An automated teller machine. The cash machine. In Britain, a cashpoint. ATMs, known for spitting out $20 bills (and imposing fees if you pick the wrong one), turn 50 years old this year. They’re ubiquitous – and possibly still a necessity, despite the big changes in how people pay for …
your ad hereKiss Members Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley Reunite on Stage
Original Kiss members Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley have reunited for their first public appearance since their group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. But unlike that terse ceremony, the Star Tribune reports , they came to St. Paul’s CHS field to play Wednesday …
your ad hereAnthony Rapp Embarks, Thrilled, on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
“Star Trek” has always promoted diversity and tolerance. Now, a half-century after the original “Star Trek” premiered, a new “Star Trek” arrives with its mission unchanged. “Star Trek: Discovery” takes a step forward by including in its crew an openly gay character, played by an openly gay actor. Anthony Rapp …
your ad hereStoryCorps’ Thanksgiving Listen Asks Kids to Record Elders
StoryCorps is hoping people give their social media apps a break for a few minutes this Thanksgiving and instead use one designed for listening. The nonprofit oral history project has announced the 2017 edition of its Great Thanksgiving Listen, which calls for high school students to record a conversation …
your ad hereFrench Protesters Stage Fresh Protests to Macron’s Labor Law
French labor unions staged fresh protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s contested labor law reforms Thursday — a day before he adopts them by executive order. The nationwide action backed by the powerful, hard-left CGT trade union, saw protesters take to the streets in the second round of public opposition to …
your ad hereClaims for US Jobless Aid Fall as Hurricane Impact Recedes
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped by 23,000 last week to 259,000 as the economic impact of Hurricane Harvey began to fade. The Labor Department said Thursday that the less-volatile four-week average rose by 6,000 to 268,750. Overall, nearly 2 million Americans are collecting jobless aid, down …
your ad hereFed Agency Urging Corporate Cybersecurity Upgrades Hacked
The federal agency responsible for ensuring that markets function as they should and for protecting investors was hacked last year and the intruders may have used the nonpublic information they obtained to profit illegally. The disclosure arrived two months after a government watchdog said deficiencies in the computer systems …
your ad hereStandard & Poor’s Cuts China Credit Rating, Citing Debt
The Standard & Poor’s rating agency cut China’s credit rating Thursday due to its rising debts, highlighting challenges faced by Communist leaders as they cope with slowing economic growth. The downgrade added to mounting warnings about the dangers of increasing Chinese debt, which has fueled fears of a banking crisis …
your ad hereGlobal Leaders See Globalization as Challenged, Not Failing
On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, business and political leaders around the world met to urge cooperation on such issues as trade, investment and international technology to help boost globalization. Without integration between nations, such issues as the environment, economic development and …
your ad hereUS Central Bank Keeps Rates Unchanged but Who Will Lead the Fed in 2018?
