African film, TV event draws big names, big dreams, big business
MIP Africa — an event that matches African film and TV creatives to the people and countries that produce their work, wrapped up last week [Sept. 4] with several signed
Read MoreFamily keeps up Beirut dessert tradition
Beirut — At a shop nestled in a busy, crowded Beirut district, Hasan El-Makary is weighing out containers of warm, fragrant mufataka, a traditional sweet in the Lebanese capital that is
Read MoreDrought forces Kenya’s Maasai, other cattle herders to consider fish, camels
KAJIADO, Kenya — The blood, milk and meat of cattle have long been staple foods for Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, perhaps the country’s most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing
Read MorePakistan hasn’t learned lessons from 2022 deadly floods, experts say
ISLAMABAD — Millions of people in Pakistan continue to live along the path of floodwaters, showing neither people nor the government have learned lessons from the 2022 devastating floods that killed
Read MoreBelarusian Sabalenka defeats America’s Pegula to win US Open women’s title
NEW YORK — Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka beat American sixth seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday. Sabalenka blocked out the wild cheers of the home
Read MoreAlmodovar’s ‘The Room Next Door’ triumphs at Venice Festival
VENICE, ITALY — Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s first English-language movie “The Room Next Door,” which tackles the hefty themes of euthanasia and climate change, won the prestigious Golden Lion award at
Read MoreBack in business: Bookstore forced to close in China reopens in Washington
Six years after Jifeng Bookstore was forced to close its doors in Shanghai, the shop has reopened in Washington to bring debate and literature to a new audience. Liam Scott
Read MoreNew polio strain threatens setback to eradication in Nigeria
ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigeria’s difficult victory over polio faces a challenge as the poliovirus type 2 variant reemerges and the nation considers new measures to tackle the outbreak. Nigeria eradicated wild
Read MoreSergio Mendes, Grammy-winning Brazilian music legend, dies at 83
RIO DE JANEIRO — Sergio Mendes, the celebrated Brazilian musician whose 1966 hit “Mas Que Nada” made him a global superstar and helped launch a long, Grammy-winning career, has died after
Read MoreSome Zimbabweans worry about nation’s continued reliance on coal
Zimbabwe’s heavy reliance on coal-based energy is hurting the health of people in mining regions who continue to be exposed to dirty air from coal burning. Columbus Mavhunga visited the
Read MoreIn the US, music cassette tapes are making a comeback
Music cassette tapes are making a comeback in the U.S, with more than 430,000 sold in 2023 – about five times the number sold just a decade ago. Cassette tapes
Read MoreTribes celebrate removal of dam, revival of community along Klamath River
For more than a century, dams have blocked fish migration on California’s second-largest river. VOA’s Matt Dibble takes us to the removal of the last of four dams, a victory
Read MoreNASA astronauts stuck in space with nowhere to go … for now
A trip that should have lasted just over a week spirals into a roughly eight-month adventure. Plus, a pioneering teacher memorialized in bronze. And a robot proves its purpose by
Read MoreFemale genital mutilation continues to endanger girls, women in Somalia
Despite global efforts to stop the practice of female genital mutilation, the harmful tradition continues to affect the lives and health of millions of women and girls in Somalia. Reporter
Read MoreBritain halts criminal proceedings against movie producer Weinstein
LONDON — Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein won’t face charges of indecent assault in Britain, prosecutors announced on Thursday. The Crown Prosecution Service, which in 2022 authorized two charges of indecent
Read MoreFirst mpox vaccines due in DR Congo on Thursday
Kinshasa, Congo — The first delivery of almost 100,000 doses of mpox vaccines will arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, the African Union’s health watchdog said. The vast
Read MoreEmpty capsule to return to Earth soon; 2 astronauts will stay behind
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Boeing will attempt to return its problem-plagued capsule from the International Space Station later this week — with empty seats. NASA said Wednesday that everything is on
Read MoreFrom jobs to food, Houston is most diverse large city in the US
When people think about the US state of Texas, they often think of cowboys in big hats and pointy-toed boots. But Texas is more than that. A study found that
