In some parts of the world, the race is on to find the next generation of clean fuel. In the Netherlands, a group of students called Team Fast has developed a unique secret catalyst that can produce hydrogen fuel that is cheaper and cleaner than gasoline. VOA’s Kevin Enochs. …
your ad hereBody of Surrealist Painter Dali Exhumed for Paternity Test
A team of forensics experts Thursday opened the tomb of famed Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali to take DNA samples to settle a paternity suit. In a spectacle that most likely would have pleased the eccentric Dali, a crowd stood outside the Dali Theater-Museum in Figueras, Spain, to watch the experts …
your ad hereTelevision Amps Up, Movies Simmer Down at Comic-Con
From the dragons of Westeros and the “Walking Dead” zombies to the deadly humanoid robots of “Westworld,” the golden age of television is dominating the limelight at San Diego’s annual Comic-Con. Kicking off on Thursday, this year’s four-day Comic-Con gathering of nerd and pop culture fans will see fewer films …
your ad herePeru Government Fires Special Attorney on Odebrecht Graft Probe
The government of Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Thursday that it was firing its special counsel in a corruption probe of Brazilian builder Odebrecht, sparking accusations of interference. Justice Minister Marisol Perez said she dismissed special attorney Katherine Ampuero for blocking Odebrecht’s sale of its irrigation company Olmos. …
your ad hereNew App Reveals Little-known History of Rio de Janeiro Port
Rio de Janeiro’s port area may be one of the city’s most inviting spots since being renovated for the Olympic Games last year. But while the area is home to attractions that include two museums and an aquarium, its rich history remains unknown to most locals and tourists. A …
your ad hereCities Aim to Reclaim Once-polluted Rivers for Swimming
They dove in, splashed around and blissfully floated in the murky river water. Intrepid swimmers got a once-a-year chance to beat the summer heat with a dip in the once-notorious dirty water of Boston’s Charles River on Tuesday. The annual “City Splash” is one of the few days …
your ad hereLinkin Park Frontman Chester Bennington Found Dead at 41
The lead singer of rock group Linkin Park, Chester Bennington, was found dead in his California home Thursday. He was 41. According to news reports, Bennington committed suicide by hanging himself in his home. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is investigating. Bandmate Mike Shinoda confirmed the news via Twitter, …
your ad hereAlexa, Turn Up My Kenmore AC; Sears Cuts Deal with Amazon
Sears will begin selling its appliances on Amazon.com, including smart appliances that can be synced with Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. The announcement Thursday sent shares of Sears soaring almost 11 percent. The tie-up with the internet behemoth could give shares of the storied retailer one of its biggest one-day percentage …
your ad hereCAF Executives Approve African Cup Expansion, Timing Change
The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee has approved expanding the African Cup of Nations from 16 to 24 teams and moving the continent’s top tournament from the beginning of the year to June-July. CAF says the changes should come into effect for the next tournament in 2019 in Cameroon. …
your ad hereApollo 11 Bag Laced with Moon Dust Sells for $1.8 Million
A bag containing traces of moon dust sold for $1.8 million at an auction Thursday following a galactic court battle. The collection bag, used by astronaut Neil Armstrong during the first manned mission to the moon in 1969, was sold at a Sotheby’s auction of items related to space voyages. …
your ad hereStudy: Payments to Uganda Farmers to Not Cut Down Trees Pays Off
A pilot program that paid landowners in Uganda to not cut down trees was successful, according to researchers looking for ways to try to reduce carbon emissions. The researchers used interviews, periodic inspections and satellite images to monitor forests around 121 villages over two years. In 60 villages, they offered …
your ad hereMusk Says He Gets OK to Start Work on New York-Washington ‘Hyperloop’
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on Thursday said he had received “verbal” approval to start building a high-speed underground transport system linking New York and Washington that could cut travel time between the cities to about half an hour. Musk, the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc. and rocket …
your ad hereNorthwest Passage’s History Marked by Dangers, Death
European explorers had long speculated about the existence of an Arctic route that connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and would avoid the long journey around South America’s Cape Horn. For centuries, able seafarers failed to find the Northwest Passage, among them John Cabot, Henry Hudson, Francis Drake and James …