U.S. central bank officials will hold off on the third interest rate hike of the year. But the Federal Reserve says it will go ahead with plans to unload its massive portfolio of Treasuries and mortgage bonds. The decision to delay the rate hike and reduce (or normalize) the Fed’s …
your ad hereThe Pros and Cons of Immunotherapy Drugs
Immunotherapy is one of the newer ways the medical community is trying to fight cancer. Immunotherapy is a way to get the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. It has great promise, and has documented results, but it is not for everyone. VOA’s Kevin Enochs explains. …
your ad herePassive Polygraph Takes Lie Detection into 21st Century
A ‘passive polygraph,’ developed by SilvertLogic Labs in Seattle, Washington, is a high-tech version of the lie-detector test. Faith Lapidus explains how it works. …
your ad hereGoogle Bets Big on Hardware With HTC Buy
Google is biting off a big piece of device manufacturer HTC for $1.1 billion to expand its efforts to build phones, speakers and other gadgets equipped with its arsenal of digital services. The deal announced Thursday underscores how serious Google is becoming about designing its own family of devices to …
your ad hereSEC: 2016 Hack May Have Enabled Illegal Trades
The Securities and Exchange Commission says a cyber breach of a filing system it uses may have provided the basis for some illegal trading in 2016. In a statement posted Wednesday evening on the SEC’s website, Chairman Jay Clayton says a review of the agency’s cybersecurity risk profile determined that …
your ad hereChina to Halt New Projects in Pollution ‘Red Zones’
China will halt major projects in regions with high levels of pollution, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Wednesday, underscoring an environmental crackdown that is starting to hit business around the country. Chinese authorities will roll out a new pollution alert system for regions ranging from the cleanest …
your ad hereAt 82, Judi Dench’s Mission Remains the Same: ‘To Learn’
Judi Dench is not tired. “I’ve had one of those pep-up drinks,” Dench, beaming as she sits down for a recent interview. “I feel rather sparky.” Caffeinated or not, Dench, 82, remains fully energized. As Stephen Frears, the director of her latest film, “Victoria & Abdul,” marvels: “She’s …
your ad hereHuge Sea Turtles Slowly Coming Back From Brink of Extinction
Sea turtles are lumbering back from the brink of extinction, a new study says. Scientists found more populations of the large turtles improving than declining when they looked at nearly 60 regions across the globe. That’s a big change from a decade or two ago, experts said. Long-living sea turtles …
your ad hereNevada Lab: Quake-resistant Bridge Design Tests Well
Scientists at a Nevada earthquake lab Wednesday tested new bridge designs with connectors they say are innovative and created to better withstand violent temblors and speed reconstruction efforts after major quake damage. University of Nevada, Reno engineers performed the experiments on a giant “shake table” to simulate violent motions of …
your ad hereEmma Stone Honed Dance Skills to Play Tennis Great King
Emma Stone admits she’s never played sports, so when she was asked to play former world tennis No. 1 Billie Jean King in the movie Battle of the Sexes, the Oscar-winning actress approached it from a different direction: dancing. King, by contrast, who pioneered the fight for equal pay in …
your ad hereScientists Remove Gene in Human Embryos to See What It Does
British scientists have used a genome editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out a gene in embryos just a few days old, testing the technique’s ability to decipher key gene functions in early human development. The researchers said their experiments, using a technology that is the subject of fierce …
your ad hereCalifornia Condors Return to the Skies After Near Extinction
In a remote, rugged valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean, researchers closely monitor an endangered icon: the California condor. The giant vultures flap their wings and circle the sky before perching on branches and observing their observers. Wildlife biologist Amy List uses a handheld antenna to track the birds, which …
your ad hereFed Keeps US Rates Steady, to Start Portfolio Drawdown in October
The U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but signaled it still expects one more increase by the end of the year despite a recent bout of low inflation. The Fed, as expected, also said it would begin in October to reduce its approximately $4.2 trillion in holdings …
your ad hereClimate Investment Incubator Branches Out Into Cloud Forests, Cattle Ranches
Latin American cloud forests, energy-saving street lights in Rio de Janeiro and sustainable cattle ranching in the Amazon will get a boost from new financial instruments to channel capital for tackling climate change, their backers said. The Lab, a network of programs that incubates sustainable finance mechanisms, expects to attract …
your ad herePuerto Rican Astronaut Gets Double Dose of Hurricanes
Space station astronaut Joe Acaba is getting a double dose of hurricanes — even in orbit. Harvey flooded his home in Houston last month. Now Maria has slammed into Puerto Rico, his family’s homeland. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, the first astronaut of Puerto Rican heritage …
your ad hereInternet Firms Say Removing Extremist Content Within Hours Is Huge Challenge
Removing extremist content from the internet within a few hours of it appearing poses “an enormous technological and scientific challenge,” Google’s general counsel will say later Wednesday to European leaders who want it taken down quicker. Kent Walker, general counsel for Alphabet’s Google, will speak on behalf of technology companies …
your ad here