Panama’s business community on Tuesday cheered the Central American country’s decision to establish full diplomatic ties with China and ditch Taiwan, hoping to deepen links with a key customer of the nation’s shipping canal. Although there was regret at the cost to Taiwan, an ally of various Central American nations, …
your ad hereMexico’s Native Crops Hold Key to Food Security, Ecologist Says
Mexico’s ancient civilizations cultivated crops such as maize, tomatoes and chilies for thousands of years before the Spanish conquerors arrived — and now those native plants could hold the key to sustainable food production as climate change bites, said a leading ecologist. José Sarukhán Kermez, who helped set up Mexico’s …
your ad hereRecord Hunger in Horn of Africa Pushes Development Banks to Step In
With a record-breaking 26.5 million people going hungry in the Horn of Africa, development banks are increasing their humanitarian funding to fill a gap left by traditional donors, a high-level mission said on Tuesday. Food rations for 7.8 million Ethiopians are due to run out in July due to funding …
your ad hereHard Times for Lagos Slum Dwellers Caught in Race for Land
Sheltering under planks on his boat moored at a waterside slum in Lagos, fisherman Thomson Pascal is trying to protect his six children from the rain flooding into what is now their new home. He is one of 30,000 residents who have been living in boats, shacks or in the …
your ad hereSouth Asian ‘Truck Art’ Becomes Global Phenomenon
They pollute the roads and chug along at a snail’s pace, but to their Pakistani owners the rickety trucks are moving pieces of art, commanding attention with garish portraits of flowers, Islamic art and snow-capped Himalayan peaks. South Asian “truck art” has become a global phenomenon, inspiring gallery exhibitions abroad …
your ad hereWorld Bank Approves $500M Grant Package for Afghanistan Projects
The World Bank on Tuesday approved financing worth more than $500 million for Afghanistan to support a string of projects to boost the economy, help improve service delivery in five cities and support Afghan refugees sent back from Pakistan. The bank said the six grants, including donor money, worth some …
your ad hereCalifornia Governor Named Adviser for UN Climate Conference
California Gov. Jerry Brown was named Tuesday as a special envoy to states at the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, further elevating his international profile as a leader on the issue as President Donald Trump backs away from a key international agreement. Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, incoming president …
your ad hereWorld Bank Approves $500 Million Loan for Tunisia
The World Bank on Tuesday approved a $500 million loan to support Tunisia’s budget, a government official for the North African country said on Tuesday. The funding followed the release by the International Monetary Fund of a delayed $320-million tranche of Tunisia’s IMF loan, after the government agreed to speed …
your ad hereAspirin Linked to Higher Risk of Serious Bleeding in the Elderly
People who are aged 75 or older and take aspirin daily to ward off heart attacks face a significantly elevated risk of serious or even fatal bleeding and should be given heartburn drugs to minimize the danger, a 10-year study has found. Between 40 percent and 60 percent of people …
your ad here1960s Rock Icons Recall Groovy, Gritty Summer of Love
The Summer of Love in 1967 marked a turning point in rock and roll history: It introduced America to the exciting new sounds coming out of San Francisco’s local music scene. There was the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company, which launched Janis …
your ad hereUS Weighs Sanctions on Countries Doing Business with North Korea
The United States is weighing imposing sanctions on countries that do business with North Korea and looking for ways to revive strained relations with Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday. At a committee hearing, he also defended President Donald Trump’s plans for steep reductions in U.S. …
your ad here16th Century Painting Heads to Los Angeles After 250 Years in Britain
A 16th century painting that’s been in private hands for more than four centuries and in Britain for nearly 250 years has been acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. “Virgin With Child, St. John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene” will be the Getty’s first work …
your ad hereBritain, France Announce Joint Campaign Against Online Radicalization
