The number of people living in poverty in Italy climbed to its highest level for more than a decade in 2016 despite a modest economic recovery, data showed on Thursday, in a report that could hurt the ruling Democratic Party (PD). Those living in “absolute poverty” rose to 4.74 million …
your ad hereMoon Dust Collected by Neil Armstrong to be Auctioned in New York
Moon dust that Neil Armstrong collected during the first lunar landing was displayed Thursday at a New York auction house — a symbol of America’s glory days in space now valued at $2 million to $4 million. The late astronaut brought the dust and some tiny rocks back to Earth …
your ad hereScientists Investigate Link Between Pesticides and Bee Death
For about a decade, scientists have been investigating a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids as one of the culprits behind the worldwide loss of domesticated honeybees. Now, a pair of new studies has people on both sides claiming victory. Neonicotinoids, or neonics, were developed in the 1980s and ’90s and …
your ad hereUS, Mexico Eye Closer Energy Ties as NAFTA Talks Loom
The U.S. and Mexico are looking to boost energy ties as the two countries ready for a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited Mexico on Thursday to meet with his counterpart, Pedro Joaquin Coldwell. Perry called Mexico “a very, very important partner” …
your ad hereEthiopians Race to Leave Saudi Arabia as Mass Deportations Loom
Thousands of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia are in a state of limbo as they try to return home after being ordered to leave the Gulf state. On March 29, Saudi Arabia launched a campaign it dubbed “Nation Without Violations,” giving all foreign immigrants living there illegally 90 days to leave …
your ad here‘Walking on the Moon’ in Idaho
Before America put the first men on the moon in 1969, NASA astronauts prepared for their lunar missions on the volcanic terrain at a national park. Lunar landscape National parks traveler Mikah Meyer says he now knows why those astronauts visited Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in …
your ad hereRavens Show Unique Ability to Plan Ahead
More than 170 years after Edgar Allan Poe’s fictional raven croaked, “Nevermore,” scientists are reporting that real-life ravens think about the future. In a series of tests, ravens showed signs of a general planning ability that previously had been documented only in people and great apes. Even monkeys have failed …
your ad hereFIFA’s Chuck Blazer Dies After Exposing Corruption He Profited From
The charade only ended in the final years of Chuck Blazer’s life. Stripped of his extravagances, soccer’s gregarious and greedy dealmaker was forced to admit to his years of corruption and confined to a New Jersey hospital. The eccentric bon vivant who once strode across the global stage being …
your ad hereTale of Two Factories: Hope, Anguish Ahead of Trump’s Steel Tariff Call
The blast furnaces and slab casters at United States Steel’s Granite City Works have been idle for 18 months, and laid-off workers here are pinning their hopes on President Donald Trump imposing broad new restrictions on imported steel. Yet just across the Mississippi River, some manufacturers worry that new tariffs …
your ad hereStudy: Wetter Climate Unlikely for 10,000 Years
A dry spell across the interior of the Middle East is unlikely to abate within the next 10,000 years, according to scientists who have been analyzing the chemical composition of two stalagmites collected from Qal’e Kord, a cave in north-central Iran. Researchers at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of …
your ad hereAncient Climate Locked in Rocks
Two stalagmites collected from a cave in Iran recorded the changing climate over 128,000 years. Analyzing their chemical composition led researchers to conclude that relief from the region’s current dry spell is unlikely within the next 10,000 years. Faith Lapidus reports. …
your ad hereFeds Charge More Than 400 with Health Care Fraud
U.S. prosecutors say they have arrested 412 medical providers for alleged participation in health care fraud totaling $1.3 billion in false billings. Of those charged, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, 120 were accused of prescribing medically unnecessary opioids to their patients. Providers were also accused of submitting claims to Medicare, …
your ad hereChina Reducing Massive Influence of Social Media Celebrities
China is trying to contain the awesome influence of social media celebrities, some of whom have tens of millions of followers that dwarf more Western media icons like Oprah Winfrey. For example, the top 10 Chinese celebrities on Internet have between 67 million and 90 million online followers. Recent weeks have …
