At least one in 10 people globally lives near the coast in a low-lying area. As the population increases and sea level rises, their homes are increasingly being threatened. The countries with the most people at risk include the United States, China, India and Bangladesh, and Southeast Asian countries such …
your ad hereRadio Pollution Creates Space Shield for Satellites
People are big polluters, on the land, in the sea and even in outer space, that can include anything from a hammer that floats away from the space station, to radiation from a nuclear weapons test in the atmosphere. “This can range from little chips of paint all the way up …
your ad hereFor Spanish, Catalan Economies, No Winners in Standoff
Xavier Gabriel can take some credit if the tiny Catalan mountain town of Sort is one of the most famous in Spain. He runs a lottery shop called La Bruja de Oro, or The Golden Witch, in a town whose name, aptly, means “Luck” in Catalan. Its fortune in having …
your ad hereOn Climate Change, It’s Trump vs. Markets
At the 2015 Paris summit, world leaders pledged to take steps to avoid catastrophic climate change. This November in Bonn, Germany, U.N. negotiators will be back, working out the details of how to cut emissions of planet-warming gases. It is the first conference since President Donald Trump said the United …
your ad hereGhostly Things Are Happening in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Tuesday is Halloween, the spookiest day of the year. Some people like to use the holiday to visit scary attractions like haunted houses. In historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a ghost tour takes visitors to places that are said to be haunted. But that’s no surprise to locals, who say …
your ad hereArtisans in Mali Hope to Bring Back an Ancient Fabric Style
Artisans in Mali are hoping that Bogolan, a traditional cotton fabric, will continue to fascinate Western fashion designers and provide jobs at home. VOA’s Teffera Girma Teffera and Bagassi Koura visited a small neighborhood in central Bamako where artisans are hard at work. Salem Solomon narrates. …
your ad hereDracula Sings His Way Into Sweden’s Royal Opera House
While American’s prepare for Halloween — a holiday known for ghosts and goblins and costumed children going door-to-door and scaring candy from their neighbors — in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, a thousand people dressed as vampires from around the world descended upon the Royal Opera House for the final …
your ad hereAngelina Jolie Supports Film That Speaks to Human Rights in Afghanistan
When Angelina Jolie puts her name on a film, you will likely find an important message in there. “The Breadwinner” is no exception, spinning an inspiring tale of an Afghan girl who won’t be denied her human rights. The film was recently screened in Washington with a special guest who …
your ad hereRetailers Offer New Tools to Help Shoppers Find Clothes That Fit
Stores watching Amazon take a larger share of clothing sales are trying to solve one of the most vexing issues for online shoppers: finding items that fit properly. The retailers are unleashing tools that use artificial intelligence to replicate the help a salesperson at a store might offer, calculate a …
your ad hereFacebook Moves to Increase Transparency in Political Ads
Under pressure in advance of hearings on Russian election interference, Facebook is moving to increase transparency for everyone who sees and buys political advertising on its site. Executives for the social media company said Friday they will verify political ad buyers in federal elections, requiring them to reveal correct names …
your ad hereWeirdness, Few Tourists, Return to Key West After Irma
Things are weird, as usual, in Key West. A pair of Vikings push a stroller full of stuffed chimps down Duval Street. A man with a ponytail swallows a steel sword. People dressed only in body paint and glitter wander and jiggle from bar to bar. Fantasy Fest, one of …
your ad hereWhy Fear Is Fun for Some, Crippling for Others
The latest movie adaptation of Steven King’s terrifying book “IT” brought in a record $123 million in its opening weekend. But in real life, there’s nothing fun about being scared, so why do people flock to scary movies, and around Halloween, haunted houses and participate in other frightening activities? New …
your ad hereNew Gadgets We May (or May Not) Need
The ever expanding field of consumer technology just got several dozen new specimens, showcased at the Netherlands’ first Consumer Electronics Show. None are expected to spectacularly change our lives … but at least some of them may prove to be truly useful. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
your ad hereUN Expert: Anti-gay Sex Laws Wane; Rights ‘Crucible’ Endures
