After starting work in a hotel kitchen, Zhai Meiqin began selling furniture and built a billion-dollar conglomerate, but she took great pride in being recognized this week for driving a new phenomenon in China: philanthropy. Zhai, one of China’s richest women and president of the privately owned HeungKong Group Ltd., …
your ad hereWomen on the Frontlines of Cambodia Land Fight
Cambodian activists fighting plans to transform Phnom Penh’s largest lake into a luxury development made a tactical decision when they took to the streets: put women on the frontline to show a “gentle” face and prevent violence. But it was wishful thinking. The women of Boeung Kak Lake, once home …
your ad hereRising Temperatures, Acidification Threaten Mediterranean Sea Species
Water temperatures in the northwestern Mediterranean are increasing much faster than global averages, threatening the survival of several species, French researchers said. Weekly water temperature readings by researchers at the Villefranche-sur-Mer oceanography laboratory have shown that Mediterranean surface water temperatures have increased by 0.7 degree between 2007 and 2015. The …
your ad hereAgriculture Group: Drought Has Cost Italian Farmers 1 Billion Euros
Soaring temperatures and a lack of rainfall across Italy have cost farmers 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) so far this year, the national agricultural association said on Friday. The government declared a state of emergency in the gastronomic heartland around the northern cities of Parma and Piacenza, a usually lush …
your ad hereFans Ride to Georgia for ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ Celebration
They had a long way to go and a short time to get there, but hundreds of fans in Pontiac Trans Ams have put the hammer down and made it to Atlanta to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Smokey and the Bandit. About 350 cars this week retraced actor Burt …
your ad hereParis Ups Its Game in 2024 Olympics Bid
In preparation for a 2024 Olympic bid, Paris transformed the area around the river Seine into an Olympic park, hosting events on Friday and Saturday to make one final push for the rights to host the games. The last time the French capital hosted the event would be 100 years …
your ad hereUN: Cholera Cases in Yemen Could Top 300,000 by End of August
The U.N. Children’s Fund warns cholera cases and deaths in war-torn Yemen continue to mount and could reach 300,000 by the end of August. UNICEF puts the current number of suspected cases at nearly 200,000, including more than 1,200 deaths — with a quarter of those being children. UNICEF says …
your ad here‘Digital Democracy’ Turns Average Citizens into Influencers in Africa
From cashless payments to smartphone apps offering everything from taxis to take-out food – Africa’s digital revolution is gathering pace as average citizens take an active role in public discourse. “You’re seeing a lot of the people changing the way they live their lives,” says Maria Sarungi, founder of the …
your ad hereChina Probe of Big Companies Could Redefine Their Role Overseas
China is probing the loan practices of a group of big private sector conglomerates who have been on a high-profile global spending spree over the past few years. And although the review targets only a few of the country’s most politically-connected companies, some analysts see an attempt to increase government …
your ad hereWill Women Rule at the 2017 Summer Box Office?
Women are making strides in Hollywood this summer with the female-directed film “Wonder Woman” soaring past $600 million at the box office worldwide and another woman-led production, “The Beguiled,” picking up the coveted Palm D’Or for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more. …
your ad hereUrban Gardeners Feed Body and Soul in LA
Ron Finley has been called a “guerrilla gardener” and the “gangsta gardener,” an edgier description of a man who once defied local authorities to bring nature to the inner city. Finley’s efforts to plant edible gardens on public property have earned him court citations, but they also brought a victory …
your ad hereChina Takes Delivery of First Shipments of American Beef in 14 Years
China let through the first shipments of beef from the United States in 14 years on Friday, after the two nations agreed to resume the trade in May, state media reported. The imports were brought in by Cofco Meat Holdings Ltd from U.S. meat processor Tyson Foods Inc., China National …
your ad hereRed Cross: Safe Burial Practices Helped Prevent Spread of Ebola in West Africa
A new study by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says that safe burial practices may have helped prevent the transmission of thousands of cases of Ebola during the epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016. More than 11,300 people died from Ebola in Liberia, …
your ad here‘Food Forests’ In Urban Jungles
Farming on empty land in one of America’s biggest cities used to be discouraged. But urban gardeners in Los Angeles spent years pressing local politicians to let them grow food in vacant lots, and now their efforts are bearing fruit. Mike O’Sullivan reports on the people planting food forests in …
your ad hereFasting 5K, Held Annually During Ramadan, Raises Money for Charity
On a recent summer night, the sun was still shining as people prepared to run a 5K race for charity. But they hadn’t had a drop to drink or eat since before dawn. Ariadne Budianto reports. …
your ad hereSmart Exoskeleton Adapts to Individual Users
One of the challenges to designing prosthetics, or exoskeletons for the disabled, is that everyone is different. Technology designed to help a person walk or get around doesn’t work very well when it is built to be one-size-fits-all. But scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have figured out a quick, easy …
your ad hereNew York Unveils Monumental Copies of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Masterpieces
A new exhibit in New York City enables visitors to experience Michelangelo’s masterpieces from as close as the Florentine master was when working on them in the early 16th century. Nearly 34 reproductions of his best pieces from the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican are at the Oculus art center …
your ad hereWill Women Rule the 2017 Summer Box Office?
Women are flexing their muscles in Hollywood this summer with the female-directed film Wonder Woman soaring past $600 million at the box office worldwide and another woman-led production, The Beguiled, picking up the coveted Palm D’Or for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. Women have always been an essential …
your ad hereUN to Advertisers: Go Beyond the Female Stereotypes
Demeaning images in advertising of women doing domestic chores or scantily clad act as stubborn obstacles to gender equality, the head of U.N. Women said Thursday, urging the global ad industry to become a weapon for good. Advertising has the power to create positive portrayals of women and eliminate stereotypes, …
your ad hereSouth Sudanese Player Awaits His Fate in NBA Draft
Peter Jok was set to find out Thursday night whether a long journey that began in war-torn Sudan and detoured through Ugandan and Kenyan refugee camps would end up with him landing on an NBA basketball court. Jok, a University of Iowa standout for four years, was predicted to be …
your ad hereSouth Sudanese Player Not Taken in NBA Draft
Peter Jok’s long journey that began in war-torn Sudan and detoured through Ugandan and Kenyan refugee camps has not landed him on an NBA basketball court — yet. Jok, a University of Iowa standout for four years, had been predicted to be chosen in the first two rounds of the …
your ad hereRon Howard Takes Helm of Han Solo ‘Star Wars’ Film
Ron Howard is taking command of the Han Solo “Star Wars” spinoff after the surprise departure of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Lucasfilm announced their replacement director Thursday, two days after Lord and Miller left the project over creative differences. Howard gives the reeling production a veteran hand …
your ad hereMinnesota to Still Engage With Cuba Despite Trump Setback
Minnesota’s government and businesses will continue to engage with Cuba in the areas they can, like agricultural trade, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s partial rollback of the detente, Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith said on Thursday. The first U.S. state representative to make an official visit to Communist-run Cuba since Trump’s …
your ad hereCosby Plans Speeches on Sexual Assault, Spokesman says
Bill Cosby plans to conduct a series of free public seminars about sexual assault this summer, his spokesman said days after a Pennsylvania judge declared a mistrial in the entertainer’s sex assault trial. The 79-year-old comedian was best known for his role as the father in the hit 1980s TV …
your ad hereYellowstone Grizzly Bears to Lose Endangered Species Protection
Grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park will be stripped of Endangered Species Act safeguards this summer, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced on Thursday in a move conservation groups vowed to challenge in court. Dropping federal protection of Yellowstone’s grizzlies, formally proposed in March 2016 under the Obama …
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