your ad hereSenate Republicans Making New Health Care Push
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to unveil a revised health care bill to Republican colleagues Thursday, as he makes a push to achieve one of the top legislative goals for the party and President Donald Trump. McConnell last month withdrew an earlier plan after it became clear there …
your ad hereChina Posts Double-digit Trade Increase with N. Korea in First Half of 2017
China says its trade with North Korea rose in the first six months of 2017, compared to the same period the year before. China’s Customs Administration announced Thursday that trade with the international pariah North grew 10.5 percent to $2.5 billion between January and June, with exports soaring to 29.1 …
your ad hereBank Raises South Korea’s Growth Outlook
South Korea’s economy is likely to expand 2.8 percent this year over a year earlier thanks to strong exports and robust capital spending by tech companies, Bank of Korea said Thursday, revising its earlier forecast upward slightly. If growth is as forecast, Asia’s fourth largest economy will expand at …
your ad hereMcDonald’s Sees Its Future: Be More Convenient
McDonald’s is hoping to make a difference in its future seven seconds at a time. The company that helped define fast food is making supersized efforts to reverse its fading popularity and catch up to a landscape that has evolved around it. That includes expanding delivery, digital ordering kiosks …
your ad hereBusiness is Booming for Sleep Technology
New research published this week in the journal Brain suggests that the lack of quality sleep could raise your chances of contracting Alzheimer’s disease. And the Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 30 percent of Americans do not get enough sleep. That problem is creating a whole new …
your ad hereNew Non-Invasive Treatment Provides Depression Relief
The World Health Organization says that there are over 350 million people worldwide who suffer or have suffered from depression. They classify it as the leading cause of disability around the globe. There are all kinds of therapies, and a lot of drugs, designed to provide relief to people who …
your ad hereTrump Steps In to Ensure Afghan Students Can Come to US Robotics Contest
President Donald Trump has personally intervened to allow a team of Afghan women students into the United States for a major global robotics competition, VOA has learned. The U.S. embassy in Kabul had denied visas for the girls earlier this month, for unknown reasons. However, VOA’s White House bureau chief, …
your ad hereArt Exhibit in Poland Shows Auschwitz Through Inmates’ Eyes
A new exhibition in southern Poland shows the brutality of the Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz through the artistic work of its inmates. Some of the artworks are being shown publicly for the first time. The “Face to Face: Art in Auschwitz” exhibition opened last week at the Kamienica …
your ad hereStakes High for Besson’s Intergalactic Leap Into ‘Valerian’
Introducing a brand-new, multimillion-dollar intergalactic adventure film based on a French comic book strip during a summer box office dominated by superheroes and sequels may be considered a big risk to take by an independent filmmaker. But French director Luc Besson was so confident in his vision for adapting the …
your ad hereCoal Mine Crackdown Dims Prospects for Mongolia’s Fortune Seekers
Working 50 meters (164 feet) under ground with minimal air supply, Uuganbaatar is one of thousands of Mongolians trying to make a living digging for coal. Although the mining season does not begin until autumn, when the ground freezes and work is safer, the 31-year-old and his colleagues are seeking …
your ad hereBritain Hails Spanish Investment as Sign of Confidence in Economy
Spanish companies will commit millions of pounds of investment to Britain on Thursday, the British government said, as it seeks to limit the economic impact of leaving the European Union. The investment plans, which include building trains and trams in Britain, coincide with a three-day state visit to Britain by …
your ad hereTensions Rise in Silicon Valley Over Trump Decision
Silicon Valley is reeling over a decision this week by the Trump administration to delay and most likely kill a new avenue for entrepreneurs to come to the U.S. The International Entrepreneurship Rule, which the Obama administration set in motion, was supposed to go into effect this month. It would …
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