On Father’s Day, LGBTQ+ couple celebrates their sperm donor
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kansas — David Titterington had a sense of what his childhood friend would ask him when she led him into a photo booth at a mutual friend’s wedding roughly
Read MoreMidwives: State law could jeopardize Native Hawaiian birth traditions
HONOLULU — Ki’inaniokalani Kahoʻohanohano longed for a deeper connection to her Native Hawaiian ancestors and culture as she prepared to give birth to her first child at home on the north
Read MoreEngland wins rain-affected T20 World Cup match, must sweat on Scotland
NORTH SOUND, Antigua — England’s defense of the Twenty20 World Cup title lived on for a few more hours after a must-win over Namibia in a rain-affected match Saturday. To reach
Read MoreBrazilian women protest bill that equates late abortions with homicide
SAO PAULO — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday as protests sweep across Brazil in opposition to a bill that would further criminalize abortions. If
Read MoreDutch visitor dies on Greek island, 4 foreign tourists missing
athens, greece — A missing Dutch tourist was found dead early Saturday on the eastern Greek island of Samos, local media reported, the latest in a string of recent cases in
Read MoreWorst of rainfall that triggered Florida floods is over
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — Although more rain could trigger additional isolated Florida flooding, forecasters say the strong, persistent storms that dumped up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in southern parts of
Read MoreMuslim pilgrims converge at Mount Arafat for daylong worship
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia — Following the footsteps of prophets beneath a burning sun, Muslims from around the world congregated Saturday at a sacred hill in Saudi Arabia for intense, daylong
Read MoreReport: Highly potent opioids now show up in drug users in Africa
ABUJA, Nigeria — Traces of highly potent opioids known as nitazenes have for the first time been found to be consumed by people who use drugs in Africa, according to a
Read MoreReported birth of rare white buffalo calf fulfills Lakota prophecy
HELENA, Montana — The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the American Indian tribe
Read MoreDisease, extreme weather push up orange juice prices
MOGI GUACU, Brazil — Orange juice prices have always been volatile, falling when bumper harvests create an oversupply of oranges and rising when frost or a hurricane knocks out fruit trees.
Read MoreUS cricket team advances to second round in Twenty20 World Cup
LAUDERHILL, Florida — The United States cricket team made more history by reaching the second round in its Twenty20 World Cup debut after its last group game against Ireland was washed
Read MorePope meets 100 comedians at Vatican: ‘You also make God smile’
VATICAN CITY — Before flying to Italy’s southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on
Read MoreMuslims start Hajj against the backdrop of Israel-Hamas war
MINA, Saudi Arabia — In sweltering temperatures, Muslim pilgrims in the Saudi city of Mecca converged on a vast desert tent camp Friday, officially starting the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Earlier, they
Read MoreContraception, in-vitro fertilization become key campaign issue
The debate over the right to an abortion has divided U.S. politics for decades. But two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sending that decision back to
Read MoreIn Mecca’s sweltering heat, Muslims start this year’s Hajj pilgrimage
MINA, Saudi Arabia — In sweltering temperatures, Muslim pilgrims in Mecca converged on a vast tent camp in the desert Friday, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Ahead of their trip,
Read MoreAstronaut health and a VIP tour of Boeing’s Starliner capsule
New studies examine the effects of spaceflight on amateur astronauts. Plus, a VIP tour of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, and we remember a spaceflight pioneer. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The
Read MoreIndia beats US at cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup
WESTBURY, New York — There was no upset this time for the United States as the home team was easily beaten by cricket heavyweight India at the Twenty20 World Cup on
Read MoreKenyan group uses old ATMs to dispense free sanitary pads to students
A public-private partnership in Kenya provides female students with free sanitary napkins dispensed from converted ATMs at school. The goal is to provide pads to young women from poor families
Read MoreDespite war, surrogacy in Ukraine keeps flourishing
Before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was an international surrogacy hub. Relatively low cost and a favorable legal framework led to thousands of babies born every year thanks to Ukrainian surrogate mothers,
Read MoreAustralian-led study issues food security warning over plant breeding skills shortage
Sydney — Australia’s national science agency warns a lack of scientists specialized in plant breeding could lead to ‘dire’ food security implications around the world. Researchers say plant breeding is a
Read MoreJin, oldest member of K-pop’s BTS, finishes army service in South Korea
Seoul — Jin, the oldest member of K-pop phenomenon BTS, was discharged from South Korea’s army on Wednesday after 18 months of duty, the first member of the group to wrap
Read MoreAustralia locks down farms as avian influenza spreads
Sydney — Bird flu continues to spread in the Australian state of Victoria, where more than 500,000 chickens have been euthanized. Strict quarantine zones restricting the movement of birds and equipment
Read MoreAlzheimer’s drug that slows disease gets backing from FDA advisers
WASHINGTON — A closely watched Alzheimer’s drug from Eli Lilly won the backing of federal health advisers Monday, setting the stage for the treatment’s expected approval for people with mild dementia
Read MoreSouth Africa holds off Bangladesh, remains unbeaten in cricket’s T20 World Cup
WESTBURY, New York — Spinner Keshav Maharaj bowled a six-run, two-wicket final over and South Africa held off Bangladesh by four runs to stay unbeaten in cricket’s T20 World Cup on
Read MoreUS reconstructive surgeons step up to help Ukrainian counterparts
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West responded, sending military weaponry and aid to the embattled nation. But as the war drags on, there is also a need for doctors. One
Read MoreThousands turn out for LA Pride Parade, events
LOS ANGELES — Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Hollywood on Sunday for the L.A. Pride Parade, one of the biggest events during a month of celebrations honoring
Read More‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ boosts Will Smith’s comeback with $56M opening
New York — “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment in the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence action-comedy series, opened with an estimated $56 million in theaters over the weekend, handing Hollywood
Read MoreGrowing community of breast milk donors in Uganda gives mothers hope
KAMPALA, Uganda — Early last year, Caroline Ikendi was in distress after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section to remove one stillborn baby and save two others. Doctors said one of the
Read MoreSome US families opt to raise teens sans social media
WESTPORT, Connecticut — Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots
Read MoreMeloni joins cultural elite celebrating Italian opera’s recognition as a world treasure
VERONA, Italy — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni joined top political and cultural figures at Verona’s ancient Arena amphitheater Friday night for an open-air celebration of Italian lyric opera’s recognition by UNESCO
Read MoreUN: More aquatic animals farmed than fished in 2022
ROME — The total global volume of fish, shrimp, clams and other aquatic animals that are harvested by farming has topped the amount fished in the wild from the world’s waters
Read MoreDornoch wins the first Belmont Stakes run at Saratoga Race Course
SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York — When Luis Saez first rode Dornoch at Saratoga Race Course last summer, he told trainer Danny Gargan, “You have the Derby winner.” While that did not
Read MorePope invites comedians such as Chris Rock, Whoopie Goldberg to Vatican
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who says he regularly prays “Lord, give me a sense of humor,” will welcome comedians from around the world to a cultural event in Italy to
Read MoreUS shocks cricket world with win over powerhouse Pakistan
The United States cricket team beat Pakistan — a former world champion — on Thursday, achieving one of the biggest upsets in T20 Cricket World Cup history. This year’s tournament
Read MoreClimate crisis creates a health crisis, WHO reports
GENEVA — Scientific evidence documented in a series of articles presented by the World Health Organization this week highlights the harmful impact of climate change at key stages of the human
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