The Kennedy Center Honors will return in December with a class that includes Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, “Saturday Night Live” mastermind Lorne Michaels and actress-singer Bette Midler. Organizers expect to operate at full capacity, after last year’s ceremony was delayed for months and later conducted under COVID-19 restrictions. This …
Hong Kong Police Arrest Another Apple Daily Editor Under Security Law
A former senior editor of Hong Kong’s shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was arrested by national security police on Wednesday morning. A police source told AFP that former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung had been detained. In a statement, police said they had arrested a 51-year-old former newspaper editor for “collusion with foreign forces,” a national …
Billionaire Bezos Makes Successful Suborbital Trip
Space company Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rocketed to space Tuesday, with the world’s oldest and youngest people to ever fly in space in tow. Bezos’ flight follows last week’s suborbital jaunt by Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson. The two billionaires are further ushering in an era of space tourism and …
RefuSHE Helps Kenya’s Female Refugees During Pandemic
Female refugees are among the most vulnerable to losing out on education, a problem made worse by the coronavirus pandemic. To combat the challenge, U.S.-funded aid group RefuSHE offers learning programs for refugee women and girls in Kenya. Brenda Mulinya reports from Nairobi. Camera: Amos Wangwa …
Belarus Opposition Leader Urges US Pressure on Lukashenko
Belarus’ main opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is calling on the United States to put more pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko’s government. Tsikhanouskaya took her appeal directly to Biden administration officials on Monday as she met in Washington with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and others. “I thanked him for …
US Considering Ways to Aid Cubans
The United States is examining potential ways to aid the people of Cuba following anti-government protests this month that were the biggest on the island nation in decades. Senior administration officials who spoke to news agencies on the condition of anonymity said the steps under consideration include changes to remittances …
Ethiopian Police Reject Claims of Arbitrary Tigrayan Arrests
Ethiopian police have confirmed the arrest of hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans in the capital Addis Ababa in recent weeks. The police said they were supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which authorities banned after the Tigray conflict broke out in November. But rights group Amnesty International says dozens were …
VOA Connect Episode 183, Finding Yourself (no captions)
From a survivor or Khmer atrocities to a woman rekindling her faith after a devastating accident, we meet people who are on soul searching journeys (previously aired material) …
England Lifts COVID Restrictions
Monday is Freedom Day in England. The day has received the moniker because all social restrictions, like mask wearing and maintaining social distancing, that have been imposed to fight against COVID-19 have been lifted. The reversal of the restrictions happens amid a rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations in England, largely driven by the delta variant of the virus. Freedom Day is also …
Japan-South Korea Summit in Doubt after Japanese Diplomat’s Remarks
A potential summit between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in later this week in Tokyo has been thrown into doubt after a Japanese diplomat made inappropriate comments about the South Korean leader. Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported Monday the two leaders would meet Friday in the Japanese capital …
As QAnon Strains Relationships, Loved Ones Try to Show a Way Out
In January, a woman calling herself Caroline — her name is changed for her safety — told WOI-DT in Iowa that she was married to a QAnon believer and lived in fear. “QAnon has destroyed my life,” she said. “I live with someone who hates me.” In May, a Reddit …
Chaos in the Caribbean: Roots of Haitian and Cuban Crises
Professor William LeoGrande, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs in the Department of Government at the American University, and Professor of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, Eduardo Gamarra, analyze with host Carol Castiel the roots and ramifications of twin crises in the Caribbean: the assassination of Haiti’s …
1st Female Sailor Completes Navy Special Warfare Training
For the first time, a female sailor has successfully completed the grueling 37-week training course to become a Naval Special Warfare combatant-craft crewman — the boat operators who transport Navy SEALs and conduct their own classified missions at sea. Navy officials said they would not identify the woman or provide …
US Politicians Battle over Voting Rights Legislation
Issues in the News moderator Kim Lewis talks with VOA Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson and correspondent for Marketplace Kimberly Adams about the ongoing battle between Democrats and Republicans over voting rights legislation, what’s next after Senate Democrats agree to a $3.5 trillion human infrastructure package, the impact of the crises …
US Politicians Battle over Voting Rights Legislation
Issues in the News moderator Kim Lewis talks with VOA Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson and correspondent for Marketplace Kimberly Adams about the ongoing battle between Democrats and Republicans over voting rights legislation, what’s next after Senate Democrats agree to a $3.5 trillion human infrastructure package, the impact of the crises …
‘Persians of Israel’ Defy Iran Tensions to Cultivate Dialogue with Iranians
Amid long-standing and deepening tensions between Israel and Iran, some prominent Israelis with Persian roots have engaged in little-publicized contacts with Iran’s people and advocated for reviving the historic friendship between the two Mideast powers. These Israelis are part of the world’s only Persian diaspora community located in a country …
Australia Called ‘Easy’ Target for Hackers
Australian cybersecurity experts are calling for more aggressive government action to protect businesses from ransomware attacks. Experts have warned a “tsunami of cybercrime” has cost the global economy about $743 billion. Big companies can be attractive targets for cybercriminals who can extort millions of dollars after stealing sensitive commercial information. …