Each day, millions of Americans drink purified water and other beverages from disposable plastic bottles. More than 60 million of those bottles are dumped in landfills or burned in incinerators daily. But a couple of American entrepreneurs are putting some of them to good use by recycling them into shoes. …
your ad hereScientists Research the Brain in an Effort to Stop Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease was first identified 200 years ago, but so far, there is no cure. Most people have the disease for many years before it’s diagnosed, making it too late for effective treatment. So scientists are focusing on research in an effort to stop the disease before symptoms appear. VOA’s …
your ad hereQuakeproofing Old Buildings
Traditionally built houses in old Europe are vulnerable to earthquakes, which again was demonstrated last August when a 6.2 magnitude quake devastated an area in central Italy. Italian engineers are researching ways to minimize the damage. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
your ad hereBetween the U.S. and Mexico: What Migrants Left Behind
An art exhibition in New York highlights undocumented immigrants and the items they left behind while crossing hostile desert territory from Mexico into the United States. The show, called State of Exception, stems from the University of Michigan’s Undocumented Migration Project, and it uses only discarded objects. Celia Mendoza reports …
your ad hereEmployers Look to Fill Seasonal Jobs; Advocates Look to Protect Workers
You may have noticed: Much of the recent anti-immigration rhetoric in Washington most loudly comes from factions on the political right: H1B, H2B, it’s all about protecting American jobs. But every step of the way, progressive groups — while pro-immigrant — are just as critical of foreign worker visas. Federal …
your ad hereNew Kabul Coffee Shop Aims for Success in Tea-dominated Afghanistan
Steeped in centuries of seemingly impenetrable tea tradition, Afghanistan’s capital is getting a little coffee buzz. Nargis Aziz Shahi says business has been increasing day by day since she opened iCafe a couple of weeks ago. Looking a little like a brick-walled Starbucks with a distinctively homey Afghan feel, it’s …
your ad hereNew Kabul Coffee Shop Stirs Interest in Tea-Dominated Afghanistan
Steeped in centuries of traditional tea drinking, Afghanistan is getting a little coffee buzz for a change. Hikmat Sorosh has more on this popular new trend from the Afghan capital, Kabul, in this story narrated by Michael Lipin, with additional reporting by Khalil Noorzaie in Herat. …
your ad hereEnvironment, Politics and ‘The Godfather’ on Tribeca Film Fest Menu
After a turbulent U.S. presidential election and a rollercoaster start to President Donald Trump’s administration, this year’s Tribeca film festival will come with a statement. Environmental, political and social issues all feature strongly in the 200-strong selection of feature films, documentaries, television shows and immersive installations on offer during the …
your ad hereWill Robots Replace Human Drivers, Doctors and Other Workers?
The impact of automation on U.S. jobs is open to debate. Robots have displaced millions of manufacturing workers, and automation is getting cheaper and more common, raising concerns it will eventually supplant far more workers in the services sector of the economy, which includes everything from truck driving to banking. …
your ad hereFruit Flies Help Unlock Genetic Secrets of Parkinson’s
Researchers in Britain have shown that genetic manipulation can prevent or slow the symptoms of Parkinson’s, in the inherited form of the disease. That’s a minority of Parkinson’s patients, but the researchers are learning more about what causes nerve cells in the brain to die. Faith Lapidus reports. …
your ad hereFrom Wi-Fi to Li-Fi
Wi-Fi is very simply a way to send information via short-range radio. That can be a problem, though, when a lot of people are using the same open network at the same time. But a relatively new technology using light bulbs could help relieve that overwhelmed Wi-Fi network. VOA’s Kevin …
your ad hereChina Trade Route Development Program Puts Diplomatic Gains Ahead of Reforms
China is rushing to complete billions of dollars in construction deals ahead of an international conference for its One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project next month. The agreements in several countries are aimed at creating a picture of success for the project, which has become a cornerstone of Chinese President …
your ad hereLady Gaga Will Make History as Female Headliner at Coachella
Lady Gaga will make history when she performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival this weekend, marking a decade since a solo woman has been billed as a headliner on the prestigious musical stage. Beyonce had been slated to headline the festival in Indio, California, but backed …
