A prospect with a 94 mph fastball gets a lot of attention, no matter where he is pitching — even when that prospect is a diminutive 16-year-old from a country with little baseball tradition. Eric Pardinho’s blazing fastball has brought scouts to this city 50 miles west of Sao Paulo …
your ad hereTsetse Fly’s Weakness May Be Its Symbiotic Bacteria
The fly that carries African sleeping sickness may carry the seeds of its own destruction, according to new research. Scientists have detailed the unique relationship between the tsetse fly and bacteria in its gut the fly can’t live without. The tsetse fly spreads African sleeping sickness to humans from wild …
your ad hereChilean Scientists Produce Biodiesel From Microalgae
Biodiesel made from microalgae could power buses and trucks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 percent, Chilean scientists said, possibly curbing pollution in contaminated cities like Santiago. Experts from the department of Chemical Engineering and Bioprocesses at Chile’s Catholic University said they had grown enough algae …
your ad hereTennis Star Venus Williams Sued in Fatal Car Crash
Tennis star Venus Williams is being sued by the family of a man who died in a car crash in which she was involved. Court officials in Palm Beach County, Florida, confirmed that the family of Jerome Barson, 78, filed the lawsuit against Williams on Friday. A police report released …
your ad hereTrump Revives National Space Council, to Be Led by Pence
President Donald Trump is forming a National Space Council to be led by Vice President Mike Pence. The president signed an executive order Friday to revive a council last in place in 1993. Trump says the announcement sends a clear signal to the world about the United States’ …
your ad hereMcCartney, Sony/ATV Settle Dispute Over Rights to Beatles’ Songs
Paul McCartney has reached a confidential settlement of his lawsuit against Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC in which he sought to reclaim copyrights to songs by the Beatles. The accord disclosed Thursday in filings with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan ends McCartney’s pre-emptive effort to ensure that the copyrights, once …
your ad hereResearch: In a Warming Climate, the Poor Get Poorer
Climate change will have an impact, not just on the temperature, but on the economy, according to a new analysis. A group of researchers has just released a study focused on the future economic effects of climate change in the U.S. Using six different economic variables, the team is predicting, …
your ad hereIndia to Rollout Momentous Tax Reform, But Many Fear Rocky Transition
India is set to rollout a momentous tax reform at midnight Friday that will transform the country of 1.3 billion people into a single market. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) will replace an entanglement of more than a dozen confusing levies with a single tax and bring down barriers …
your ad hereIn the Age of Smart Devices, How to Protect Yourself from Surveillance, Abuse?
As technology has become part of our daily life, it’s increasingly been used to intimidate victims of domestic violence. In Australia, an organization is helping victims discover smart devices abusers might be using to invade their privacy and control them from afar. As Faiza Elmasry has the story. VOA’s Faith …
your ad hereExperiencing Hurricane-Force Wind
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season has arrived. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there’s a 45 percent chance that this year’s activity will be above normal, with up to four major hurricanes. VOA’s George Putic visited the wind tunnel at the nearby University of Maryland to experience the hurricane-strength …
your ad hereUS Growth in First Quarter Better Than Expected, Global Outlook Improves
U.S. economic growth in the first quarter of 2017 was better than expected but not by much. The Commerce Department says U.S. GDP, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in the country, grew 1.4 percent from January to March, 0.2 percent faster than the previous estimate. But many …
your ad herePreterm Births in US Increase for a Second Year
New government data show the health of pregnant women and babies in the U.S. is getting worse, and a report by the National Center for Health Statistics shows the number of babies born prematurely has been increasing since 2014. Preterm American births increased in 2016 and 2015 after seven years …
your ad hereSimple Malaria Intervention in African Schools Leads to Big Improvement in Students’ Performance
New research suggests that the ability of children in Africa to perform well in school could be dramatically improved through basic malaria education and treatment. While less fatal among older children, malaria infections often reduce a child’s ability to concentrate, as Henry Ridgwell reports. …
