Researchers in the United States have unveiled a prototype of a battery-free mobile phone, using technology they hope will eventually come to be integrated into mass-market products. The phone is the work of a group of researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle and works by harvesting tiny amounts …
your ad hereEfforts to End Viral Hepatitis in Indigenous People Show Promise
Many indigenous populations suffer from high rates of viral hepatitis, and are 2 to 5 times as likely as the surrounding general population to contract it. But efforts to eliminate the diseases have begun to show promise, some researchers say. Globally, 71 million people have hepatitis C and 257 million …
your ad hereWith ‘Watch,’ Facebook Takes Big Step Toward TV
Facebook on Wednesday made its biggest move to date to compete in the television market by expanding its video offerings with programming ranging from professional women’s basketball to a safari show and a parenting program. The redesigned product, called “Watch,” will be available initially to a limited group in the …
your ad hereHard-pedaling Soft Power, China Helps Launch $13B Belt and Road Rail Project in Malaysia
China and Malaysia broke ground on Wednesday on a $13 billion rail project linking peninsular Malaysia’s east and west, the largest such project in the country and a major part of Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure push. The planned 688-km (430-mile) East Coast Rail Link will connect the South China …
your ad hereVenezuela Exchange Rate Fluctuation Sparks Price Surge
The extreme volatility of Venezuela’s exchange rate has the crisis-hit country’s shop owners hurriedly marking up their merchandise and consumers balking at the higher price tags. Just last week, the bolivar currency fell around 70 percent on the black market, according to DolarToday, the opaque U.S.-based website that dictates the …
your ad hereUS Oil Industry Pushes Back on Sanctions Against Venezuela
The Trump administration’s decision on Wednesday to slap sanctions on eight members of Venezuela’s all-powerful constitutional assembly brings to 30 the number of government loyalists targeted for human rights abuses and violations of democratic norms since anti-government protests began in April. But even as the list of targeted individuals grows …
your ad hereAncient Beast Named for Late Motörhead Bassist Lemmy
A ferocious seagoing crocodile that menaced coastal waters about 164 million years ago during the Jurassic Period has been given a name honoring the similarly ferocious heavy-metal rocker Lemmy, the late frontman for the British band Motörhead . Scientists said on Wednesday they had named the 19-foot-long (5.8 meters) reptile …
your ad hereObservers: China’s New Base in Djibouti to Aid Economic Expansion in Africa
China’s new military and logistical base in Djibouti has put other foreign powers on edge, but observers believe China’s strategy in the region is more about economic growth than military might. After months of anticipation since announcing plans for its first foreign base, China opened what it calls a logistical …
your ad hereStudy Boosts Hope of ‘Liquid Biopsies’ for Cancer Screening
Scientists have the first major evidence that blood tests called liquid biopsies hold promise for screening people for cancer. Hong Kong doctors tried it for a type of head and neck cancer, and boosted early detection and one measure of survival. The tests detect DNA that tumors shed into the …
your ad hereJordan Issues New Work Permits to Syrian Refugees
Jordan on Wednesday became the first Arab country to issue Syrian refugees with a new type of work permit that opens up the growing construction sector, the U.N. labor agency said. The International Labor Organization said work permits for refugees used to be tied to specific employers, who applied on …
your ad hereIt’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! No, It’s a Prehistoric Gliding Mammal
In dense Chinese forests populated by dinosaurs 160 million years ago, two furry critters resembling flying squirrels glided from tree to tree, showing that even in such a perilous neighborhood early mammals had succeeded in going airborne. Scientists on Wednesday announced the discovery of fossils of two Jurassic Period gliding …
your ad hereBrazil’s Development Bank Chief Counters Temer on Economy
The head of Brazil’s National Development Bank is publicly disputing President Michel Temer’s claim that Latin America’s largest economy is on the road to recovery. Paulo Rabello de Castro said Wednesday during a foreign trade summit in Rio de Janeiro that “things are not OK” with the economy and Brazil …
your ad hereSpray Can Stunt Prompts Twitter to Act on Hateful Tweets
An artist tired of seeing hateful tweets ignored by Twitter has managed to get the social network to remove or hide some of them — by spray-painting the offending posts in front of the company’s German headquarters. Shahak Shapira said he reported some 300 tweets containing possible illegal content to …
