Race and the Royals: Meghan and Harry Interview Plunges Palace into Crisis

Britain’s royal family was plunged into crisis Monday, a day after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, known popularly as Harry and Meghan, said in an interview that a royal had raised concerns about the color of son Archie’s skin and that the child would not be made a prince. “So, we have in tandem the…

Annual Award Recognizes Courageous Women 

International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements and highlights issues of women’s rights. To mark the occasion Monday, the U.S. State Department presented the International Women of Courage Award, and VOA spoke with a recipient.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has this report.Camera:  AP/REUTERS/SKYPE Produced by: Arash Arabasadi …

Tibetan Teens Reportedly Jailed for Breaking WeChat Ban 

Three Tibetan teenagers are missing and one is hospitalized with two broken legs after reportedly failing to register a WeChat text group chat with local authorities, according to a Tibetan advocacy group.   The teens, who have been named as Dadul, Sangye Tso and Kansi, live in the eastern area of Tibet governed as the Qinghai Province…

Biden to Sign Executive Orders on Equity, Campus Sexual Assault Policies on International Women’s Day  

President Joe Biden is signing two executive orders Monday to create a Gender Policy Council and review Trump-era changes to college campus sexual assault policies. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Julissa Reynoso watch as Executive Director of the Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein delivers remarks during a…

Malala Takes Her Passions to the Small Screen with Apple

Malala Yousafzai is a Nobel laureate known around the world for her activism, but she’s also a cartoon fan, and is taking her love of television and film to Apple TV+.   Yousafzai, 23, who graduated from Oxford last June, announced Monday that she has partnered with Apple in a multi-year deal to develop dramas,…

Meghan Accuses UK Royals of Racism, Says She Was Suicidal

Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, accused Britain’s royal family of raising concerns about how dark their son’s skin might be and pushing her to the brink of suicide, in a tell-all television interview that could send shockwaves through the monarchy.The 39-year-old, whose mother is Black and father is white, said she had been naive…

Royal Row Reaches a Head as Harry and Meghan Speak to Oprah

Britain’s royal family on Sunday braced for further revelations from Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, as a week of transatlantic claim and counter-claim reaches a climax with the broadcast of their interview with Oprah Winfrey.The two-hour chat with the U.S. chat show queen is the biggest royal interview since Harry’s mother princess Diana…

Food Waste Problem Needs Better Data: UN Report

A lot of food is wasted around the world, and the United Nations says it needs better data to determine just how much.     Citing the environmental impact of food production, the U.N. says understanding the scope of food waste is crucial.   Despite the lack of data, the U.N. estimates in its report…

Meghan Markle, Ahead of Oprah Interview, Says She’s ‘Ready to Talk’

Meghan Markle, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, says she is now “ready to talk” along with husband Prince Harry, ahead of a highly anticipated weekend airing of an interview with Oprah Winfrey.Markle credits her newfound freedom for opening up about the limitations put on her by the royal family and her appreciation for making her own…

Why Students Go Dark in Zoom Classes  

Peering out into the void of online learning, both teachers and students often face a virtual classroom of black squares and static photos of classmates.  Two Cornell University instructors have discovered that most students don’t like to appear on video during online classes because they are concerned about how they look. Mark Sarvary and Frank Castelli…

Scientists Push Back on DOJ Charges Against Harvard Professor

Forty academics have signed a letter in support of a Harvard University professor being prosecuted by the U.S. government on charges he lied about his connections with the Chinese government. Seven Nobel Prize winners are among the dozens of scientists asking why the university is not defending Charles Lieber against the charges.In our open letter, we…

At Least 7 Bolivian Students Dead After University Railing Collapse

Bolivia’s special crime unit is investigating the circumstances of the death of at least seven students, who fell from their fourth-floor university building after a metal railing collapsed. Five other students were seriously injured in Tuesday’s incident at the El Alto University near the capital, La Paz. Video footage prior the incident showed a crowd of students…

Senate Confirms Cardona as Biden’s Education Secretary

The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote.He takes charge of the Education Department…

