Films by Greta Gerwig, Sean Baker and Agnes Varda are headed to the 55th New York Film Festival. The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the selections of 25 films for its main slate on Tuesday, including eight directed by women. The festival, held annually at Lincoln Center, is one …
your ad hereHistory Unearthed as London’s Mail Rail Line Opens to Public
Deep below London’s bustling streets, a piece of once-vital communications technology will soon be roaring back into life after years of disuse — a train. The train operates on the “mail rail” line — a 6.4-mile underground train track that once transported letters and parcels 70 feet below ground to …
your ad hereIn Croatia, Harvesting Salt the Centuries-old Way
Dozens of glistening pools in a small village on Croatia’s Adriatic coast stand testament to its annual salt harvests from seawater, which use a method largely unchanged for centuries. The salt works facility in Ston, which says it is the oldest in Europe, consists of 58 pools and covers about …
your ad hereFired Google Memo Writer Draws Scorn, Cheers and a Job Offer
The male Google engineer fired for circulating a memo decrying the company’s diversity hiring program became the center of a heated debate on sexism, drawing scorn, cheers and even a job offer on Tuesday from WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. James Damore, 28, confirmed his dismissal from Alphabet Inc’s Google on …
your ad hereArtist Targets Twitter With Offline Hate Tweets
A German-Israeli artist who accuses Twitter of failing to delete hate speech tweets has taken matters into his own hands – by stenciling the offending messages on the road in front of the company’s Hamburg headquarters. A post on video-sharing site YouTube showed Shahak Shapira and fellow activists stencilling tweets …
your ad hereUS Diplomats Advised to Give Generalized Answers to Paris Climate Deal Questions
The U.S. State Department is advising its diplomats to sidestep questions from foreign governments about the Trump administration’s stance on the Paris climate deal. The Reuters news agency reported Tuesday that a cable sent Friday to U.S. embassies by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson provided prospective questions foreign government officials …
your ad hereUS FDA to Launch Campaign Against E-Cigarette Use Among Youth
Hot on the heels of its proposal to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans on Tuesday for an education campaign to discourage use of electronic cigarettes among youth. The plan follows the agency’s proposal last month to both lower nicotine in combustible cigarettes …
your ad hereGoogle Engineer Fired Over Memo Casting Doubt on Need for Gender Diversity
U.S. technology giant Google has fired a male engineer who wrote a memo questioning the need for gender diversity programs in the industry. In a 3,000 page internal memo titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” James Damore asserted that so few women were employed in the technology field because they “prefer …
your ad hereAnimals Use Computer Touch Screens in Research and for Fun
The penguins at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California have something in common with Sara Mandel’s cats. “I had actually purchased this game in the app store for my cats,” said Mandel, birdkeeper at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She wanted to see if these penguins would …
your ad hereIn Harford County, Volunteers Restore and Preserve Old garments
A group of volunteers are dedicating their time and sewing skills to preserve old garments. As Faiza Elmasry reports, the Textile Project in Harford County in Maryland, makes connections between the past and the present. Faith Lapidus narrates. …
your ad hereResearchers Say Animals Like Video Games Too!
