A Supreme Court with a reconstituted conservative majority is taking on a new case with the potential to financially cripple Democratic-leaning labor unions that represent government workers. The justices deadlocked 4-4 in a similar case last year. The high court agreed Thursday to again consider a free-speech challenge from …
your ad hereSwitzerland Tests Delivery by Drone in Populated Areas
Drones will help deliver toothbrushes, deodorant and smartphones to Swiss homes this fall as part of a pilot project, the first of its kind over a densely populated area. Drone firm Matternet, based in Menlo Park, California, said Thursday it’s partnering on the Zurich project with Mercedes-Benz’s vans division and …
your ad hereMelania Trump Hosts Discussion on Opioid Crisis
Melania Trump invited experts and people affected by addiction to opioids to the White House for a listening session and discussion about the epidemic. The first lady hosted Thursday’s event in the State Dining Room and invited journalists to attend a portion of the meeting to help raise awareness. …
your ad hereMelania Trump to Host Discussion on Opioid Crisis
First lady to host discussion on opioid crisis Melania Trump has invited experts and people affected by addiction to opioids to the White House for a listening session and discussion about the epidemic. The first lady is hosting Thursday’s event in the State Dining Room and has invited journalists …
your ad herePair of Giant Pandas From China Welcomed in Indonesia
Giant pandas Cai Tao and Hu Chun arrived Thursday to fanfare in Indonesia where a new “palace” like home that cost millions of dollars has been built for them. The male and female pair landed at Jakarta’s international airport from Chengdu and will be quarantined at Taman Safari zoo outside …
your ad hereCalming Cars, Human-scented Robots: Advances in Smell Technology
Would you buy a car that sprayed soothing odors when you’re stuck in rush-hour traffic? Or how about a robot that smells like a human being? Scientists say that new technology means we will soon be using devices like these in our everyday lives. At this month’s British Science Festival …
your ad hereCalming Cars and Human-Scented Robots: Scientists Hail Breakthrough in Smell Technology
Would you buy a car that sprayed soothing aromas when you are stuck in rush-hour traffic? Or how about a robot that has the scent of a real person? Scientists say that new technology means we will soon be using devices like these in our everyday lives. Henry Ridgwell visited …
your ad hereGlobal Learning XPRIZE Aims to Prove World’s Poorest Children Can Educate Themselves
Can children who have never been to school teach themselves basic reading, writing and math skills using only a tablet computer? Elon Musk and the XPrize Foundation are betting $15 million on the idea that they can. VOA’s Tina Trinh has more. …
your ad hereCitizen Scientists Monitor Endangered Species in the Wild
In the Australian bushland, citizen scientists are helping conservation officials track invasive, and endangered species. Using a special app, nature lovers can mark the vulnerable or even invasive wildlife as they wander the countryside. VOA’s Kevin Enochs. …
your ad hereHuman Sleep Patterns Inherited from Hunter Gatherer Ancestors
It is estimated that nearly 40 million people in the U.S. alone suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. But a new study, perhaps the first of its kind, is shedding light on how and why humans sleep, or don’t sleep. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereHugh Hefner, Founder of Playboy, Dies at 91
Playboy founder Hugh M. Hefner, the pipe-smoking hedonist who revved up the sexual revolution in the 1950s and built a multimedia empire of clubs, mansions, movies and television, symbolized by bow-tied women in bunny costumes, has died at age 91. Hefner died of natural causes at his home surrounded by …
your ad hereEquifax Apologizes as U.S. Watchdog Calls for More Oversight
Equifax Inc promised to make it easier for consumers to control access to their credit records in the wake of the company’s massive breach after the top U.S. consumer financial watchdog called on the industry to introduce such a system. Equifax’s interim chief executive officer, Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., …
your ad hereCanadian Rocks Hold Some of Oldest Evidence of Life on Earth
Rocky outcrops in eastern Canada contain what may be some of the oldest evidence of life on Earth, dating back about 3.95 billion years. Scientists said on Wednesday they found indirect evidence of life in the form of bits of graphite contained in sedimentary rocks from northern Labrador that they …
