Kenneth Branagh is teasing the return of “old friends” in his planned sequel to “Murder on the Orient Express.” Branagh is expected to both direct and reprise his role as the fancifully mustachioed lead character Detective Hercule Poirot in “Death on the Nile,” another mystery based on an Agatha Christie …
your ad hereStarfish Making Comeback After Syndrome Killed Millions
Starfish are making a comeback on the U.S. West Coast, four years after a mysterious syndrome killed millions of them. From 2013 to 2014, Sea Star Wasting Syndrome hit sea stars from British Columbia to Mexico. The starfish would develop lesions and then disintegrate, their arms turning into blobs of …
your ad here8 Eastern US States Sue EPA Over Air Pollution
Eight Eastern U.S. states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency, demanding that it order tougher controls on some Midwestern states over air pollution blowing eastward. New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is leading the lawsuit, saying the Trump administration had failed to impose congressionally mandated anti-pollution standards on parts …
your ad hereCalifornia Preps for Pot-infused Fare, From Wine to Tacos
The sauvignon blanc boasts brassy, citrus notes, but with one whiff, it’s apparent this is no normal Sonoma County wine. It’s infused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that provides the high. Move over, pot brownies. The world’s largest legal recreational marijuana market kicks off Monday in California, and …
your ad hereVietnam Unveils 10,000-strong Cyberunit to Combat ‘Wrong Views’
Vietnam has unveiled a new, 10,000-strong military cyberwarfare unit to counter “wrong” views on the Internet, media reported, amid a widening crackdown on critics of the one-party state. The cyber unit, named Force 47, is already in operation in several sectors, Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Nghia, deputy head of the military’s …
your ad hereMilitary Turns to Oyster Reefs to Protect Against Storms
Earle Naval Weapons Station, where the Navy loads some of America’s most sophisticated weapons onto warships, suffered $50 million worth of damage in Superstorm Sandy. Now the naval pier is fortifying itself with some decidedly low-tech protection: oysters. The facility has allowed an environmental group to plant nearly a mile …
your ad hereGhana-born Teen is First African American Woman on US Olympic Speedskating Team
At the age of 5, Maame Biney immigrated to the U.S. from Ghana to live with her father. She was an energetic child, and her father wanted to channel that energy into a sport. One day, they drove by a local ice rink in Reston, Virginia, where a sign in …
your ad here‘Every Day Africa’ Project Aims to Undermine Stereotypes
When schoolchildren in Washington, D.C. are asked to say the first thing that comes to mind about Africa, they use words like hot, desert, sand, poverty, hunger, war and Ebola. These are all accurate things to say about that part or the world — but they reflect an “incomplete” picture, …
your ad hereEastern Libya to Stage Conference in March to Rebuild Benghazi
Authorities in eastern Libya have announced a conference in March to drum up support to rebuild the country’s second-largest city Benghazi heavily damaged during three years of fighting between military forces and Islamist fighters. The announcement signals a desire to demonstrate a return to normality in the port, where top …
your ad hereOil Prices Rise on Libyan Pipeline Blast
Oil moved higher above $65 a barrel on Tuesday, within sight of its highest since mid-2015, supported by an explosion on a crude pipeline in Libya and voluntary OPEC-led supply cuts. The move towards restart of a key North Sea pipeline, Forties, capped the rally. The pipeline is being tested …
your ad hereMinister: Sudan to Devalue Pound Currency in January
Sudan is to devalue its currency to 18 Sudanese pounds per dollar in January from the current exchange rate of 6.7, the finance minister said on Tuesday. The International Monetary Fund urged Sudan earlier this month to float its currency to boost growth and investment, but the government has ruled …
your ad hereMali Hopes to Revive Industry and Increase Exports
The shops in Mali are full of imported goods from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This, Mali’s captains of industry maintain, is not necessary. Mali can produce a lot of what it consumes at home. But for that to happen, there needs to be a wholesale revival of its …
your ad hereBeijing Tops China’s ‘First Green Development’ Index, but Sinks in Public Opinion
