A court in central Russia on Sunday arraigned a suspect on murder charges in the death of an American woman who was studying at a local university.The body of 34-year-old Catherine Serou was found Saturday in a wooded area near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Moscow. She had been…
Women’s College Sports Get Boost in TV Ratings, Visibility
Odicci Alexander became an overnight sensation at the Women’s College World Series.James Madison’s dynamic, endearingly humble pitcher was well-known among die-hard softball fans, but she introduced herself to a national audience by throwing a complete game to help her unseeded squad stun tournament favorite Oklahoma in the opening game earlier this month. She threw another…
Beyond ‘In the Heights,’ Colorism Persists, Rarely Addressed
Every year, Hollywood inevitably comes under criticism for its lack of racial diversity. But another lesser-known yet still pervasive problem also resurfaces: the lack of diversity in skin tone.It happened again with “In the Heights,” a big-budget film based on the musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which was called out this week for its dearth…
Jersey City Holds Its First Mural Festival – and It’s an Explosion of Color
More than 50 walls, over 27,000 square meters of wall space, dozens of artists and tons of paint. It’s all part of the Jersey City Mural Festival in the US state of New Jersey. Maxim Avloshenko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Maxim Avloshenko …
Athletes Abused by Late Doctor Demand U-Michigan Probe
Former athletes on Wednesday urged the University of Michigan’s governing board to launch a full investigation of sexual abuse committed by a late doctor and how the school failed to stop him during his decades on campus.Standing near the school’s historic football stadium, they said a May report that detailed numerous complaints about Robert Anderson…
Loan Relief Granted to Defrauded For-profit College Students
The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it’s erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates’ success in finding jobs.The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after…
Osaka, Nadal Both Out for Wimbledon; She’ll Go to Olympics
Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal are sitting out Wimbledon, leaving the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament without two of the sport’s biggest stars as it returns after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.Osaka’s agent, Stuart Duguid, wrote Thursday in an email that the four-time Grand Slam champion does plan to head to…
Rafael Nadal Pulls Out of Wimbledon, Tokyo Olympics
Spain’s Rafael Nadal will not play at Wimbledon or at the Tokyo Olympics, saying Thursday he has decided to skip the two tournaments after “listening” to his body.Nadal, who reached the French Open semifinals this month but lost to Novak Djokovic, won the title at Wimbledon twice. He also won the Olympic gold medal in…
Did Soccer Superstar Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola Snub Cost Company $4 Billion?
Did a small gesture by soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo really cause Coca-Cola to lose $4 billion?It’s hard to say. In a Monday press conference ahead of Portugal’s Tuesday match with Hungary in the Euro 2020 tournament, the Portuguese striker sat down at the microphone and moved two bottles of Coca-Cola away from him and lifted…
Rita Moreno Discusses Finding Self-Worth and Never Giving Up
Rita Moreno emigrated with her mother from Puerto Rico at age five. By six, she was dancing at Greenwich Village nightclubs. By 16, she was working full time. By 20, she was performing in “Singin’ in the Rain.””I can’t think of anyone I’ve ever met in the business who lived the American dream more than…
Tree to Table: Cicadas Make for Culinary Adventure at DC Restaurant
Parts of the United States are being invaded by a mass brood of cicadas that emerges from the ground once every 17 years. For most people the noisy insects are a nuisance, but for others, they’re a meal. VOA’s Alam Burnahan has details in this story narrated by Irfan Ihsan. Camera: Alam Burhanan, Irfan Ihsan,…
Syrian Refugees in Somalia Enrich Culture, Contribute to Economy
Since the war in Syria broke out a decade ago, refugees have fled to countries in the Middle East and Europe as well as to countries in Africa that face instability, like Somalia. And, as Mohamed Sheikh Nor reports from Mogadishu, Somali officials say Syrian refugees are enriching the host nation culturally and economically.Camera: Mohamed…
US Universities Express Confidence About Return of Foreign Students
An overwhelming majority—86%—of U.S. colleges, universities and other learning programs for higher education plan to bring international students back to campus to study in person in fall 2021. “Universities are prepping for a strong recovery in international education enrollment as they emerge from the pandemic,” said Mirka Martel, head of research for the…
New Robot ‘Mayflower’ Ship Begins Voyage Recreating Original Route
A fully autonomous ship named for the Mayflower, the ship that sailed to what is now the eastern U.S. state of Massachusetts, left Plymouth Harbor in southwestern Britain Tuesday to retrace the original’s 5,000-kilometer voyage.If successful, the 15-meter Mayflower 400 would be the largest autonomous vessel to cross the Atlantic. The $1.3 million ship was…
Muslim School for Transgender Women Provides Religious Studies and Safe Space