Read MoreK-pop documentary looks at how industry embraces diversity
SEOUL, South Korea — An Apple TV+ documentary series, “K-pop Idols,” premiering Friday, offers an intimate look at how the K-pop industry is embracing diversity while grappling with challenges in a
Read MoreStranger who offered to pay for sewing classes saved his life
New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world, but the industry has made fewer strides in advancing and promoting minorities. In the uptown neighborhood of Harlem, a
Read MoreParty of one: US restaurants cater to growing number of solo diners
NEW YORK — Parisa Imanirad, a scientist and cancer researcher from San Francisco, is married and has a wide circle of friends. But once or twice a week, she goes to
Read MoreAustralian researchers plan new generation of biodegradable plastic
SYDNEY — Global concerns over plastic pollution and cuts to fossil fuel use are behind a new Australian-led initiative to develop a new generation of 100 percent compostable plastic. Experts estimate
Read MoreAt US theme parks, Halloween celebrations start in summer
los angeles, california — Halloween has arrived earlier than ever at major U.S. theme parks, as operators such as Disney, Six Flags, and Universal Studios seek to expand their reach and
Read MoreExperts blame Africa’s mpox outbreaks on neglect, world’s inability to stop epidemics
LONDON — The growing mpox outbreaks in Africa that triggered the World Health Organization’s emergency declaration are largely the result of decades of neglect and the global community’s inability to stop
Read MoreGeorge Clooney, Brad Pitt disappointed their new film skips cinemas
Venice, Italy — Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Brad Pitt admit they are disappointed their latest comedy “Wolfs” is not getting a broad cinema release and instead heading almost straight onto
Read MoreHealth authorities begin large-scale polio vaccinations in war-ravaged Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian health authorities and United Nations agencies on Sunday began a large-scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip, hoping to prevent an outbreak
Read MoreBird species extinct in Europe returns, and humans must help it migrate
PATERZELL, Germany — How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly? The distinctive northern bald ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding
Read MorePickleball picks away at American tennis
New York — Does American tennis have a pickleball problem? Even as the U.S. Open opened this week with more than a million fans expected for the sport’s biggest showcase, the
Read MoreIn Malawi, a budding musician defies old age, discrimination
Blantyre, Malawi — A 72-year-old woman has shot to music stardom in Malawi, challenging societal norms in a country where elderly people are often abused, tortured or even killed over false
Read MoreDoctor who helped Agent Orange victims wins Magsaysay Award
MANILA, Philippines — A Vietnamese doctor who has helped seek justice for victims of the powerful defoliant dioxin “Agent Orange” used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War is among this
Read MoreFloods in Nigeria kill scores, wash away farmland, raise hunger concerns
ABUJA, Nigeria — Weeks of flooding have killed 185 people in Nigeria and washed away homes and farmlands, the country’s disaster management agency said, further threatening food supplies, especially in the
Read MoreAfrica’s mpox outbreaks could be stopped in 6 months, WHO chief says
geneva — The head of the World Health Organization believes mpox outbreaks in Africa might be stopped in the next six months, and he said Friday that the agency’s first shipment
Read MoreWasn’t polio wiped out? Why it is still a problem in some countries
LONDON — Polio was eliminated from most parts of the world as part of a decadeslong effort by the World Health Organization and partners to wipe out the disease. But polio
Read MorePalestinian TikTok star dies in Israeli airstrike
CAIRO — It was another day of war in Gaza, another day of what 19-year-old Palestinian TikTok star Medo Halimy called his “Tent Life.” As he often did in videos documenting
Read MoreSouth Africans line up for medical care during Chinese hospital ship stop
China’s naval hospital ship, called the Peace Ark, is on a 13-nation tour of mostly African countries to provide free health care for locals. Over the past week, it was
Read MoreIsrael gives go-ahead for Gaza polio vaccination campaign
Geneva — World Health Organization officials say Israel has given United Nations agencies the go-ahead to start inoculating hundreds of thousands of young Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip against polio.
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