China published its first “green development” index on Tuesday, listing regional governments which promote environmentally friendly development, with Beijing coming out top, though it came second-to-last in a survey of public satisfaction. The heavily polluted capital was first in the ranking of 31 provinces and regions for 2016, which was …
your ad hereMuscle Stem Cells Respond Differently to Aging and Injury
Why do our muscles recover from injury, but lose mass and strength as we age? A new study looked for the answer to why muscle stem cells respond differently to aging and to injury. VOA’s Faith Lapidus reports the findings could affect therapy for injuries, diseases and aging. …
your ad hereScientists Toughening Coral Against Climate Change
Coastal communities around the world depend on coral reefs for food, storm protection and tourism. But many reefs are suffering under the onslaught of climate change. Scientists are fighting back, however. VOA’s Steve Baragona visited labs in Florida where researchers aim to help reefs adapt to a hotter future. …
your ad hereBreaking Gender Barrier in Construction
Construction is one of the fields that has long been dominated by men. Though women have increasingly come to the field, working as electricians, carpenters and plumbers, they’re still underrepresented. Faiza Elmasry tells us about a training program established by Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen, SALT, an Australian non-profit that works …
your ad hereAnnual Winter Fishing Festival Under a Frozen Lake in China
Atop a lake covered by thick ice, fishermen in Northeast China cast out the first net for this year’s winter fishing festival. It’s an ancient yearly tradition that these days is as much an international spectator sport as it is a source of food. Arash Arabasadi reports. …
your ad here‘Sound of Music’ Actress Heather Menzies-Urich Dies at 68
Actress Heather Menzies-Urich, who played one of the singing von Trapp children in the 1965 hit film, “The Sound of Music,” has died. She was 68. Her son, actor Ryan Urich, told Variety that his mother died late Sunday in Frankford, Ontario, Canada. She had been diagnosed with brain cancer. …
your ad hereRohingya Refugees Face Financial Problems in Bangladesh
Many Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh facing diminished income are supplementing their needs with work in the camps. Steve Sandford talks to a few young and old entrepreneurs who have set up new businesses in the refugee zones. …
your ad hereIsrael Regulator Seeks to Ban Bitcoin Firms From Stock Exchange
Israel’s markets regulator said on Monday he will propose regulation to ban companies based on bitcoin and other digital currencies from trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). Shmuel Hauser, the chairman of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA), told the Calcalist business conference he will bring the proposal to …
your ad hereSomalia Once Again to Host International Soccer Matches
The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has announced plans to host international games beginning next year because of improving security, the head of the body has announced. President of the SFF, Abdiqani Said Arab, says the time has come for Somalia to organize home games in the country’s soccer stadiums in …
your ad hereWith AIDS, 2017 Saw One Step Closer to the End
The year 2017 saw amazing advances in some areas of medicine and avoidable setbacks in others. VOA’s Carol Pearson has the highs and the lows in this report. …
your ad hereSecuring Your Data in Cloud Storage
Saving digital files in commercial memory banks called cloud storage is a cheap and convenient way for long-term storage of documents, photos, music and video. Private users as well as businesses can access them from anywhere and share them with whomever they give the password to. Providers, such as Dropbox, …
your ad hereGerman Employers Use Music to Spur Workplace Harmony
Management experts are always coming up with innovative ideas to improve the work environment, inspire employees and raise productivity. Big companies in Germany, like Lufthansa, Siemens, Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen’s Audi, are bringing harmony to the workplace by having symphony orchestras and encouraging employees to play music together. Faiza Elmasry …
your ad hereAlexa, Where’s Santa?
Amazon’s diligent, computerized know-it-all is the latest technology to enlist in NORAD Tracks Santa, the military-run program that fields phone calls and emails from children around the world eager to ask when Santa will arrive. Now entering its 62nd year, NORAD Tracks Santa will go live Sunday, with about 1,500 …
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