Some flowers have found a nifty way to get the blues. They create a blue halo, apparently to attract the bees they need for pollination, scientists reported Wednesday. Bees are drawn to the color blue, but it’s hard for flowers to make that color in their petals. Instead, some flowers …
your ad hereA Lifeline for Millions in Somalia, Money Remittance Industry Seeks More Support
Every month, Fatma Ahmed sends $200 of the earnings she makes in London to her family in Somalia. “It’s for daily life. For rent, for buying grocery things, to live over there. Because actually in Somalia, that much we do not have,” she said. Remittances from overseas diaspora constitute a …
your ad hereAi Weiwei’s ‘Human Flow’ Highlights Refugee Plight Around the World
Human Flow by internationally acclaimed artist and activist Ai Weiwei, highlights the plight of refugees around the world. The Chinese dissident is not the first to make a documentary about the displaced, but his film captures the flow of humanity on a planetary scale. Ai filmed in 23 different countries …
your ad hereA Lifeline for Millions in Somalia, Money Remittance Industry Seeks Support
Remittances from overseas diaspora constitute a vital part of the economy of many developing nations, none more so than Somalia, where the inflows add up to more than foreign aid and investment combined. But analysts warn the industry is poorly understood by regulators and banks — and its precarious nature …
your ad hereElvis House, Marilyn Dresses, JFK Radio Up for Auction
Years before Elvis Presley became the King of Rock and Roll, the story goes, he lived in a small house up a hill from his elementary school in northeastern Mississippi and played with other kids in a nearby field. Fans now have a chance to buy that old home and …
your ad hereDiana Ross to Perform, be Honored at American Music Awards
Diana Ross will receive a lifetime achievement honor at next month’s American Music Awards and will celebrate with a performance on the broadcast next month. ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced the honor Wednesday. It’s the first time the AMAs have given out the award since 2006, when it was …
your ad hereTeens Overwhelmingly Prefer Snapchat to Facebook, Study Finds
Teenagers are turning away from traditional social media like Facebook and increasingly turning to Snapchat to communicate with their friends, according to a new study released Wednesday. According to Piper Jaffray’s semi-annual “Taking Stock with Teens” research survey, 47 percent of teenagers said Snapchat is their favorite social media platform, …
your ad here10 WTO Members Air Concerns About Trump ‘Buy American’ Order
A Geneva trade official says China and Taiwan have joined many U.S. allies including Israel at the World Trade Organization to express concerns over a Trump administration executive order that seeks to maximize use of American-made goods, products and materials in government procurement. The 10 WTO members, also including the …
your ad hereTwitter Vows New Crackdown on Hateful, Abusive Tweets
Twitter vowed to crack down further on hate speech and sexual harassment, days after CEO Jack Dorsey said in a tweet-storm that the company was “still” not doing enough to protect its users. The policy changes were specifically aimed at protecting women who unknowingly or unwillingly had nude pictures of …
your ad hereHealth Experts Warn of a World Without Antibiotics
The statistics in the United States are disturbing enough: every year two million people contract bacterial infections that are difficult or impossible to treat with antibiotics; 23,000 of those people die. Doctors gathered in Berlin are warning it’s going to get worse. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereMonitoring Pollution in Cities from Space
The European Space Agency ESA has launched a new satellite that will collect data useful to ordinary people everywhere on earth. For at least seven years, the Sentinel 5 Precursor will monitor air pollution caused by both man-made and natural activities, alerting people about the concentration of pollutants that may …
your ad hereSignificant Differences Remain After 4th Round of NAFTA talks End in Washington
Trade ministers from the United States, Canada and Mexico wrapped up a contentious fourth round of talks this week, aimed at modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement. But the Trump administration’s proposals to reshape NAFTA have some trade analysts wondering if the 23-year-old trade pact can survive. Mil Arcega …
your ad hereHead of Amazon Studios Resigns After Harassment Charge
Amazon Studios says it has accepted the resignation of its top executive, Roy Price, following sexual harassment allegations made by a producer on the Amazon series Man in the High Castle. Price was put on leave last week and had not been expected to return. An Amazon spokesman confirmed the …