British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron are joining forces in order to crack down on tech companies, ensuring they step up their efforts to combat terrorism online. Britain and France face similar challenges in fighting homegrown Islamist extremism and share similar scars from deadly attacks that …
your ad hereDrones Carrying Defibrillators Could Aid Heart Emergencies
It sounds futuristic: drones carrying heart defibrillators swooping in to help bystanders revive people stricken by cardiac arrest. Researchers tested the idea and found drones arrived at the scene of 18 cardiac arrests within about five minutes of launch. That was almost 17 minutes faster on average than ambulances — …
your ad hereBhutan, Maldives Have Eliminated Measles, WHO Says
Bhutan and the Maldives have eliminated measles, becoming the first countries in their region to eliminate the highly infectious disease that is a major child killer globally, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The milestone was reached after no measles cases originating in the Maldives had been recorded since 2009 …
your ad hereR2-D2, Lightsaber: Force Strong in Star Wars Auction
Die-hard Star Wars fans will need to rely on more than the force if they want to bid on an R2-D2 droid that appeared in several of the franchise’s movies. A couple million dollars might also help. Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, Darth Vader’s helmet and shoulder armor, as well as imperial …
your ad hereTrump Clings to Coal as Worldwide Demand Plummets
Market demand for the dirtiest of fossil fuels is plummeting worldwide, according to industry data published Tuesday, even as President Donald Trump has made reviving the long-struggling U.S. coal mines the bedrock of his administration’s energy policy. The BP Statistical Review of World Energy shows global coal production fell by …
your ad hereExperts: Fake News, Propaganda, Disinformation Has Always Existed
Fake news, propaganda and disinformation has always existed. What sets today apart from years gone by is its rapid dissemination and global reach, experts say. Concerns raised by the instant propagation of fake news in the digital age and the harmful impact it has on the credibility and independence of …
your ad hereProm Still Iconic Rite of Passage for Teens in US
Tony Sabia walks into a barbershop in Vienna, Virginia, for a haircut and shave. About 30 minutes later, he is on his way home for a shower. With his suit already pressed, it takes him only a few minutes to get dressed for the big dance. For Kailey Margolies, it …
your ad hereUber CEO Takes Leave of Absence Amid Controversies
Uber’s embattled CEO Travis Kalanick announced Tuesday that he is taking a leave of absence from the company for an unspecified amount of time. He made the announcement to employees over email saying he needed to mourn the loss of his mother, who died in a boating accident last month. …
your ad hereUS Central Bank Mulls Higher Interest Rate
Top officials of the U.S. central bank are gathered in Washington, debating how soon and how much to raise short-term interest rates, with a formal decision expected Wednesday. PNC Bank Chief Economist Gus Faucher tells VOA that a healthy labor market and some wage growth make it a near certainty …
your ad hereYahoo, Verizon Finalize Acquisition
It’s the end of an internet era. Yahoo, an iconic early adapter of the World Wide Web, is now part of Verizon Communications, after a $4.48 billion deal was finalized Tuesday for Yahoo’s core internet operations. The remainder of Yahoo will be called Atlaba Inc., which will serve as a …
your ad hereRed Cross Warns of ‘Unprecedented’ Cholera Cases in Yemen
The International Committee of the Red Cross is warning of unprecedented rates of cholera cases in war-torn Yemen, one of many similar warnings from international health organizations in the past few months. “More than 5,000 suspected new cases have been reported daily during the past week,” said Maria del Pilar …
your ad hereApple Issues $1B Green Bond After Trump’s Paris Climate Exit
Apple Inc. offered a $1 billion bond dedicated to financing clean energy and environmental projects on Tuesday, the first corporate green bond offered since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement. The offering comes over a year after Apple issued its first green bond of …
your ad hereGM Says It Has Made 130 Self-driving Bolts
General Motors says it has built 130 self-driving Chevrolet Bolt electric cars at a factory in suburban Detroit. The cars are equipped with GM’s second-generation self-driving software and equipment. They will join 50 self-driving Bolts that are already being tested in San Francisco; Scottsdale, Arizona; and the Detroit area. CEO …
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