As the nation’s economy was still reeling from the body blow of the Great Recession, Seattle’s was about to take off. In 2010, Amazon opened a headquarters in the little-known South Lake Union district — and then expanded eight-fold over the next seven years to fill 36 buildings. Everywhere you look, …
your ad hereDisney to Buy Fox Film, TV Businesses for $52 Billion
Walt Disney Co on Thursday agreed to buy film, TV and international assets from Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc for $52.4 billion as Disney seeks greater scale to tackle growing competition from Netflix and Amazon.com. Under the terms of the all-stock deal, Disney acquires significant assets from Fox, including …
your ad hereBrexit Talks Due to Get Green Light to Move on to Trade
The European Union’s leaders are due to say Friday that the Brexit talks with Britain can move on to the next phase to include the key topic of trade, according to a draft statement seen by The Associated Press. The progress comes after the sides reached a deal on …
your ad hereAs ‘Net Neutrality’ Vote Nears, Some Brace for Long Fight
As the federal government prepares to unravel sweeping net-neutrality rules that guaranteed equal access to the internet, advocates of the regulations are bracing for a long fight. The Thursday vote scheduled at the Federal Communications Commission could usher in big changes in how Americans use the internet, a radical departure …
your ad hereBlockchain — The New Must-Know Word
There is a new word in the English language that all internet users should learn, because it may define the next stage in global financial transactions. It may not be translatable to many other languages so it may become an international term, much like “computer” or “internet,” used and understood …
your ad hereStudy: Drought Caused California Mountains to Rise
A study of California’s Sierra Nevada during the state’s extreme drought has led NASA scientists to new conclusions about how our planet stores water. The study by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, found that the mountain range rose nearly 2.5 centimeters in height from October 2011 to October …
your ad hereBritish Baby With Heart Outside Body Survives 3 Surgeries
English hospital officials said Wednesday that a baby born with her heart outside her body had survived three surgeries to mend her condition. Glenfield Hospital in Leicester said Vanellope Hope Wilkins was born in late November with her heart growing on the outside of her body. The unusual condition is …
your ad hereMicrosoft Updates Bing Search to Highlight Reputable Results
Microsoft on Wednesday rolled out new features on its Bing search engine powered by artificial intelligence, including one that summarizes the two opposing sides of contentious questions, and another that measures how many reputable sources are behind a given answer. Tired of delivering misleading information when their algorithms are gamed …
your ad hereUltra-rare Prince Vinyl ‘Black Album’ Resurfaces
One of the world’s rarest records has resurfaced — several vinyl copies of Prince’s “Black Album,” which the eccentric pop legend had demanded destroyed 30 years ago. Recordmecca, a collector’s site owned by a former executive on Prince’s Warner Brothers label, on Wednesday was selling a coveted sealed vinyl copy …
your ad hereGlacier National Park Offers More Than Glaciers
There was a time — in this northwest corner of Montana — when glaciers ruled the land. Crown of the Continent The abundance of the massive rivers of ice — and their runoff — created “a land of striking scenery.” That’s how American anthropologist, historian, naturalist and writer George Bird …
your ad hereA Landscape Carved in the Last Ice Age
How many places are there in the U.S. where visitors get to see nature in all its abundance within a single setting? National parks traveler Mikah Meyer thinks Glacier National Park, in northern Montana on the border with Canada, comes pretty darn close. He shared highlights of his experiences with …
your ad hereUS Central Bank Raises Interest Rate Slightly
The U.S. central bank raised its key interest rate slightly Wednesday, but left the level low enough to continue stimulating economic growth. The Federal Reserve pushed up rates a quarter of a percent to a range between 1.25 and 1.5 percent. The increase leaves the benchmark rate below historic averages. …
your ad hereTrump Administration Calls for Government IT to Adopt Cloud Services
The White House said Wednesday the U.S. government needs a major overhaul of information technology systems and should take steps to better protect data and accelerate efforts to use cloud-based technology. “Difficulties in agency prioritization of resources in support of IT modernization, ability to procure services quickly, and technical issues …
