Twitter has unveiled a new, light mobile site aimed at emerging markets where people are still using slower 2G mobile connections. Twitter Lite, according to the company, will use less data and will be up to 30 percent faster than the full Twitter website. The service will be rolled out …
your ad hereAfrica Football Chief Open to Moving Cup of Nations to Mid-Year
Ahmad Ahmad was elected head of Confederation of African Football last month …
your ad hereCrackdown on Trade ‘Cheaters’ Raises Concern in Asia about US Trade Policy
Strong trade ties between the United States and nations in Southeast Asia are under a cloud as a U.S. investigation into trade imbalances gets underway. Regional governments say the apparent policy shift has spurred concern and anxiety. A 90-day investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department of countries with large trade …
your ad hereUS Agriculture Bets the Farm on Chinese Soy Demand
Struggling U.S. farmers are pressing their luck with soybeans this spring, sowing record acreage even though the world is awash with the oilseed, as demand from China offers a potential lifeline. Soybean plantings could surpass corn for the first time this year, with rising exports holding up prices and providing …
your ad hereUnusually Large Swarm of Icebergs Drifts into Shipping Lanes
More than 400 icebergs have drifted into the North Atlantic shipping lanes over the past week in an unusually large swarm for this early in the season, forcing vessels to slow to a crawl or take detours of hundreds of miles. Experts are attributing it to uncommonly strong counter-clockwise winds …
your ad hereFor ‘B Corporations,’ Real Value in Social Values
Many companies aim for “Best in Class” status, but some are seeking another “B” — B corporation certification. Certified B corporations, or “B corps,” address the growing consumer interest in supporting socially and environmentally responsible companies. B corps are essentially for-profit companies that behave more like nonprofits, tackling global issues …
your ad hereMaryland Teachers Learn to Fight Stress With a Healthier Lifestyle
Teaching is a stressful profession. A 2014 survey found that nearly half of U.S. teachers say they experience a lot of daily stress. That affects their health, well-being, and job satisfaction. Jayne Donohoe is out to change that, with exercise. The physical education teacher at Gunpowder Elementary School in Baltimore, …
your ad hereTeaching Teachers a Healthier Lifestyle
Teaching is a stressful job. To help teachers take care of their mind and body, a wellness program was introduced in Baltimore County public schools. Faiza Elmasry visited a school that offers the new program. Faith Lapidus narrates. …
your ad hereFor B Corporations, the Real Value is in Social Values
Many companies aim for B Corporation certification. Certified “B corps” address the growing demand for social and environmental responsibility. And more consumers are letting their wallets do the talking, aligning with business that complement their personal values. VOA’s Tina Trinh reports on the category of companies called B corps. …
your ad hereMexico Changes Strategy to Protect Peso
Mexico’s central bank chief said Wednesday the bank altered course on how to protect the peso after a couple of tweets by U.S. President Donald Trump in early January pummeled the currency to near historic lows and wiped out the effect of a $2 billion currency intervention. The Banco de …
your ad hereAsian Growth Seen Steady, US Policy Uncertainty a Risk
Asia’s developing economies will see steady growth this year and the next, though the evolving policies of President Donald Trump’s administration are a major uncertainty, the Asian Development Bank said in a report Thursday. The Manila, Philippines-based lender forecast growth in developing Asia at 5.7 percent in 2017 — unchanged …
your ad hereTrump Proposes Cutting Funds for Chesapeake Bay Program
As part of his policy to roll back what he calls “job killing” environmental regulations, President Trump has proposed cancelling funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program – a widely supported environmental project involving six states. In its 34 years, the program has allowed America’s largest estuary to recover from near …
your ad hereArchitects: Key to Future Cities Lies in Making the Poor Visible
With 70 percent of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, getting urban planning right is crucial to ensuring future cities are safe, resilient and fair places, particularly for the poorest residents, experts said Wednesday. As Africa urbanizes, its cities will need 700 million more homes, 310,000 …