your ad hereTelegram CEO’s Court Appeal Tests Russia Eavesdropping Laws, Technical Acumen
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has announced plans to appeal a Moscow court’s decision Monday to fine the encrypted messaging service some $14,000 (800 thousand rubles) for failing to provide law enforcement agencies with user information and access to private correspondences. Providing security services with encryption keys to read users’ messaging …
your ad hereGeorge Saunders’ ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ Wins Booker Prize
American author George Saunders won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for fiction Tuesday for Lincoln in the Bardo, a polyphonic symphony of a novel about restless souls adrift in the afterlife. It is the second year in a row an American has won the 50,000 pound ($66,000) prize, which was …
your ad hereCanada: NAFTA’s Proposed Changes ‘Troubling’
Canada’s foreign minister says there are “unconventional” and “troubling” proposals on the table as Canada, the United States and Mexico seek to update the North American Free Trade Agreement. The fourth round of talks on revising the 23-year-old NAFTA deal wrapped up Tuesday, with more talks set for Mexico next …
your ad here#MeToo Campaign Prompts Thousands to Share Sexual Harassment Stories
In the past 24 hours, thousands of women have taken to Twitter and Facebook, sharing their personal stories of sexual harassment and assault under the hashtag “Me Too.” The social media rallying cry comes in the wake of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. VOA’s Elizabeth …
your ad hereStudy: Self-driving Cars Could Ease Traffic, but Increase Sprawl
A new study inspired by Boston’s early experiments with self-driving cars finds that the technology could ease congestion, but might also lead to more cars on the road and further encourage urban sprawl. The report, released Tuesday by the Boston Consulting Group and the World Economic Forum, is a mostly …
your ad hereGoogle’s Pixel 2: A Phone Built for Artificial Intelligence
What’s most fascinating about Google’s new Pixel 2 phone is what’s to come. The phone sets itself apart with promises to bake in Google’s powerful artificial-intelligence technology for quick and easy access to useful, even essential information. But much of the neat stuff will come later. The phone coming out …
your ad hereUS Homebuilder Sentiment Rises in October
U.S. homebuilders are feeling more optimistic than they have in months, looking past a recent slowdown in new home sales and the risk of rising labor and materials costs following hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Tuesday rose four points to …
your ad hereForbes: Trump’s Net Worth Declined by $600 Million in Past Year
U.S. President Donald Trump’s net worth declined by some $600 million to $3.1 billion in the past year, according to Forbes magazine. The biggest contributing factor to Trump’s declining fortune was his real estate holdings, much of which is in New York City. Several of his Manhattan properties have declined …
your ad hereMicrosoft Rolls Out New Windows 10 Update, Laptops
Microsoft has begun rolling out an update to its Windows 10 operating system, hoping to spark enthusiasm for its virtual- and augmented-reality ambitions. The Windows 10 update became available Tuesday. Several of Microsoft’s partners — Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo — are simultaneously launching their first “Windows Mixed …
your ad hereRoman Era Theatre Uncovered in Jerusalem’s Old City
Jerusalem is one of the most excavated cities in the world, and archaeologists have uncovered 7000 year old stone houses, an Egyptian amulet bearing the name of Thutmose III, and what could be the world’s first landfill. Monday, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced finding the first known Roman-era theatre in …
your ad hereA New Generation of Weather Tech on Display in Amsterdam
What’s it like outside? In this era of extreme weather events, it’s more than an idle question, because an accurate answer can save lives. A new generation of weather technology is ready to be deployed to provide those answers. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereAi Weiwei Documentary Highlights Refugee Plight Around the World
“Human Flow” by internationally acclaimed artist and activist Ai Weiwei, highlights the plight of refugees around the world. The Chinese dissident is not the first to make a documentary about the displaced, but his film captures the massive flow of humanity on our planet from on high, using drones. Ai …
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