your ad hereMeet the New Heavyweight Champion of Dinosaurs: Patagotitan
A study proclaims a newly named species the heavyweight champion of all dinosaurs, making the scary Tyrannosaurus rex look like a munchkin. At 76 tons (69 metric tons), the plant-eating behemoth was as heavy as a space shuttle. The dinosaur’s fossils were found in southern Argentina in 2012. Researchers who …
your ad hereHarsh Rhetoric Between North Korea and Trump Worries Investors
The exchange of threats and harsh rhetoric between North Korea and Donald Trump has rattled many investors. Stock prices fell in Asia, Europe and the United States, while demand rose for safe-haven investments like gold. Wednesday, key stock indexes in Hong Kong, Germany and France were down by one percent …
your ad hereAuthor of Google Diversity Memo Files Labor Complaint After Firing
A former Google software engineer, who wrote an internal memo criticizing the company’s diversity policies, has filed a labor complaint, saying he was wrongfully fired. In a statement emailed to news agencies, James Damore said he filed the complaint with the National Labor Relations Board prior to his termination and …
your ad hereCholera Threatens to Sweep Across South Sudan During Rainy Season
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for rapid action to prevent a cholera epidemic in South Sudan from spiraling out of control as the rainy season in the country progresses. More than 18,000 cases of cholera, including 328 deaths have been reported in South Sudan since June 2016. …
your ad hereWHO in Myanmar Says Swine Flu Outbreak Not an ‘Unusual Event’
The World Health Organization in Myanmar says a recent outbreak of H1N1 in the country is not unusual for the time of the year, and while there may be more cases in the future the available data suggests it is not a cause for panic. Myanmar’s state media reported on …
your ad hereTrump Vows US Will ‘Win’ in Fight Against Opioid Crisis
U.S. President Donald Trump says the United States had no alternative but to defeat an epidemic of opioid drug use, which kills more than 100 Americans daily. Speaking from New Jersey, Trump promised measures to combat the “scurge,” including tougher prosecution of drug-related crimes, better controls at the southern U.S. …
your ad hereScientists Find Potential Building Block of Life on Titan
When astronomers look for life, they generally look for water. The saying goes that where there is water, there is life. But some NASA researchers think we may be able to expand that saying to include any liquid, even the methane lakes on Saturn’s moon, Titan. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereTransgender Kids Blossom in Summer Camp Just for Them
Many summer camps in the U.S. focus on a single activity – baseball, computers. Many target specific groups – Jewish or Christian camps. Some are available for children with physical disabilities. According to the VOA’s Faith Lapidus, a camp in California is serving a growing population: transgender children, aged four …
your ad here‘Despacito’ Opening Doors for Spanish Songs on English Radio
“Despacito” is easily the song of the summer with the success of the hit stretching beyond Spanish-speaking audiences to make it the year’s most recognized song in the U.S. and elsewhere. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s song, which has topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 13 weeks and counting, …
your ad hereTrump Promises to ‘Win’ Fight Against Opioid Abuse in US
President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday that the U.S. would “win” the battle against the heroin and opioid plague, but he stopped short of declaring a national emergency as his handpicked commission had recommended. Trump spoke at an event he had billed as a “major briefing” on the opioid crisis during …
your ad hereProspective Opioid Crisis Solutions Vie for Grants in Ohio
A call by Republican Governor John Kasich for scientific breakthroughs to help solve the opioid crisis is drawing interest from dozens of groups with ideas including remote-controlled medication dispensers, monitoring devices for addicts, mobile apps and pain-relieving massage gloves. The state has received project ideas from 44 hospitals, universities and …
your ad hereGlen Campbell, Superstar Entertainer of 1960s and ’70s, Dies
Glen Campbell, the grinning, high-pitched entertainer whose dozens of hit singles included “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Wichita Lineman” and whose appeal spanned country, pop, television and movies, died Tuesday, his family said. He was 81. Campbell’s family said the singer died Tuesday morning in Nashville and publicist Sandy Brokaw confirmed …
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