your ad hereJulian Lennon Honors Mom, the Environment in Children’s Book
Julian Lennon is looking to nurture a new generation’s commitment to the environment, with a little help from a white feather. The firstborn son of the late John Lennon has co-authored “Touch the Earth,” a picture book for kids as young as 3 about the world’s water problems, from …
your ad hereHackers Release Files Indicating NSA Monitored Global Bank Transfers
Hackers released documents and files Friday that cybersecurity experts said indicated the U.S. National Security Agency had accessed the SWIFT interbank messaging system, allowing it to monitor money flows among some Middle Eastern and Latin American banks. The release included computer code that could be adapted by criminals to break …
your ad hereRussia Boycotts Kyiv-hosted Eurovision Event Over Contestant Kerfuffle
Russia’s leading state broadcaster has announced plans to boycott the Eurovision 2017 song contest after the host country, Ukraine, barred Russia’s contestant, wheelchair-bound singer Yulia Samoylova, from entering the country. Kyiv’s decision in late March to ban the 28-year-old Russian paraplegic vocalist stemmed from her June 2015 performance in Crimea, …
your ad hereThe iPhone of Cars? Apple Enters Self-driving Car Race
Apple is joining the fiercely competitive race to design self-driving cars, raising the possibility that a company that has already re-shaped culture with its iPhone may try to transform transportation, too. Ending years of speculation, Apple’s late entry into a crowded field was made official Friday with the disclosure …
your ad here‘The Promise’ Brings Tragedy of 1915 Armenian Massacre to Big Screen
Celebrities of Armenian descent including Cher and the Kardashians lent their support this week to “The Promise,” a period drama centered around the massacre of Christian Armenians during World War I in what is now Turkey. “The Promise,” out in U.S. theaters on April 21, stars Oscar Isaac as an …
your ad hereRian Johnson Debuts Teaser Trailer for ‘The Last Jedi’
Is the Force still strong with Luke Skywalker? The first trailer for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” dropped on Friday, showcasing a morose and withdrawn Skywalker. The two-minute teaser , unveiled by director Rian Johnson at the “Star Wars Celebration” fan event in Orlando, Florida, offered few clues to …
your ad hereTop 5 Songs for Week Ending April 15
This is the Top Five Countdown! We’re igniting the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop singles chart, for the week ending April 15, 2017. If you like new music, you’ll love this week’s lineup: we greet two new songs. Number 5: KYLE and Lil Yachty “iSpy” …
your ad hereGlen Campbell’s Last Studio Album to Be Released in June
Grammy-winning guitarist and singer Glen Campbell is releasing his final studio album, recorded shortly after his Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in 2011. The record label, Universal Music Enterprises, announced Friday that the album, “Adios,” will be released on June 9. Campbell hasn’t performed since 2012 and is in a long-term …
your ad hereJane Goodall: Magic of Nature Revealed in ‘Born in China’
The magic of nature and its wildlife often takes great patience for the humans who want to revel in it. Disneynature’s new film, Born in China, is a perfect example of that. The documentary is a little over an hour, but it was shot over three years. Dame Jane Goodall, …
your ad hereMeet the Rival to the ‘Mother of All Bombs’
The so-called “Mother of All Bombs,” may be the biggest conventional weapon in the U.S. arsenal, but it’s not the biggest non-nuclear bomb in the world. That title goes to Russia’s “Father of All Bombs,” which is reportedly four times heavier than the 10,300-kilogram Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), the …
your ad hereUS Lone Star State Features Breathtaking Untouched Landscapes
Texas has a wealth of oil and gas production facilities, hundreds of ranches … and 14 national park sites that protect and preserve some of America’s most precious natural, cultural and historic land and waterscapes. National parks traveler Mikah Meyer, who’s on a mission to visit all of the more …
your ad hereUgandan Inventors Invent Better Way to Diagnose Pneumonia
Three university engineering graduates in Uganda are taking on one of the leading killers of young children in Africa – pneumonia. They say the prototype of their invention, a “smart jacket” they have named Mama’s Hope, can diagnose the illness faster and more accurately than the current medical protocol. Four-month-old …
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