Hate Crimes Targeting Asian Americans Spiked by 150% in Major US Cities

Hate-fueled attacks on Asian Americans spiked across major U.S. cities last year — in some cases by triple-digit percentages — even as overall hate crimes declined, newly analyzed police department statistics show.Moreover, the alarming trend has continued into this year, experts say.There were 122 incidents of anti-Asian American hate crimes in 16 of the country’s most…

International Student Enrollment in US Takes Hit

After big economic hits to the U.S. higher education sector over the past few years, experts say recruiting international students will be crucial to the industry’s recovery.International student enrollment in U.S. universities has stalled and retreated in the past three years because of high costs, barriers to immigration and employment pathways, political rhetoric and perceived…

Detroit Man Freed From Prison With Help of Student Reporters

On February 18, Kenneth Nixon walked out of a Michigan state prison and into his mother’s arms for the first time in more than 15 years.The reunion was bittersweet: Sentenced to life without parole at age 19, Nixon spent his twenties fighting to overturn a double-murder conviction for a crime he says he did not commit.In…

Beijing Investment in Laos Sparks Chinese-Language Learning Boom

A Chinese language education boom is underway in Laos as Beijing’s increasing investments in the Southeast Asian country point to a future where Chinese companies dominate local commerce, sources in Laos told RFA.Chinese investment in Laos was a mere 1.5% of its total foreign direct investment in 2003, but Beijing accounted for 79% of FDI…

Federal Aid Offered to Some International Students

International students are not often eligible for federal student aid, and typically pay full tuition and fees for their college and university education that can cost more than $100,000 a year.  “The fact that I most likely will not be able to go to university because only two of the ones I’m applying to offer financial aid…

Chinese, Indian Students Make Up Half of Foreign Students in US

Students from China and India comprise half of all international students in the U.S., propelled by increased wealth in those countries and drawn by potential employment in America, education and immigration experts told VOA.“The ratios are due largely to external demographic, geopolitical, and economic factors,” said Rachel Banks, senior director of public policy and legislative…

Harassment Cases Revive Worries of Racism at Boston College

Students are demanding a stronger response from Boston College after two recent cases in which white students were accused of harassing Black and Hispanic students in a campus dorm. The incidents, which took place three days apart, have revived longstanding concerns about racism on a campus where most students are white and just 4% are…

Anxiety Lurks Behind Coronavirus Pandemic for Many Under 30 

Pushed to the back of Gen Z anxieties by the COVID-19 pandemic, a looming stressor for many people younger than 30 remains climate change, say experts.    “Natural disasters precipitated by climate change, including hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires, and floods can lead to … increased rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health disorders,”…

American University Hopes to Fill Higher-Ed Gap in Iraq

From afar, the sprawling complex of the newly inaugurated American University in Baghdad appears like a floating mirage.  Encircled by blue waters of a human-made lake, former Saddam Hussein-era palaces have been converted to university departments promising a U.S.-style education to meet the needs of Iraq’s growing youth.  Higher education has lagged in Iraq since…

College Students Among Last on List for COVID Vaccines

College and university students are low on the list to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to recent estimates.Unless students are classified as essential workers — such as medical, nursing, medtech or student teachers — or have a health condition — such as human immunodeficiency virus or cancer — they are not likely to receive the COVID-19…

Columbia Scholarship Paves Path for Refugees

Columbia University in New York is providing scholarships to help students who have been displaced from their homelands due to war, violence, hunger and natural disasters. For VOA, Keith Kocinski reports from New York City on one woman’s journey from refugee to student at one of America’s most prominent universities.Camera: Nick Jastrzebski & Keith Kocinski …

Canada Eases Immigration From Hong Kong

Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.Starting this month, the government will allow work permits to be granted to Hong Kong residents who have graduated from a Canadian university, or a similar school, in the last…

Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Receives More Scrutiny

Student loan forgiveness sounds like a good deal to many debtors, but since President Joe Biden suggested some form of federal student loan forgiveness, experts and debtors have been debating what that should look like. “There isn’t an American Dream anymore, especially if you went to college and had to borrow for it,” said Tracy…

Jill Biden Pushes Free Access to Community College, Training 

Jill Biden is pushing free access to community college and training programs, saying the schools will be an important part of Biden administration efforts to rebuild the economy.A longtime community college professor and advocate, the first lady said people struggling to get by during the coronavirus-induced economic slump need access to these schools.”We have to…