The peace and love that generally abound during Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival festivities is threatened this year by a spat pitting a well-known parade troupe against Brazil’s powerful farmers because of development in the Amazon rainforest. Imperatriz Leopoldinense, one of the samba schools that march in the glitzy Carnival processions …
your ad hereUN Agriculture Official Links Aid to Farmers, Drop in Poverty, Migration
Training young farmers to turn agriculture into a business is key to eradicating poverty and curbing economic migration, the new president of the U.N. agricultural development agency said Wednesday. Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas, predominantly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and many rely on farming …
your ad hereUS Lawmakers Grill Yellen on Interest Rates, Regulatory Policy
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday criticized Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s stewardship of the U.S. economy and urged her to halt work on financial regulation until President Donald Trump names new policymakers to the central bank. In a tense hearing before the House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee, Republicans made clear …
your ad hereResearchers: How to Curb HIV? Educate Religious Leaders
Educating the world’s religious leaders could encourage millions more men to undergo circumcision and reduce the rate of new HIV infections, according to research printed in the Lancet medical journal. Circumcision can lower a man’s risk of getting HIV by up to 60 percent, according to the World Health Organization …
your ad herePipeline Executive Compares Dakota Protesters to Terrorists
A top executive at the company building the controversial Dakota Access pipeline is comparing pipeline opponents to terrorists. Joey Mahmoud, executive vice president of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, says protesters have “assaulted numerous pipeline personnel,” destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of construction equipment and even fired a pistol at law …
your ad hereIran: Trump Stance Won’t Derail Foreign Investment in Oil, Gas
Iran’s deputy minister for petroleum says the hawkish stance taken by U.S. President Donald Trump on the Iranian nuclear deal is a “passing hiccup” that should not affect foreign investment in the country’s energy sector. Amir Hossein Zamaninia made the remarks Wednesday at the CWC Iran LNG and Gas Partnerships …
your ad hereAmericans Worry About Health Insurance Replacement
Republicans took their first step toward repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act — more commonly known as Obamacare. The health insurance program was criticized as too expensive with too much regulations. Although Republicans say their replacement plans will be more affordable and easier to use, many Americans are worried …
your ad hereNew Labor Laws in Chile Embolden Striking Miners
Workers at the world’s largest copper mine in Chile are digging in for a long strike, emboldened by new labor laws that are likely to result in tough wage negotiations in the industry in 2017 in one of Latin America’s most free-market economies. The 2,500-member union at BHP Billiton’s Escondida …
your ad hereWorkers Reject Union at Boeing Plant in South Carolina
Three-quarters of the nearly 3,000 workers at a Boeing aircraft factory in South Carolina voted to reject union representation on Wednesday. Boeing said in a statement that 74 percent of the 2,828 votes cast were against joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The factory builds some of …
your ad hereCameroon Teen Is 1st African to Win Google Coding Challenge
A teenager in northwestern Cameroon has become the first African to win Google’s global youth coding challenge, despite an ongoing internet blackout in his hometown. Nji Patrick Gbah’s tailor shop in Bamenda is buzzing with business and pride. His son, Collins, was recently named one of 34 grand-prize winners in …
your ad hereIndia Puts Record 104 Satellites in Space
An Indian rocket blasted off Wednesday morning from Sriharikota in eastern India putting a record 104 satellites into space in a single launch, surpassing Russia’s previous feat of launching 37 satellites one year ago, according to India’s space agency. The launch also marked a milestone in the country’s efforts to …
your ad hereTrump Administration Sued Over Protection for Vanishing Bumble Bee
An environmental group sued U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday for delaying a rule that would designate the rusty patched bumble bee as an endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a branch of the Interior Department, in September proposed bringing the bee under federal safeguards. The rule …
your ad hereResearchers Hope to Blunt Impact of Armyworm on African Crops
