There was bad news for the United Nations last week, as President Donald Trump announced he is seeking a 28 percent budget cut for diplomacy and foreign aid, which includes an unspecified reduction in funding to the United Nations and its agencies. VOA’s U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer reports that the …
your ad hereBrewery Makes Beer from ‘Toilet Water’
Would you drink beer made from toilet water? The brewers at one popular brewery in California are betting you would. Stone Brewing of San Diego unveiled a new beer made from water that “comes from the toilet,” according to ABC 10 News in San Diego. Granted, the water for the …
your ad hereChina Begins Opening Up $9 Trillion Bond Market
China, the world’s third-largest bond market accounting for $9 trillion in debt instruments, has started the process of opening up to foreign investors. Two major investment banks, including Citigroup, have announced plans to join the fray and several others are expectantly watching the unfolding situation. It’s not a sudden desire …
your ad hereMinimum-wage Increases Could Deepen Shortage of Health Aides
Only 17 snowy miles from the Canadian border, Katie Bushey’s most basic needs are met by traveling health aides who come into her home to change her diapers, track her seizures, spoon-feed her fettucine Alfredo and load her wheelchair into the shower. But that’s only if someone shows up. Bushey, …
your ad hereReport: Norway Unseats Denmark as World’s Happiest Country
Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country in a new report released on Monday that called on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the well-being of their citizens. The Nordic nations are the most content, according to the World Happiness Report 2017 produced by the Sustainable …
your ad hereGermany’s Merkel and Japan’s Abe Urge Free Trade With Jabs at US
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke up for free trade at a major technology fair on Sunday with jabs clearly pointed at an increasingly protectionist United States. Both called for a free trade deal to be reached quickly between Japan and the European Union, in …
your ad hereRobot Is the Star in New Play
Robots are becoming commonplace in many areas of society — from manufacturing to medicine to our homes. But now, a robot has taken to the stage, in a British play called Spillikin, where a humanoid robot plays the male companion of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. The “Robothespian,” as the …
your ad hereRobot Is the Star in a New Play
Robots are becoming commonplace in many areas of society — from manufacturing to medicine to our homes. Now, a robot has taken to the stage, in a British play called “Spillikin.” A humanoid robot plays the male companion of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. VOA’s Deborah Block tells us more …
your ad hereFilm Looks at Plastics in the Oceans
Eight million metric tons of plastic wind up each year in the oceans, harming marine life and entering the food chain. Mike O’Sullivan reports a new documentary film called “A Plastic Ocean” looks at the problem, and its solutions. …
your ad here‘Sesame Street’ to Add Julia, Muppet With Autism
Folks on Sesame Street have a way of making everyone feel accepted. That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet youngster with blazing red hair, bright green eyes — and autism. Rather than being treated like an outsider, which too often is the plight of kids on the spectrum, Julia is …
your ad herePhiladelphia Cancels Cinco de Mayo Festivities
The eastern U.S. city of Philadelphia has canceled this year’s celebration of Cinco de Mayo, an event that attracts as many as 15,000 people. Edgar Ramirez, one of the event’s organizers, said the unanimous decision by the planners was “sad,” but it was the “responsible” thing to do because of …
your ad hereMeteorite a Catalyst to Store Renewable Energy
A huge meteorite slammed into the southern African country of Namibia during prehistoric times. Now, pieces from that meteorite could be used as a natural catalyst to store energy from renewable sources. Scientists at a technology institute in Switzerland found that the meteorite’s composition is key to its effectiveness as …
your ad hereA Simple, New Way to Spin Spider Silk in the Lab
In textiles, nothing has the impact of spider silk. These protein strands are stretchy and in some ways as strong as steel but without the weight. Scientists have been making artificial spider silk for years, with varying degree of success. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports some Swedish researchers have found a …
your ad hereGyllenhaal and Reynolds Forge a Friendship Filming ‘Life’
There’s a bromance brewing between actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds. The Hollywood stars say they hit it off so well during the filming of their new sci-fi thriller called Life that a genuine friendship has blossomed. The movie, about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station who …
your ad hereTributes Pour in for Late Rock ‘N’ Roll Icon Chuck Berry
Musicians have been paying tribute to American rock n’ roll icon Chuck Berry, who died Saturday at the age of 90. In a series of tweets, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger thanked Berry for “all the inspirational music he gave to us.” Legendary American singer Bruce Springstein said Berry …
your ad hereChuck Berry, Rock ‘N’ Roll Icon, Dies at Age 90
Police in St. Louis, Missouri, say rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry has died at age 90. Berry was an American music legend, a pioneer of the rock ‘n’ roll style, which blended rhythm and blues with pop music in a blend that became synonymous with the developing culture of …
your ad hereUS Supports Fair Trade But Rejects Ban on Protectionism
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the meeting of finance ministers of the G20 countries was a success Saturday despite the ministers not reaching agreement on trade protectionism. “I will leave here confident that my colleagues and I are able to work in partnership to …foster and promote global growth …
your ad here‘Match Day’ for Foreign Medical Students Runs Into US Travel Ban
For some medical students, getting a yes or no Friday was more important than finding the right life partner. Friday was “Match Day,” the annual day when medical students find out which U.S. medical institution has accepted them for a residency program. It is a competition, of sorts: 32,000 training …
your ad hereUS National Parks Visitor Jazzed by Louisiana
Mention New Orleans and most people will immediately associate it with jazz, a genre of music that originated among African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And that distinctly American music can be heard everywhere throughout the famed city – and in most other areas of the …
your ad hereHow The Wild Things Eat: Fruits, Vegetables on The Menu at Washington’s National Zoo
Washington’s National Zoo hired its first animal nutritionist 30 years ago. Since then the zoo has been preparing specific, well-balanced meals for each animal, provided by volunteers and food preparation teams. For Yahya Barzinji, Elizabeth Cherneff reports. …
your ad hereStanford Doctors Help Ease Emergency Shortage in Nepal
In a medical emergency, an ambulance with a qualified medical team on board can be a lifesaver. But in Nepal, this service is rare if not nonexistent. To help provide the best possible medical emergency services, a team of doctors from Stanford University in California spent 12 weeks training four …
your ad hereHow to Optimize School Bus Networks
Each day in the United States hundreds of thousands of yellow-painted buses carry millions of children to schools and back home. Scientists at the University of Maryland are developing algorithms that can help transport students more efficiently. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
your ad hereAs Greek Economic Crisis Grinds On, Children Pay Price
In Greece’s grinding economic crisis, a home for abused children is now taking in those whose parents are struggling to feed them. It is perhaps the darkest sign of economic devastation in Greece, where traditionally strong family ties are starting to crumble after years of depression. A quarter of Greece’s …
your ad hereDepeche Mode Hopes New CD Gets ‘People to Think a Bit’
Depeche Mode’s new album kicks off with a dire warning that we’re going backward as a society. Things go quickly downhill from there. “Spirit” then tells us we’ve been lied to and advocates revolution, convicts everyone of treason and urges selfish scum to turn their guns on themselves – …
your ad hereFilmmaker: To Help Iraq, Western World Must Connect With its Everyday People
War-torn Iraq may never recover unless the Western world learns to connect and identify with the people of the Middle Eastern nation, a Kurdish-Norwegian filmmaker said on Friday. His documentary film “Nowhere to Hide” could help Westerners to understand and empathize with the suffering of Iraqi families, Zaradasht Ahmed told …
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