The so-called ‘godfather of coral’ is part of a new research mission to unlock some of the secrets of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Dr. Charlie Veron is part of a scientific team searching for the “super corals” that managed to survive consecutive years of bleaching on the world’s largest reef …
your ad herePost-Harvey Houston: Years Until Recovery, Plenty of Costs Unknown
When the heaviest rain of tropical storm Harvey had passed, Kathryn Clark’s west Houston neighborhood had escaped the worst. Then the dams were opened — a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent upstream flooding and potential dam failures by releasing water into Buffalo Bayou, just a …
your ad hereLeonardo da Vinci’s Christ Painting Sells for Record $450 Million
It was a historic moment in the art auction world: Da Vinci’s “Salvador Mundi” or “Savior of the World” sold to the highest bidder at $450 million. VOA’s Evgeny Maslov was among the 1,000 collectors, consultants and journalists at Christie’s Auction House for the recent record sale. …
your ad hereA Gastronomical Virtual Experience: Enjoying the Taste of Food Without the Calories
Through a headset around the head and over the eyes, virtual reality can take us to computer-generated environments very different from the physical environment we’re in. Now, virtual reality technology is offering the food industry a new life. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, virtual reality can change the future of …
your ad hereScanner Allows Early Diagnosis of Diabetic Ulcers
A 2014 study by the World Health Organization concluded that there are 400 million people around the world living with diabetes. One of the many complications of diabetes is the prevalence of foot ulcers, which if untreated can lead to amputations, and in many cases death. But a simple scanner …
your ad hereSome Republicans Nervous NAFTA Talks Could Fail
Pro-trade Republicans in the U.S. Congress are growing worried that U.S. President Donald Trump may try to quit the NAFTA free trade deal entirely rather than negotiate a compromise that preserves its core benefits. As a fifth round of talks to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement kicked off …
your ad hereUnions Take NAFTA Wage Fight to Mexican Senate
The head of Canada’s biggest private-sector union headed to Mexico’s Senate on Friday, promising to fight at the NAFTA trade pact talks for improved Mexican wages and free collective bargaining as a way of benefiting workers across North America. The issue of tougher labor standards has emerged as a key …
your ad hereUS Revises NAFTA Goals to Reflect Demands in Talks
The Trump administration on Friday revised its negotiating objectives for revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement, largely to reflect the demands it has made in NAFTA talks on agriculture, intellectual property and investment. The revised objectives are now in line with U.S. proposals to eliminate Canada’s import tariffs on …
your ad here20 Years of Changing Seasons on Earth, Packed Into 2½ Minutes
NASA captured 20 years of changing seasons in a striking new global map of the home planet. The data visualization, released this week, shows Earth’s fluctuations as seen from space. The polar ice caps and snow cover are shown ebbing and flowing with the seasons. The varying ocean shades of …
your ad hereUN Panel Agrees to Move Ahead With Debate on ‘Killer Robots’
A U.N. panel agreed Friday to move ahead with talks to define and possibly set limits on weapons that can kill without human involvement, as human rights groups said governments are moving too slowly to keep up with advances in artificial intelligence that could put computers in control one day. …
your ad hereHow Much Is a Life Worth, Ask Activists Fighting Slavery?
