Middle-class cocaine users are turning a blind eye to the link between their drug habit and sex trafficking, slavery and murder, said the former head of UK drug strategy. “These are middle-aged, middle-class people at dinner parties,” Tony Saggers, former head of drugs threat at the National Crime Agency, told …
your ad hereVenice Film Festival Offers Grit, Glamour and George Clooney
The Venice Film Festival is kicking off the fall cinema season with searing drama, serious glamour and a crop of new movies vying for attention, awards and acclaim. Thanks to its late-summer time slot, just ahead of rivals in Telluride and Toronto, the world’s oldest cinema festival has become …
your ad herePizza Delivery Without Drivers: Domino’s, Ford Team Up for Test
No ring of the doorbell, just a text. No tip for the driver? No problem in this test, where Domino’s and Ford are teaming up to see if customers will warm to the idea of pizza delivered by driverless cars. Starting Wednesday, some pizzas in Domino’s hometown of Ann …
your ad hereScientists Say Warming Makes Storms, Like Harvey, Wetter
By the time the rain stops, Harvey will have dumped about 1 million gallons of water for every man, woman and child in southeastern Texas – a soggy, record-breaking glimpse of the wet and wild future global warming could bring, scientists say. While scientists are quick to say climate change …
your ad hereCambodian Indigenous Minorities Fighting Tide of Development
In Cambodia, the issue of land rights is a constant source of tension. The country’s biggest dam to date is set to go online in just weeks, adding 400 megawatts of power to the country’s critically overstretched grid. But the social and environmental costs of the project are huge, especially …
your ad hereThe Cost of Clean Water: $150 billion a Year, Says World Bank
Countries need to quadruple spending to $150 billion a year to deliver universal safe water and sanitation, helping to reduce childhood disease and deaths while boosting economic growth, said the World Bank. Investments should be better coordinated and targeted to ensure services reach the most vulnerable, and governments need to …
your ad hereThe Cost of Clean Water: $150B a Year, Says World Bank
Countries need to quadruple spending to $150 billion a year to deliver universal safe water and sanitation, helping to reduce childhood disease and deaths while boosting economic growth, said the World Bank. Investments should be better coordinated and targeted to ensure services reach the most vulnerable, and governments need to …
your ad hereLifeguard in the Sky Soon to Be Monitoring Australian Beaches
It is still true that a person is more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark; but, that does not matter much to the 150 or so people who experienced what the International Shark Attack File calls “shark-human interaction in 2016. Still, some Australian eyes in …
your ad hereFrom Hotel to Beer Factory, Robots Increasingly Used in Japan
Japan leads the world in the number of robots per person that are used in the workplace. Instead of being wary, people apparently like them. VOA’s Deborah Block takes us to a hotel and a beer factory where droids are doing just about everything. …
your ad hereSky High Lifeguard Soon to be Monitoring Australian Beaches
It is still true that a person is more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark; but, that does not matter much to the 150 or so people who experienced what the International Shark Attack File calls “shark-human interaction in 2016. Still, some Australian eyes in …
your ad herePrepping for Future With Drought-resistant Wheat
There are two ways to deal with climate change: stop or slow it through controlling emissions, or adapt to it. Chances are we’re going to have to do both. In the dry areas of Texas and California, researchers are getting started on the adapting part. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereUN Panel Urges Russia to Fight Racism by neo-Nazis, in Sports
A United Nations human rights panel called on the Russian Federation on Monday to step up prosecutions of racist attacks by ultra-nationalists and neo-Nazis and of hate speech by politicians. Russian authorities must intensify measures to “vigorously combat racist behavior in sports, particularly in football, and ensure that sports regulatory …
your ad herePeru Sees ‘Ambitious’ Trade Deal with Australia as Early as 2018
Peru expects a “very ambitious” free trade deal with Australia that covers goods, services and investments to be implemented as early as next year, Peru’s deputy trade minister said on Monday. The two countries resumed free trade talks in Australia on Monday following a first round of negotiations in July …