your ad hereRome Trades Warm Glow of Old Street Lights for Cost-Saving LED
Rome is investing millions of euros in environmentally friendly, cost-saving LED street-lighting, but some residents of the Eternal City are unhappy to lose the softer, golden glow of the old sodium lamps. “This LED light is really bright, really blue, it feels like a hospital light,” said Monica Larner, an …
your ad hereStudy: Company Culture, Not Motherhood Saps Women’s Ambition
Women are just as ambitious as men at the start of their careers but this falters if companies fail to encourage them, according to a study released Wednesday that sought to dispel the myth of a gender ambition gap. A survey by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) of 200,000 employees, …
your ad herePalestinian Government Slashes Salaries for Gaza Employees
The cash-strapped Palestinian Authority on Wednesday said it was slashing by nearly one third the salaries of tens of thousands of government employees in the Gaza Strip who have been sitting idly since the rival Hamas militant group took over the coastal territory a decade ago. The decision deepened the …
your ad hereJohn Glenn, Former US Astronaut and Senator, to Be Interred in Arlington Cemetery
U.S. astronaut John Glenn, who died in December at age 95, will be buried Thursday in Arlington National Cemetery, a place of honor for members of the U.S. military. His family and invited guests, including astronauts and dignitaries, will say goodbye to the first American to orbit Earth at a …
your ad hereVeteran NASA Spacewoman Getting 3 Extra Months in Orbit
The world’s oldest and most experienced spacewoman is getting three extra months in orbit. NASA announced Wednesday that astronaut Peggy Whitson will remain on the International Space Station until September. The 57-year-old astronaut arrived last November and was supposed to return to Earth in June. But under an agreement …
your ad hereTrump’s Trade Representative Choice Set to Take Stern Stance on China
Robert Lighthizer has long complained that the United States dithered in the face of abusive Chinese trade policies, allowing its trade gap with Beijing to explode and American factories to close. Now, the veteran trade lawyer may have a chance to do something about it. As President Donald Trump’s choice …
your ad herePoland Plans Changes as It Takes Control of New WWII Museum
A court paved the way Wednesday for Poland’s government to take control of a new World War Two museum that has been the focus of a major ideological standoff over how to remember the war. The conflict has pitted the creators of the Museum of the Second World War — …
your ad hereEbola Treatment Unit Torn Down as Liberians Recall Outbreak
Bulldozers cleared the remains of a once busy Ebola treatment unit in Liberia on Wednesday, as health care workers, officials and some who were treated there gathered to mark the center’s last day and official decommissioning. Music echoed near the gathering at the former ELWA Treatment Center in Paynesville, …
your ad hereReport: Qatar World Cup Workers Pay Recruitment Fees, Work 18-hour Days
Hundreds of Asian workers pay recruitment fees for jobs building World Cup stadiums in Qatar and some end up working for nearly five months without a day of rest, according to an investigation funded by the Gulf state’s World Cup organizing body. Conditions for workers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh …
your ad hereAlan Jackson, Jerry Reed, Don Schlitz to Join Country Music Hall of Fame
Country star Alan Jackson, actor-singer-guitarist Jerry Reed and songwriter Don Schlitz will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year. Their selection was announced Wednesday. Jackson, 58, from Newnan, Georgia, broke out in 1990 with his neo-traditional style of honky-tonk country music that earned him several …
your ad hereMuslims Expected to Rival Christians for Most Believers by 2060
The Pew Research Center says Muslims are soon to rival Christians as the largest religious group worldwide, with higher birth rates among Muslim families predicted to increase the Muslim population to a number ties with Christians by 2060. Pew said in a study released Wednesday that by 2060 Muslims will …
your ad hereUS Women’s Soccer Team Gets New Contract
The World Cup champion women’s soccer team has a new labor contract, settling a dispute in which the players sought equitable wages to their male counterparts. The agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation runs through 2021, meaning the players will be under contract through the 2019 World Cup in France …
your ad here