Around a third of Japanese now back holding the Olympics, up from just 14 percent last month, a new poll showed Monday, though a majority still prefer cancellation or postponement because of the pandemic. The poll reinforces other recent surveys that suggest opposition to Tokyo 2020 is softening slightly, just over a month before the July…
Spain’s Jon Rahm Wins US Open to Claim First Major Title
From a significant disappointment earlier in the month, Jon Rahm of Spain told himself that something good would come from that. It sure didn’t take long for that to unfold for one of the world’s emerging golf stars. Rahm shot 4-under-par 67 in the final round of the U.S. Open to cap a remarkable turnaround from two weeks ago and…
Russian-Estonian Film ‘Minsk’ Examines 2020 Crackdown in Belarus
A Russian-Estonian film ‘Minsk’ looks at the Belarus government’s crackdown on protesters in August 2020. The movie – all 90 minutes of it – was filmed in one shot and will be released in time for the one-year anniversary of the brutal events. Iryna Solomko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Iryna Solomko …
NZ Weightlifter to Become First Transgender Athlete to Compete at Olympics
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after being selected by New Zealand for the women’s event at the Tokyo Games, a decision set to test the ideal of fair competition in sport.Hubbard will compete in the super-heavyweight 87-kg category, her selection made possible by updated qualifying requirements.The…
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 …
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…
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…
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…