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This is VOA news. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.
Little Richard, the self-proclaimed "architect of rock 'n' roll" has died at the age of 87. His family said that the flamboyant entertainer died after a battle with bone cancer. We get more from Reuters producer Jillian Kitchener. Little Richard had built his ground-breaking sound with a blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel. At his peak in the 1950s and early '60s, Richard pounded the piano like a mad man and shouted, moaned, and trilled hits like "Long Tall Sally" and "Lucille." His music drew in both young black and white fans at a time when parts of the United States were still strictly segregated. Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, James Brown, Otis Redding, David Bowie and Rod Stewart are among the artists to have cited Little Richard as an influence. That report was produced by Reuters Jillian Kitchener. U.S. regulators have approved a new type of coronavirus test that administration officials have said could be a key to opening up the country. AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports. The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization for antigen tests developed by Quidel Corp. Currently, the only way to diagnose active COVID-19 is to test a patient's nasal swab for the genetic material of the virus. While considered highly accurate, the tests can take hours and require expensive, specialized equipment, antigen tests can diagnose active infections by detecting the earliest toxic traces of the virus rather than the genetic code of the virus itself. Quidel says the test can provide an accurate, automated response in 15 minutes. Ben Thomas, Washington. For more on these stories and the rest of the day's news, visit voanews.com. This is VOA news. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his country has all but defeated its coronavirus outbreak. Speaking ahead of a further easing of virus restrictions, Sánchez said the lockdown had succeeded. He said thanks to all Spaniards and to all of you, I'd like to give my most sincere heartfelt thanks and gratitude. However, the prime minister underlined a need for the remaining restrictions to be obeyed, noting that the virus has not disappeared entirely. Beginning Monday, many provinces and regions will be able to open bar and restaurant terraces. Small shops and churches will be allowed to reopen although with strict limits on the number of people allowed inside. But some of the biggest cities including Madrid and Barcelona will remain subject to severe restrictions. Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day, Russia's most important secular holiday, in a ceremony stripped of its usual military parade and pomp because of the coronavirus pandemic. AP's Karen Chammas reports. Solemn music framed the tone as Putin laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honoring the valor and suffering of the Soviet army during the war. While this year's commemorations had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary, the Red Square military parade and a mass procession called The Immortal Regiment were postponed as part of measures to stifle the spread of the virus. The only vestige of the conventional show of military might was a flyover of central Moscow by 75 warplanes and helicopters. The ceremony was the first public appearance in about a month for Putin, who has worked remotely as the virus took hold. I'm Karen Chammas. A shootout erupted on Saturday at a protest in western Afghanistan by residents demanding economic assistance, leading to the deaths of at least six people. Protesters were demanding relief after weeks of restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic. Some people at the protest opened fire on police, igniting a gun battle that killed the six people and wounded another 19, including nine policemen. Villagers staged a protest including placing the bodies of three victims in front of the gate at an LG Polymers plant in southern India after a deadly gas leak there killed at least a dozen people. In a statement on Saturday, LG apologized to all those affected by the incident and said it would extend all possible support to ensure those affected and their families were taken care of. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news. |