to bring the author’s sprawling masterpiece to the screen. Veronica Villafane has the story. …
your ad hereActor Gene Hackman, wife found dead at New Mexico home
Oscar-winning American actor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead Wednesday at their home in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico. Authorities said they were investigating what caused their deaths but that foul play was not suspected as a factor. Authorities said they went to the home to …
your ad hereJapan’s births fell to record low in 2024
TOKYO — The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid aging and dwindling of the population. Births were down 5% on the year, despite measures in 2023 …
your ad hereSurvey: Decline in number of US Christians is leveling off
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing, according to a new survey Wednesday from the Pew Research Center. The Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians. While a significant dip from 2007, …
your ad herePrivate company’s craft rockets toward moon in latest rush of lunar landing attempts
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — A private company launched another lunar lander Wednesday, aiming to get closer to the moon’s south pole this time with a drone that will hop into a black crater where the sun never shines. Intuitive Machines’ lander, named Athena, caught a lift with SpaceX from NASA’s Kennedy …
your ad hereWhat we know about Congo illness that has sickened 400, killed 50
KINSHASA, CONGO — Unidentified illnesses in northwestern Congo have killed more than 50 people over the past five weeks, nearly half of them within hours after they felt sick. The outbreaks in two distant villages in Congo’s Equateur province began on Jan. 21 and include 419 cases and 53 deaths. Health …
your ad hereFirst measles death reported in West Texas outbreak that’s infected more than 120 people
LUBBOCK, TEXAS — A person who was hospitalized with measles has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield confirmed the death Wednesday. It wasn’t clear the age of the patient, who died …
your ad hereUS will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu, including increasing imports of eggs, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday. A three-year bird flu outbreak in U.S. poultry has killed 166 million chickens since 2022, according to USDA data. The virus has …
your ad hereEU will ask India to cut tariffs on cars, wine to boost ties, reduce reliance on China
NEW DELHI — The European Union plans to urge India to lower its high tariffs on cars and wine to boost trade, as it seeks to reduce its reliance on China, a senior official from the bloc said, ahead of a visit by the European Commission president to New Delhi. Echoing …
your ad hereNewly discovered asteroid will bypass Earth
Earth is not in danger of being hit by an asteroid in the near future, NASA and the European Space Agency said Tuesday. The proclamations from the two agencies came after an asteroid dubbed 2024 YR4, discovered in December, had scientists speculating that it could strike Earth in December 2032. …
your ad hereUS consumer confidence drops sharply, survey shows
U.S. consumer confidence plunged in February in its biggest monthly decline in more than four years, a business research group said Tuesday. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index dropped from 105.3 in January to 98.3 this month, the largest month-to-month decline since August 2021. With U.S. consumer spending …
your ad hereUnknown illness kills over 50 in part of Congo with hours between symptoms and death
KINSHASA, DR Congo — An unknown illness has killed over 50 people in northwestern Congo, according to doctors on the ground and the World Health Organization on Monday. The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases, and “that’s what’s really worrying,” …
your ad hereTalks to protect Earth’s biodiversity resume with money topping the agenda
BOGOTA, Colombia — An annual United Nations conference on biodiversity that ran out of time last year will resume its work Tuesday in Rome with money at the top of the agenda. That is, how to spend what’s been pledged so far — and how to raise a lot more to …
your ad hereMusicians release silent album to protest UK’s AI copyright changes
LONDON — More than 1,000 musicians including Kate Bush and Cat Stevens on Tuesday released a silent album to protest proposed changes to Britain’s copyright laws which could allow tech firms to train artificial intelligence models using their work. Creative industries globally are grappling with the legal and ethical implications of …
your ad hereFederal funding freeze impacts vital agriculture sector in Wisconsin
Ongoing freezes in federal funding are impacting the U.S. agricultural industry. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from the Midwestern state of Wisconsin. …
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