your ad hereCarmakers Welcome Arrival of Saudi Women Behind the Wheel
Saudi Arabia’s decision to lift its ban on women driving cars may help to restore sales growth in an auto market dented by the economic fallout from weak oil prices, handing an opportunity to importers of luxury cars and sport utility vehicles. Carmakers joined governments in welcoming the order by …
your ad hereTrump: Foreign Country Plans to Build, Expand 5 US Auto Sector Plants
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a foreign leader told him at the United Nations last week that the country would soon announce plans to build or expand five automobile industry factories in the United States. “I just left the United Nations last week and I was told by one …
your ad hereMercosur Could Seek Trade Deals With Canada, Australia, New Zealand
The South American trade bloc Mercosur could seek trade deals with Canada, Australia and New Zealand this year, an Argentine official said Wednesday, as largest members Brazil and Argentina seek to open their economies. Mercosur, which also includes Uruguay and Paraguay, is working with the European Union to finalize the …
your ad hereWhat Intimidates Steven Spielberg? Being Subject of a Documentary
Steven Spielberg has directed dozens of award-winning movies in a 40-year career, but when it came to turning the cameras on himself he found the attention pretty uncomfortable. The double Oscar winner, who has directed films like “Schindler’s List,” “Jaws” and “Saving Private Ryan,” is the subject of a documentary …
your ad hereStudy: Weather Extremes, Fossil Fuel Pollution Costing US $240B
Weather extremes and air pollution from burning fossil fuels cost the United States $240 billion a year in the past decade, according to a report Wednesday that urged President Donald Trump to do more to combat climate change. This year is likely to be the most expensive on record, with …
your ad hereCoffee Shops with a Taste for Good Help Rebuild Post-earthquake New Zealand
In Christchurch in New Zealand, the damage caused by a 2011 earthquake remains evident with metal girders and scaffolding on every street and a near constant beep of construction vehicles. The earthquake was devastating for the city: Nearly 200 people were killed and up to 100,000 buildings were damaged and …
your ad hereIndia Hosts US-sponsored Afghan Trade Show
A four-day Afghanistan trade-and-investment show, sponsored by the United States and aimed at providing new opportunities for businesses in the war-torn country, got underway Wednesday in New Delhi, but the mammoth challenge of that task was underlined even before the conference began. Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who was scheduled …
your ad hereAnalyst: Latest US Sanctions on North Korea Will Result in Full Trade Embargo
The latest executive order signed by President Donald Trump would, in effect, amount to a full trade and financial embargo, squeezing all the revenue channels North Korea maintains to finance its weapons programs, a former senior counterterrorism official said. On Sept. 21, less than two weeks after the U.N. Security …
your ad hereNAFTA Negotiators Make Some Progress Amid Strains in US-Canada Relations
The United States, Canada, and Mexico said on Wednesday they had made some progress in talks to modernize NAFTA, but acknowledged that relations between Washington and Ottawa had become strained over a U.S. decision to impose preliminary subsides on Canadian jet manufacturer Bombardier. U.S. trade envoy Robert Lighthizer said Canada …
your ad hereAlgeria Plans First Wealth Tax to Cope With Financial Pressure
Algeria will implement a wealth tax for the first time next year as part of measures aimed at securing new sources of finance after a sharp fall in energy earnings, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said on Wednesday. State finances of the OPEC member North African nation have been significantly hit …
your ad here‘Baa Baa Land’ – A Film They Want You to Fall Asleep In
Clad in a sparkling ball gown and tuxedo, the stars of the latest film to premiere in London’s Leicester Square walked the red carpet in a rather unusual manner – on four legs. The stars in question were a group of sheep who feature in a new eight-hour, dialogue-free film …
your ad hereRepublican Tax Plan Seeks Big Cuts, Retention of Popular Deductions
A blueprint of a Republican tax overhaul plan proposes tax cuts to wealthy Americans, businesses and the middle class while protecting deductions such as those for mortgage interest and charitable contributions. The sweeping plan was unveiled Wednesday, the beginning of negotiations to revamp the U.S. tax code. It lacks critical …
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