your ad hereHalf of World’s People Can’t get Basic Health Services: WHO
At least half the world’s population is unable to access essential health services and many others are forced into extreme poverty by having to pay for healthcare they cannot afford, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. Some 800 million people worldwide spend at least 10 percent of their household …
your ad hereSweet Victory: French Candymakers Win China Legal War
Revenge is sweet for the makers of France’s traditional “calisson” candies, who have won a months-long legal battle with a businessman who trademarked the product’s name in China. The lozenge-shaped sweets, made of a mixture of candied fruit and ground almonds topped with icing, are widely enjoyed in France’s southern …
your ad hereHollywood Actor Bamba Reveals Secret: He’s Undocumented
Actor Bambadjan Bamba may be on the verge of stardom because of his role in the upcoming comic book superhero film Black Panther. But lately, he has been making headlines by revealing a secret he has kept for many years. “I’m a black immigrant … and I’m undocumented,” said Bamba who plays …
your ad hereTanzania Orders Tighter Controls on Currency, Bank Crackdown as Growth Slows
Tanzanian president John Magufuli ordered the central bank on Wednesday to tighten controls on the movement of hard currency and take swift action against failing banks in a bid to tackle financial crimes and protect the local shilling currency. The move comes as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on …
your ad hereRock Hall 2018 Class: Nina Simone, Bon Jovi, the Moody Blues
Iconic singer Nina Simone and New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi lead the 2018 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, which includes four first-time nominees. The Cars, as well as first-time contenders Dire Straits, The Moody Blues and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, also are part of the 2018 class …
your ad hereGrowing Levels of E-Waste Bad for Environment, Health and Economy
A new report finds growing levels of E-waste pose significant risks to the environment and human health and result in huge economic losses for countries around the world. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the launch of the International Telecommunication Union report in Geneva. The global information society is racing …
your ad hereItalian Laser Device Detects Potentially Dangerous Food Fraud
‘Food Fraud’ costs the food and beverage industry an estimated $30 billion every year. Food fraud is the deliberate substitution or misrepresentation of food products for economic gain. It can be as harmless as selling watered down olive oil, or as dangerous as substituting starch or plastic for rice. But …
your ad hereEmTech at MIT: Where Technology’s Future First Appears
Every year hundreds of the most famous names in high tech gather on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or M.I.T, for the EmTech Conference, an opportunity to discover future trends in technology that will drive the new global economy. This report by VOA Russsian Service reporter Evgeny …
your ad hereWaddling into History: Huge Ancient Penguin Inhabited New Zealand
Scientists have unearthed in New Zealand fossil bones of what might be the heavyweight champion of the penguin world, a bird nearly 6 feet tall (1.77 meters) that thrived 55 to 60 million years ago, relatively soon after the demise of the dinosaurs. Researchers said on Tuesday the ancient penguin, …
your ad hereUS, EU, Japan Slam Market Distortion in Swipe at China
The United States, European Union and Japan vowed Tuesday to work together to fight market-distorting trade practices and policies that have fueled excess production capacity, naming several key features of China’s economic system. In a joint statement that did not single out China or any other country, the three economic …
your ad here‘A Fantastic Woman’ Director Celebrates Golden Globe Nod
Director Sebastian Lelio feels that A Fantastic Woman has gone beyond the cinematic experience with its social message, to a great extent thanks to the performance of its star, Daniela Vega. The film follows Marina, a transgender woman who, after the passing of her older lover, is mistreated by his family …
your ad hereAfreximbank Pledges Up to $1.5B to Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe
The African Export and Import Bank has pledged up to $1.5 billion in new loans and financial guarantees to Zimbabwe in a major boost for new President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, the bank’s president and chairman said Tuesday. Mnangagwa, who took over last month after veteran autocrat Robert Mugabe quit following …
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