It’s not just people who like playing computer games. Animals of different species also seem to be fascinated with video games and touch screens, as researchers and zoos try this technology on animals. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee reports from the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. …
your ad hereSocial Media Posts Could Help Diagnose Depression
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram allow us to share aspects of our lives with our friends, family and the world. But what does what we are sharing say about our state of mind? Some new research suggests that it may be telling the world a lot more than we think. Kevin Enochs …
your ad hereHackers Demand Millions in Ransom for Stolen HBO Data
Hackers using the name “Mr. Smith” posted a fresh cache of stolen HBO files online Monday, and demanded that HBO pay a ransom of several million dollars to prevent further such releases. The data dump included what appear to be scripts from five “Game of Thrones” episodes, including one upcoming …
your ad hereTesla Seeks $1.5B Junk Bond Issue to Fund Model 3 Production
Tesla said on Monday it would raise about $1.5 billion through its first-ever offering of junk bonds as the U.S. luxury electric carmaker seeks fresh sources of cash to ramp up production of its new Model 3 sedan. The move to issue junk bonds — lower-quality investments that offer higher …
your ad hereRocket Lab Says Fixes Test Flight Glitch Which Terminated First Launch
Rocket Lab, a Silicon Valley-funded space launch company, said a contractor’s error was to blame for its maiden flight failing to reach orbit in May, but that the problem had been fixed ahead of another planned launch in the next two months. The Los Angeles and Auckland-based firm, which is …
your ad hereChina’s Ethnic Yi Struggle Against Poverty
For Jisi Lazuo, the torch festival in her village in southwest China should be a celebration involving colorful ethnic clothes and eating freshly slaughtered pig. Instead, it’s a time of stress. “In my heart I always get worried when the torch festival comes along,” said Jisi, 37, who supports a …
your ad hereUS Government to Give States More Flexibility in Protecting Wild Bird
The Interior Department on Monday unveiled a plan to protect the threatened sage grouse that gives Western states greater flexibility to allow mining, logging and other economic development where it now is prohibited. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the strategy for the ground-dwelling bird that has suffered a dramatic …
your ad hereKeystone XL Pipeline Fate in Balance as Nebraska Opens Hearings
Nebraska regulators opened a final hearing on TransCanada Corp’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline on Monday, a week-long proceeding that marks the last big hurdle for the long-delayed project after President Donald Trump approved it in March. The proposed 1,179-mile (1,897-km) pipeline linking Canada’s Alberta oil sands to U.S. refineries has …
your ad hereBalkan Trade War Brews Over Huge Croatian Import Fee Rise
The Balkans have become embroiled in a trade war over agricultural health checks after Croatia raised import fees on some farm products by around 220 percent, triggering countermeasures by Serbia and threats from others. Last month European Union-member Croatia raised its fees for phytosanitary controls — agricultural checks for pests …
your ad hereInterior Department Scraps Obama-era Rule on Coal Royalties
The Interior Department on Monday scrapped an Obama-era rule on coal royalties that mining companies had criticized as burdensome and costly. The Trump administration put the royalty valuation rule on hold in February after mining companies challenged it in federal court. Officials later announced plans to repeal the rule entirely. …
your ad herePentagon: Military Can Destroy Drones Over Domestic US Bases
The Pentagon has given more than 130 U.S. military bases across the United States the green light to shoot down private and commercial drones that could endanger aviation safety or pose other threats. The number of uncrewed aircraft in U.S. skies has zoomed in recent years and continues to increase …
your ad hereScientists Reprogram Cells’ DNA Using Nanotechnology
Researchers have turned skin cells into blood vessel tissue to save a mouse’s wounded leg. They were able to do that simply by tapping the wound with a chip that uses nanotechnology to inject new DNA into the cells. This step follows a number of significant advances in techniques to …
your ad hereTanzania, Uganda Launch Oil Pipeline Construction Project
The presidents of Tanzania and Uganda have laid the foundation stone for a crude oil pipeline project linking their two countries. The project materialized after Uganda abandoned an earlier plan to have the line go through Kenya to the port of Lamu. The pipeline is likely to bring big economic …
your ad here3-D Version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Set for Debut
The estate of Michael Jackson says a 3-D version of the late singer’s iconic “Thriller” video is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival more than 30 years after its original premiere. The estate says the “latest available technology” was used to convert the 14-minute short film from …
your ad hereKenya’s Herders Swap Livestock for Chilies as Drought Bites
At this time of year, Cherop Longiro and her husband are normally busy looking for grazing for their livestock. But their three cows died in the drought in March and they sold their 20 sheep, fearing they would meet the same fate. “We had two options: either take them to …
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