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Introducing Gen Alpha: America’s newest kids
Egypt film festival showcases women’s resilience through adversity
Egypt’s eighth annual Aswan International Women Film Festival took place from April 20 to 25. This year’s focus was on the resilience of women, with Egypt’s economic turmoil and the war in neighboring Gaza as a backdrop. Cairo-based photojournalist Hamada Elrasam captured scenes around the festival in Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city known as the country’s…
Former students at for-profit Art Institutes are approved for $6 billion in loan cancellation
Amid pro-Palestinian protests, Jewish students sue Columbia University for failing to protect them
Tensions on U.S. campuses enter a new phase as a Jewish student files a proposed class action lawsuit alleging students were displaced from Columbia University because its administration could not guarantee their safety. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya has the story. …
Police detain pro-Palestinian protesters after takeover of Columbia University building
French Iranian author wins top Spanish prize for graphic novel
Barcelona, Spain — French Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel “Persepolis” tells the story of a girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran, was awarded Spain’s prestigious Princess of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanity on Tuesday. The prize jury praised the 54-year-old as “one of the most prominent names in international comics, author of what…
Florida Democrats hope abortion, marijuana issues draw young voters
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — Jordan Vassallo is lukewarm about casting her first presidential ballot for President Joe Biden in November. But when the 18-year-old senior at Jupiter High School in Florida thinks about the things she cares about, she says her vote for the Democratic incumbent is an “obvious choice.” Vassallo will be voting for…
Pro-Palestinian encampment protesters hold ground on both US coasts
Campus protests of the war in Gaza continue, despite college administrations’ warnings — and new ones are being launched. VOA Natasha Mozgovaya reports from an encampment set up Monday at the University of Washington in Seattle. …
Xavier University of New Orleans moves closer to establishing a medical school
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University, a small Catholic and historically Black school in New Orleans, formally signed an agreement Monday with Ochsner Health to establish a medical school. When it opens, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will join the nation’s four existing historically Black medical schools: Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine,…
Rolling Stones show no signs of slowing down as they begin their latest tour
houston — Time marches on and all good things must come to an end. But don’t tell that to The Rolling Stones. What many believe to be the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they kicked off their latest tour Sunday night at NRG Stadium…
Columbia suspends pro-Palestinian protesters after encampment talks stall
NEW YORK — Columbia University on Monday began suspending pro-Palestinian activists who refused to dismantle a tent encampment on its New York City campus after the Ivy League school declared a stalemate in talks seeking to end the polarizing protest. University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers…
US and Mexico drop bid to host 2027 World Cup
new york — The U.S. Soccer Federation and its Mexican counterpart dropped their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Monday and said they instead will focus on trying to host the 2031 tournament. The decision left a proposal from Brazil and a joint Germany-Netherlands-Belgium plan competing to be picked for 2027 by…
Horse racing’s household name will miss the 150th Kentucky Derby
Out-of-state and international students gather for Eid
Arrests roil campuses nationwide ahead of graduation
Rising unemployment hits Canada’s international students hard
halifax, canada — A tightening job market in Canada, fueled by a surge of immigration that produced the fastest population growth in 67 years, is hitting the country’s large cohort of international students particularly hard. With more than 1 million foreign students in the country who are largely restricted to low-wage, part-time jobs, photos are being…
Student protesters seek amnesty to keep arrests, suspensions from trailing them
Iran bans Egyptian TV drama on historical Islamic leader
Tehran, Iran — Iranian authorities have banned an Egyptian TV series depicting a medieval Persian figure over historical “distortions” and “a biased approach,” state media reported Sunday. “The Assassins,” or “El-Hashashin” in Arabic, recounts the story of Hassan-i Sabbah, the controversial founder of an offshoot Shiite Muslim sect known for bloody political assassinations during the 11th…
Prince Harry due in London, then Nigeria with Meghan
London — Prince Harry will return to Britain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games in May, before joining his wife Meghan on a visit to Nigeria, his spokesperson said Sunday. Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the United States with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working…
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Pope visits Venice to speak to artists, inmates behind Biennale’s must-see prison show
VENICE, Italy — Venice has always been a place of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to produce an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a place that prides itself on its culture of unusual encounters, Pope Francis’ visit Sunday stood out.…
Ukrainian duo heads to the Eurovision Song Contest
KYIV, Ukraine — Even amid war, Ukraine finds time for the glittery, pop-filled Eurovision Song Contest. Perhaps now even more than ever. Ukraine’s entrants in the pan-continental music competition — the female duo of rapper alyona alyona and singer Jerry Heil — set off from Kyiv for the competition Thursday. In wartime, that means a long…
War protesters at U.S. universities dig in as faculties condemn school leaders
NEW YORK — Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities across United States, some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, remained defiant Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters. As Columbia University continues negotiations with those…
Olympic chief backs world doping body over positive Chinese tests
Lausanne, Switzerland — The head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has backed the World Anti-Doping Agency in a row over its handling of positive drug tests by 23 Chinese swimmers. “We have full confidence in WADA and the regulations and that WADA have followed their regulations,” Bach told AFP in an exclusive interview Friday…
Olympic ice skater Yamaguchi inspires Barbie doll
IOC: Palestinian athletes to be invited to Paris Olympics
Lausanne, France — Between six and eight Palestinian athletes are expected to compete at the Paris Olympics, with some set to be invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) even if they fail to qualify, its head, Thomas Bach, said. Bach told AFP on Friday that qualification events for the Paris Games, which start July 26,…
Iran Risks Further Backlash for Death Sentence of Dissident Rapper, Says German MP
Washington — Iran’s handing of a death sentence this week to dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi has drawn outrage from the Islamic republic’s domestic and international critics, including a German lawmaker who says Tehran risks fueling the backlash if it moves toward executing the artist. In an interview for the Friday edition of VOA’s Flashpoint Global Crises…