your ad hereAmbitious Cambodian Dance Troupe Honors Artistic Traditions in New Ways
Prumsodun Ok, a Cambodian-American born to refugee parents, knew he wanted to be an “apsara” dancer from the age of 4, when he was entranced by a performance captured on one of his family’s home movies. No matter that the dance dated back to the seventh century, or that traditionally …
your ad hereKenya’s Nomads Work Together to Reduce Conflicts and Poverty
It looked like a hostage swap, only the currency was livestock and the mission was to end decades of deadly clashes. More than 50 sheep, goats and cows stood in the scorching heat of a desolate no-man’s land in arid northern Kenya, as Maasai and Samburu herders negotiated their handover. …
your ad hereThe Next Silicon Valley? Head to France
France is known worldwide for its wine, food and culture, but under its new president, the French are aiming to be the new global hub for tech startups. President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to build a version of Silicon Valley in France. His administration has launched pro-business initiatives …
your ad hereLong-awaited ‘Jumanji’ Sequel Puts New Twist on Magical Board Game
In the verdant rainforests of Hawaii, Jack Black, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan simulated dodging rampaging rhinos and hungry hippos as they filmed the long-anticipated sequel to the Robin Williams 1995 adventure film Jumanji. The first trailer for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, released Thursday, shows …
your ad hereFacebook Says Internet Drone Lands Successfully on Second Test
Facebook Inc. said Thursday that it had completed a second test of an unmanned aircraft designed to someday beam internet access to remote parts of the planet, and unlike in the first test, the drone did not crash. Facebook plans to develop a fleet of drones powered by sunlight that …
your ad hereSpider-Man Swings Into Marvel Universe for Latest Film
Fans were crawling up the walls with excitement as the stars of Spider-Man: Homecoming swung into the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe series of films, which have dominated the global box office for years. British actor Tom Holland, who plays the web-slinging hero, showed up at Wednesday’s premiere accompanied by an …
your ad hereClimate Change Up Close: Southern, Poor US Counties to Suffer
Poor and southern U.S. counties will get hit hardest by global warming, according to a first-of-its-kind detailed projection of potential climate change effects at the local level. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, calculates probable economic harms and benefits for the more than 3,100 counties in the United …
your ad hereStudies Fuel Dispute Over Whether Banned Pesticides Harm Bees
Two major studies into how bees are affected by a group of pesticides banned in Europe gave mixed results on Thursday, fueling a row over whether the chemicals, called neonicotinoids, are safe. The studies, one conducted across three European countries and another in Canada, found some negative effects after exposure …
your ad hereIndigenous Knowledge Crucial to Tackling Climate Change, Experts Say
In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, indigenous farmers gather at the top of mountains the night after the winter solstice — not to enjoy the view, but to forecast the timing and quantity of rains. If the Pleiades star cluster appears large and bright, then rains will be abundant. If …
your ad hereMalawi, UNICEF Launch Africa’s First Humanitarian Drone Testing Corridor
Malawi and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) launched an air corridor Thursday to test the effectiveness of drones in humanitarian emergencies and other development uses, the first project of its kind in Africa. Landlocked Malawi, which suffers periodic crop failures and is prone to floods, is frequently in need …
your ad hereWhat Amazon Wants From Whole Foods: Data on Shopping Habits
Why is Amazon spending nearly $14 billion for Whole Foods ? One reason: People who buy yoga mats and fitness trackers on Amazon might also like grapes, nuts and other healthy items at the organic grocery chain. In short, the deal stands to net Amazon a wealth of data-driven insights …
your ad hereMali Study Finds Simple Malaria Intervention Boosts Students’ Performance
New research suggests that the ability of children in Africa to perform well in school could be dramatically improved through the provision of basic malaria education and treatment. Most malaria prevention programs focus on children under 5. Infections are less fatal among older children, but many harbor malaria parasites without …
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