Southern Africa is beginning to come to grips with an invasive species that is wreaking havoc with its corn crops. It’s a South American insect called a fall armyworm and in Zambia alone, it may be on the way to destroying about 40 percent of that nation’s maize harvest. VOA’s …
your ad hereThey Might Be Giants: Life With Westminster’s Big Dog Breeds
They’re pets that need a few accommodations, like a minivan with the seats pulled out, a bed that can approach the size of a twin mattress and a household that doesn’t mind when an animal that weighs in triple digits wants to “share” the sofa. But owners of some of …
your ad hereValentine’s Day Has Murky Origins, Some Fans and Some Enemies
Barack and Michelle Obama, the former U.S. president and first lady, on Tuesday tweeted Valentine’s Day greetings to each other. A C-Span reporter tweeted a picture of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at an upscale grocery store buying a Valentine’s Day bouquet for his wife, Karen. Later, Pence tweeted at …
your ad hereChina Moves Into Cuba as Venezuela Fades, Trump Looms
From buses and trucks to a $500 million golf resort, China is deepening its business footprint in Cuba, helping the fellow Communist-run state survive a crisis in oil-benefactor Venezuela and insulate against a possible rollback of U.S. detente. Cuban imports from China reached a record $1.9 billion in 2015, nearly …
your ad hereVenezuela Prosecutors Raid Odebrecht Offices in Bribe Probe
Venezuelan authorities raided the Caracas offices of Odebrecht on Tuesday, as prosecutors deepened a probe into the Brazilian construction firm that has admitted paying some $98 million in bribes to obtain government contracts in Venezuela. “The investigation is aimed at clarifying the situation and determining if the projects for which …
your ad herePhotography Isn’t Dead After All, says Salgado
Having once forecast doom for photography in the face of the smartphone, Sebastiao Salgado has changed his mind. One of the most lauded documentary photographers of recent decades, 73-year-old Salgado told Reuters: “I don’t think it is endangered. I thought so at some point, but I was wrong and I …
your ad hereCould Restoring Latin America’s Cloud Forests Boost Hydropower?
The mist-enshrouded cloud forest canopies dotting the mountains of Latin America have been degraded by encroaching cities and farms, but convincing hydropower operators to pay for their restoration could increase water flows and boost energy security, analysts say. Research done for the Cloud Forest Blue Energy Mechanism, an early-stage project …
your ad hereDespite Trump Talk of ‘Tweaking’ NAFTA, Canada Could Still Be Hurt
Although U.S. President Donald Trump says he only wants to tweak trade ties with Canada, his pledge to renegotiate NAFTA to focus on Mexico is almost impossible and Canada will not emerge unscathed, Canadian officials and trade experts said Tuesday. Trump had warm words for Canadian trade following a meeting …
your ad hereMexico Economy Minister Says Doubts US Border Tax Will Materialize
Mexico Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Tuesday he doubted a proposed border tax on Mexican imports to the United States, which the White House has said could be used to finance President Donald Trump’s border wall, would ever materialize. Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Mexico City, …
your ad hereFossil Shows Pregnant Momma Sea Monster with Developing Embryo
An extraordinary fossil unearthed in southwestern China shows a pregnant long-necked marine reptile that lived millions of years before the dinosaurs with its developing embryo, indicating this creature gave birth to live babies rather than laying eggs. Scientists on Tuesday said the fossil of the unusual fish-eating reptile called Dinocephalosaurus, …
your ad hereSmall Percentage of Ebola Patients Found Responsible for Most Cases in Epidemic
A new study concludes that a tiny minority of so-called “superspreaders” was likely responsible for the lethal Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey and Oregon State University found that 3 percent of infectious individuals with Ebola were the source for more than 61 …
your ad hereBoeing Faces Union Vote Wednesday
A strongly contested union election pits the world’s largest aerospace company against the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers on Wednesday. Three thousand workers at Boeing’s plant in South Carolina are eligible to vote on whether they want to be represented by the union. Many businesses and key political …
your ad hereSyrian Films Bring Tears and Smiles to Berlin Film Festival
One drops you, trapped and powerless, in the middle of a civil war, while the other uses humor to depict what’s it like to start a new life in Europe after escaping the same conflict. “Insyriated” and “The Other Side of Hope” are two films about Syria, and they brought …
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