From $7 for a Rohingya refugee to $750 for a North Korean “slave wife,” human rights activists have voiced concerns that it is becoming increasingly easy to enslave another human being as the cost plummets. The average modern-day slave is sold for $90-100 compared to the equivalent of $40,000 some …
your ad hereExperts: Puerto Rico May Struggle for More Than a Decade
Puerto Rico could face more than a decade of further economic stagnation and a steep drop in population as a result of Hurricane Maria, experts say. The stark estimates were presented this wee to members of a federal control board overseeing finances of a U.S. territory that is already in …
your ad hereProbe Finds Ongoing Radioactive Leaks at Illinois Nuclear Plants
Radioactive waste continues to pour from Exelon’s Illinois nuclear power plants more than a decade after the discovery of chronic leaks led to national outrage, a $1.2 million government settlement and a company vow to guard against future accidents, an investigation by a government watchdog group found. Since 2007, there …
your ad hereRev Jesse Jackson Discloses Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis
The Rev. Jesse Jackson disclosed publicly Friday that he has been seeking outpatient care for two years for Parkinson’s disease and plans to “dedicate” himself to physical therapy. In a Friday letter to supporters, the 76-year-old civil rights leader said family and friends noticed a change in him about three …
your ad hereMeryl Streep Says Violent Experiences Changed her Profoundly
Meryl Streep says the two times in her life she dealt with violence were so profound it changed her “on a cellular level.” Streep made the remarks Wednesday at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 27th annual International Press Freedom Awards in New York. The Oscar-winner told the audience she did …
your ad hereJennifer Hudson Obtains Protective Order Against Ex-Fiance
Jennifer Hudson has obtained an order of protection against her former fiance David Otunga. Police in suburban Chicago say Otunga was removed from the couple’s home in Burr Ridge, Illinois, Thursday night after being notified of the order. Burr Ridge Police Chief John Madden tells The Associated Press Otunga “left …
your ad here‘French Elvis’ Johnny Hallyday Hospitalised: Media
Rocker Johnny Hallyday, frequently described as a French Elvis Presley, is being treated in a Paris hospital for respiratory difficulties, French television station BFM reported on Friday. The veteran rock-and-roller, a huge crowd-puller in his home country and much of the francophone world, had a brush with death in 2009 …
your ad hereYoko Ono’s Basquiat Painting Sells for Nearly $11 Million
A painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat from the collection of Yoko Ono has sold for $10.9 million. Sotheby’s says the work, titled “Cabra”, was sold Thursday night in New York to an unidentified buyer. The pre-sale estimate was $9 million to $12 million. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Spirit …
your ad hereRed Cross: 1 Million Yemenis at Risk of Cholera Outbreak
One million people across three Yemeni cities are at risk of a renewed cholera outbreak and other water-borne diseases following the closing of airports and sea ports by a Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Shiite rebels, an international aid group said on Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross said …
your ad hereTop 5 Songs for Week Ending Nov. 18
We’re devouring the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending November 18, 2017. The Top Five shakes off its stupor this week, as a Transatlantic hit smashes into the runner-up slot. Number 5: Imagine Dragons “Thunder” Let’s open in fifth place, …
your ad hereDespite Health Risks, Undocumented Immigrants Clean Up Houston
It’s been more than two months since Hurricane Harvey destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes across Houston and east Texas, and cleanup is expected to last 20 months, overtaking Hurricane Katrina as the most expensive rebuilding effort in U.S. history. Undocumented workers are part of the daunting task …
your ad hereBirds Connect People with Nature
Millions of Americans feed wild birds in their backyards, from cardinals and English sparrows to blue jays and doves. Making seeds available attracts more birds and gives bird watchers a chance to enjoy seeing and maybe counting them. But it also helps birds, whether they are native or just passing …
your ad hereTesla Adds Big Trucks to Its Electrifying Ambitions
After more than a decade of making cars and SUVs — and, more recently, solar panels — Tesla Inc. wants to electrify a new type of vehicle: big trucks. The company unveiled its new electric semitractor-trailer Thursday night near its design center in Hawthorne, California. CEO Elon Musk said the …
your ad hereInterstellar Visitor Shaped Like a Giant Pink Fire Extinguisher
A newly discovered object from another star system that’s passing through ours is shaped like a giant pink fire extinguisher. That’s the word this week from astronomers who have been observing this first-ever confirmed interstellar visitor. “I’m surprised by the elongated shape — nobody expected that,” said astronomer …
your ad hereFCC Upgrade: Better Picture, Less Privacy — And You’ll Need a New TV
U.S. regulators on Thursday approved the use of new technology that will improve picture quality on mobile phones, tablets and television, but also raises significant privacy concerns by giving advertisers dramatically more data about viewing habits. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to allow broadcasters to voluntarily use the …
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