Sexual and gender minorities continue to suffer discrimination and harassment around the world. But in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, some transgender women are finding solace in religious teachings, as reported by VOA’s Rendy Wicaksana.Camera: Rendy Wicaksana …
Pretrial Hearings Begin in Soccer Legend Maradona’s Death
An Argentine prosecutor began hearing evidence on Monday involving seven people accused of contributing to the death of soccer player Diego Maradona. Maradona, the revered former Boca Juniors and Napoli star who was addicted to alcohol and drugs for many years, died Nov. 25, 2020, from heart failure at age 60 after undergoing brain surgery earlier that month. A medical board formally appointed…
Lochte Fails to Advance in 200 Free Prelims at US Trials
Olympic champion Ryan Lochte failed to advance from the preliminaries of the 200-meter freestyle on Monday, his first event of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.The 36-year-old Lochte, attempting to make his fifth Olympic team, posted a time of 1 minute, 49.23 seconds — only good enough for 25th place overall.The top 16 advanced to the…
US Supreme Court Seeks Biden Views on Harvard Admissions Dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden’s administration to give its views on whether the justices should hear a challenge to Harvard University’s consideration of race in undergraduate student admissions. The case, should it be taken up by the court, would give the court’s conservative majority a chance to end affirmative action…
Wasabi The Pekingese Named Westminster’s ‘Best in Show’
The Westminster Dog Show crowned a Pekingese named Wasabi its “Best in Show” Sunday, in the culmination of a reworked pandemic edition of the competition missing its usual pooch-loving crowds. Normally held in February, the show was delayed and moved from its home in the heart of New York City to a country estate…
COVID-19 Threatens Cambodian Dance Troupe’s Sacred Identity
For 14 years, a Khmer classical dance troupe in northern Cambodia has distinguished itself with its embrace of spirituality. But the impact of the coronavirus pandemic may end the troupe’s livelihood and spiritual identity, as VOA’s Chetra Chap reports. …
American Actor Ned Beatty Dies at 83
Ned Beatty, the indelible character actor whose first film role as a genial vacationer raped by a backwoodsman in 1972’s “Deliverance” launched him on a long, prolific and accomplished career, has died. He was 83.Beatty’s manager, Deborah Miller, said Beatty died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by friends and…
Djokovic Wins French Open, Clinching 19th Grand Slam
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic defeated Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas Sunday in the French Open final, clinching his 19th Grand Slam win 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. “I want to thank my team, my box, my family, my coach,” Djokovic said after his win, acknowledging that while the game was “physically and mentally very difficult”…
In US, Pride Month Festivities Muted by Political Setbacks
It’s Pride Month, and gay Americans should have a lot to celebrate: A new president who has pledged to advocate for LGBTQ people, an easing of a pandemic that has disrupted their communal activism, and increasing public acceptance of their basic rights, including record-high support for same-sex marriage. Instead, the mood is somewhat bleak. Congress has…
Hong Kong Censors to Vet Films for National Security Breaches
Hong Kong censors are to vet all films for national security breaches under expanded powers announced on Friday, in the latest blow to the financial hub’s political and artistic freedoms.Authorities in semi-autonomous Hong Kong have embarked on a sweeping crackdown to root out Beijing’s critics after huge and often violent democracy protests convulsed the city…
Some Chinese Provinces Suspend College Mergers After Student Protests
Education authorities in China’s eastern Jiangsu province have suspended a plan to merge independent colleges with vocational institutes after student protests led to a violent confrontation with the police.Such protests are rare in China because authorities tightly control mass movements to maintain social stability.The Jiangsu students attending independent colleges, and their parents, see the merger…
European Soccer Championship Begins Friday After 1-Year Delay
The first match of soccer’s European championship gets underway Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with Turkey taking on Italy.The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship was postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic that brought many of the world’s activities to a halt.It is notable that Friday’s opening match will be played…
The Unanswered ‘Jeopardy!’ Question: Who’s the New Host?
Jeopardy! needed a host, and Lucille Ball had an enthusiastic suggestion for creator Merv Griffin: The smooth-voiced, debonair emcee of the High Rollers game show.That was 1984. Decades later, filling the void left by the late Alex Trebek involves sophisticated research and a parade of guest hosts doing their best to impress viewers and the…
UEFA Orders Change to Ukraine Football Jersey
Soccer’s governing body in Europe, UEFA, ruled Thursday that Ukraine can keep a map that includes Crimea on its jerseys, but must remove part of a slogan that it said has military connotations. Russia had filed complaints with UEFA about the jersey that Ukraine will wear at the 24-nation European Championships that begin Friday.…