Laws criminalizing consensual gay sex have been scrapped in about 25 countries in the last 20 years, but more than 70 nations still have such prohibitions, a U.N. expert said Friday in a first-of-its-kind report at the General Assembly. And in many places around the world, lesbian, gay, …
your ad hereTrump Administration Proposes Health Care Benefit Changes
The Trump administration Friday proposed new health insurance regulations that could affect basic benefits required by the Affordable Care Act, but not for a couple of years. Loosening “Obamacare” benefit requirements was a major sticking point for congressional Republicans in thus-far fruitless efforts to repeal the law. The complex new …
your ad hereMidwest Health Care Provider Cuts Opioid Prescriptions
A major health care system serving the upper Midwest said this week that the number of opioid pills it prescribes has fallen by almost a quarter as it works to respond to America’s opioid epidemic. South Dakota-headquartered Sanford Health started analyzing its prescribing last year to direct its response to …
your ad hereTech Companies Ready to Face Congress Over Foreign Interference in US Election
Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election nearly a year ago, there has been increasing scrutiny of how Russian-backed operatives used accounts on Facebook, Google and Twitter to try to influence its outcome. Executives from those companies appear before at least three congressional hearings starting Tuesday, facing questions from lawmakers about …
your ad hereSessions: War on Opioids Is ‘Winnable’
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday welcomed President Donald Trump’s declaration of the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency, saying he agreed with Trump that the war on addiction was “winnable.” Trump on Thursday directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a 90-day public …
your ad hereKenyan Wins $100,000 Grant for Device to Help Expectant Mothers
A Kenyan university student has won a $100,000 research grant for an idea aimed at decreasing maternal and infant deaths among cattle-raising families on the Kenya-Ethiopia border. Dahabo Adi Galgalo secured the 2017 innovation award from AESA, Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa, for designing a GPS-like device …
your ad hereUS Economy Expands at 3 Percent Rate in Third Quarter
The U.S. economy expanded at a three percent annual pace in July, August and September, about the same pace as the prior quarter. Friday’s Commerce Department data surprised economists, who thought damage from two hurricanes would cut growth to a lower level. The data show the world’s largest economy is …
your ad herePatients Turning to Alternative Pain Treatments Amid America’s Opioid Crisis
In 2015, 92 million Americans used prescription opioids to alleviate or manage pain, with 11.5 million reporting they misused them. Now more than ever, patients are seeking alternative treatments to avoid using potentially addictive pain pills. VOA’s Elizabeth Cherneff introduces us to a Washington doctor who is helping people manage …
your ad hereDrug Court a Lifeline in Battle Against Opioid Addiction
Paul Coles’ journey to becoming one of the 2.5 million Americans addicted to prescription opioids began with painkillers prescribed for injuries suffered during an IED attack in Iraq. The physical scars healed, but emotionally Coles suffered. He had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and couldn’t stop using drugs. “It got to …
your ad hereDrug Court Judge Throws Lifeline to Those Addicted to Opioids
American drug courts are taking a public health approach to help those addicted to prescription opioids and heroin. The goal is long-term recovery and allowing people to have their felony drug charges erased from their records if they complete the program. VOA’s Chris Simkins reports from Miami on how one …
your ad hereMigrants Stranded on Greek Isles Facing Mental Health Crisis
More than 10,000 mainly Syrian refugees who escaped fighting in their country are living on five Greek islands. About 2,500 of them are crowded into camps on the island of Samos, even though there is only room for about 800. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports aid groups say there is a …
your ad hereHouston-Bound World Series Lifts Spirits, If Momentarily
As the best-of-seven 2017 World Series shifts from Los Angeles to Houston at one game apiece, diehard fans of the hurricane-devastated city can sense a first-ever baseball championship within their grasp. Houstonians admit that a series victory — if only a momentary distraction — would lift the city’s spirits. Ramon …
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