Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MAY 14, 2020

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While many of us have been sheltering at home during the pandemic, essential workers such as truckers have not had that luxury. They and the products they transport are in high demand. VOA hitched a ride with two truckers to see what life is like for them.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On May 14, 1607, Jamestown, Virginia, is settled as an English colony, the first of its kind in the Americas, After a near economic collapse in 1610, settlers were able to make a profit exporting tobacco. Jamestown served as the capital of the Virginia Colony for 83 years, until 1699.

VIDEO: A pandemic causes widespread misery, but it also fuels rapid innovation, often by necessity. One of the biggest problems hospitals face is getting enough clean, personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses. To overcome this challenge, many universities and hospitals are quickly creating new innovations like robots.

The surge of unemployment compensation claims eased a bit in the U.S. last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, but nearly another 3 million workers still sought benefits as the coronavirus continues to batter the world’s largest economy.

VIDEO: Retailers are turning to robots to perform essential tasks that employees are no longer able to do because of social distancing regulations. The robots are cutting costs and helping to reduce the spread of infections. But as VOA reports, some fear the growing use of automation threatens jobs just as unemployment soars.

A Taliban attack on an Afghan army compound in Gardez city of Paktia province Thursday morning killed at least five civilians and wounded dozens more, includingfive people from the military.