your ad hereMexico President to Visit China to Boost Trade Amid NAFTA Talks
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto will travel to China next week to discuss trade and investment, as Mexico looks for ways to decrease its dependence on NAFTA, especially trade with neighboring United States. He will hold a bilateral meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping and participate in a summit of …
your ad hereScientists Say Harvey May Be Soggy Sign of Future Storms
By the time the rain stops, Harvey will have dumped about 1 million gallons of water for every man, woman and child in southeastern Texas — a soggy, record-breaking glimpse of the wet and wild future that global warming could bring, scientists say. While scientists are quick to say that …
your ad herePublic Health Dangers Loom in Harvey-hit Areas
The muddy floodwaters now soaking through dry wall, carpeting, mattresses and furniture in Houston will pose a massive cleanup challenge with potential public health consequences. It’s not known yet what kinds or how much sewage, chemicals and waterborne germs are mixed in the water. For now, health officials are more …
your ad here‘Need Help’: Harvey Victims Use Social Media When 911 Fails
Desperate for help and unsure whether traditional rescue efforts will come through, Harvey victims are using social media to share maps of their location and photos of themselves trapped on rooftops and inside buildings. “Need help in NE Houston! Baby here and sick elderly!” one user posted on Twitter along …
your ad herePrice of Cigarettes in New York to Soar to Nation’s Highest
The price of a pack of cigarettes has skyrocketed in New York City, while the number of places they are available for sale is set to fall. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday signed a sweeping series of anti-smoking bills, part of a comprehensive effort to help reduce …
your ad hereUS Top Women’s Basketball World Cup Lineup Joined by Nigeria, Senegal
The lineup for the first women’s basketball World Cup in 2018 has been completed by African champion Nigeria and runner-up Senegal. The top-ranked United States, which qualified as the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics champion, heads the 16-team tournament being played Sept. 22-30 next year in Spain, ranked No. 2. …
your ad hereStatue of Martin Luther King Jr. Unveiled in his Hometown
The daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. stood beside her father’s newly unveiled statue Monday, just a few blocks from where he grew up, handing out hugs and telling each well-wisher: “It’s about time.” The statue paying tribute to King made its public debut Monday morning on …
your ad hereKenya Bans Plastic Bags
Kenya has become the latest African country to ban the use of polythene plastic bags, imposing stiff fines and even jail time for anyone found using, importing or manufacturing the bags. In one of the biggest garbage dumping sites in Nairobi, it was business as usual Monday. Loads of plastic …
your ad hereFall Armyworm Spreads to Cameroon
Fall armyworm has spread to Cameroon. The pest has attacked crops in at least 24 African countries. In Cameroon, the Ministry of Agriculture says it is particularly concerned about the impact of the fall armyworm infestation in the north and the east of the country. Minister-delegate Ananga Messina says fall …
your ad hereKevin Hart Calls on Fellow Stars to Help With Harvey Relief
Stars including Kevin Hart, Katy Perry and country singer Chris Young are lining up to help raise money for flood relief efforts in Houston. Hart has pledged $25,000 to victims of Hurricane Harvey. In an Instagram video posted Sunday, Hart said he was starting a celebrity challenge to donate …
your ad hereHurricane Harvey Boosts Gasoline Prices, Applications for Government Assistance
Gasoline prices have been rising and oil costs have been changing as Hurricane Harvey’s winds and rising floodwaters slam into a part of Texas that has a significant portion of the nation’s oil industry, particularly oil refineries, shipping, and production. By Monday, gasoline futures rose by as much as seven …
your ad hereAbuse in Nursing Homes Unreported Despite Law
More than 1 in 4 cases of possible sexual and physical abuse against nursing home patients apparently went unreported to police, says a government audit that faults Medicare for failing to enforce a federal law requiring immediate notification. The Health and Human Services inspector general’s office was issuing an “early …
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