Spelling bees — and in particular the Scripps National Spelling Bee — have a unique place in American culture, especially since 1994, when ESPN started televising the finals with coverage akin to an NBA playoff game. Although we’ve seen terrific documentaries about the spelling bee before, e.g., “Spellbound” from 2003, the new Netflix documentary...
Washington, DC: Noting that George Floyd's death in custody has brought forth the systemic racism and inequities that members of the African-American community face every day, an influential US Indian-American Congressman has said that there is a need to have open, honest and sometimes uncomfortable conversations about race and inequality in the country. Expressing solidarity...
Washington, DC: Standing in solidarity with the African-American community, 'South Asians for Biden', a volunteer organization dedicated to galvanizing support for former US Vice President Joe Biden, has demanded justice for the custodial killing of George Floyd and his family. "South Asians for Biden stands in strong solidarity with the African American community and demands justice...
Paris: French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli confirmed that 2020 edition of the French Open will take place this year. The entire tennis season has been ravaged due to coronavirus pandemic but Giudicelli remains hopeful of hosting the second slam of the calendar year. The French Open was initially schedule to take place from May...
Kabul: The US peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said he was "optimistic" about the start of the intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government. At a recent press conference, Khalilzad said: "We're optimistic that finally we are moving forward to the start of the intra-Afghan negotiations." Khalilzad was also hopeful that the violence will...
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked for protection of people on the move in face of COVID-19. In a video message for the launch of a policy brief on the impact of coronavirus on people on the move, Guterres asked countries to develop a new mindset on human mobility, Xinhua news agency reported. "The COVID-19...
Beijing: China has threatened to retaliate against the US after President Donald Trump said he will no longer extend trading privileges to Hong Kong over Beijing's bid to exercise tighter control over the former British colony. Last week, Trump ordered his government to begin the process of eliminating the city's special status and condemned a...
Washington: Scripting a historic chapter for the US space program, Elon Musk-run SpaceX sent two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard the reusable Falcon 9 rocket. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley was on its way to the orbiting laboratory in the space and had...
As flu season inches closer, scientists have outlined best defense against influenza from getting it worse, which may also protect against the deadly coronavirus. Dr Benjamin Singer, a Northwestern Medicine pulmonologist who treats COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit, has described four factors that could determine the severity of the upcoming flu season. Social distancing...