your ad hereFarmers Find Healthy Soils Yield Healthy Profits
Ancient civilizations plowed themselves into oblivion, and modern agriculture risks doing it again, geologist David Montgomery says. In his new book, Montgomery says a growing number of farmers are using techniques that can save their farms from slow death by erosion. In Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to …
your ad hereUS Piano Sellers Change Their Tune to Stay in the Money
A dramatic illustration of the economics of pianos can be found in Dean Petrich’s workshop and piano sheds. Petrich is a longtime piano tuner based on Whidbey Island, Washington. So many upright pianos of all ages and conditions are packed in so tightly in multiple sheds, Petrich has trouble counting …
your ad hereUS Announces Seizure of Dark Net Marketplace AlphaBay
U.S. law enforcement officials say they have shut down AlphaBay, the largest online marketplace for the sale of drugs, weapons, fraudulent and stolen ID’s and other illicit products. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday described AlphaBay’s closure as “the largest dark net marketplace takedown in history.“ AlphaBay’s seizure came as …
your ad hereGrowing HIV Drug Resistance Posing Threat to Treatment
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a survey of 11 countries finds evidence that HIV drug resistance is growing, posing a potential threat to the prevention and treatment of AIDS. According to the WHO, 36.7 million people are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. More than half that …
your ad hereMcCain’s Brain Tumor is Aggressive Form of Cancer
U.S. Senator John McCain is being treated for glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. It is a malignant tumor that grows at a very rapid rate and is able to shift to new locations within the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit medical research …
your ad hereTreasury Department Fines ExxonMobil for Russia Sanctions Violations
The U.S. Treasury Department has fined ExxonMobil Corporation $2 million for violating Russia sanctions related to Ukraine, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was CEO of the global oil and gas conglomerate. The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the civil penalty after concluding ExxonMobil did not voluntarily disclose …
your ad hereThis Day in History: US Astronaut Neil Armstrong Walks on the Moon in 1969
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The immortal words of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, uttered on July 20, 1969, when he became the first man to set foot on the moon. Along with astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins aboard Apollo 11, NASA made history this …
your ad hereAmid VPN Crackdown, China Eyes Upgrades to Great Firewall
A Chinese telecoms carrier said it had begun closing virtual private networks (VPNs) and other tools that can bypass the so-called Great Firewall, which state authorities use to filter and block traffic between Chinese and overseas servers. A spokesman for Guangzhou Huoyun Information Technology Ltd, which operates in around 20 …
your ad hereUS Bank Card Companies to Seek Licenses to Operate in China in Months
U.S.-based payment card companies, including American Express, MasterCard and Visa, are preparing to submit license requests to operate in China within months, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter. The long wait for the U.S. companies is, though, unlikely to end soon. It may take as long …
your ad hereChina Calls Pakistan’s CPEC Fastest and Most Effective of BRI Projects
China says its large economic collaboration program with Pakistan has entered “the stage of early harvest”, making it the “fastest and most effective” among all projects in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI. President Xi Jinping launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, two years ago, during his landmark …
your ad hereLifestyle Changes to Stave Off Alzheimer’s? Hints, No Proof
There are no proven ways to stave off Alzheimer’s, but a new report raises the prospect that avoiding nine key risks starting in childhood just might delay or even prevent about a third of dementia cases around the world. How? It has to do with lifestyle factors that may make …
your ad hereFor 1st Time, Over Half of People With HIV Taking AIDS Drugs
For the first time in the global AIDS epidemic that has spanned four decades and killed 35 million people, more than half of all those infected with HIV are on drugs to treat the virus, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday. AIDS deaths are also now close …
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