Toshiba Corp.’s energy systems unit on Friday unveiled a long telescopic pipe carrying a pan-tilt camera designed to gather crucial information about the situation inside the reactor chambers at Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. The device is 13 meters (43 feet) long and designed to give officials a deeper view …
your ad hereUN: Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh Face a Nutrition, Health Crisis
A nutritional survey of Rohingya refugee children at a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, found high rates of malnutrition and other debilitating, life-threatening health problems. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac calls the survey findings alarming, saying they indicate thousands of Rohingya refugee children are facing a public health crisis. “Up to …
your ad hereBitcoin Plunges Below $12,000, Heads for Worst Week Since 2013
Bitcoin plunged by a quarter to below $12,000 on Friday as investors dumped the cryptocurrency in manic trading after its blistering ascent to a peak close to $20,000 prompted warnings by experts of a bubble. It capped a brutal week that had been touted as a new era of mainstream …
your ad hereSnowy Owls Wintering in US Fitted With Tiny Tracking Devices
Scott Judd trained his camera lens on the white dot in the distance. As he moved up the Lake Michigan shoreline, the speck on a breakwater came into view and took his breath away: it was a snowy owl, thousands of miles from its Arctic home. “It was an amazing …
your ad hereRussian Hackers Targeted More Than 200 Journalists Globally
Russian television anchor Pavel Lobkov was in the studio getting ready for his show when jarring news flashed across his phone: Some of his most intimate messages had just been published to the web. Days earlier, the veteran journalist had come out live on air as HIV-positive, a taboo-breaking revelation …
your ad here‘Obamacare’ Surprise: Strong Showing as Nearly 9M Sign Up
In a remarkably strong show of consumer demand, nearly 9 million people signed up for “Obamacare” next year, as government numbers out Thursday proved predictions of its collapse wrong yet again. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said more than 8.8 million people have signed up in the …
your ad hereHow a Ukrainian Folk Chant Became the Theme of American Christmas
For several decades Carol of the Bells or the Ukrainian Bell Carol has been an essential part of the American Christmas tradition – just like Christmas trees or presents. One can hear the song on radio or in TV-commercials, it has rock, jazz or metal versions. What makes it so …
your ad hereSportscaster Dick Enberg Found Dead at Home at Age 82
Dick Enberg, the sportscaster who got his big break with UCLA basketball and went on to call Super Bowls, Olympics, Final Fours and Angels and Padres baseball games, died Thursday. He was 82. Engberg’s daughter, Nicole, confirmed the death to The Associated Press. She said the family became concerned when …
your ad hereIs That Toy Spying on You?
The toys your kids unwrap this Christmas could invite hackers into your home. That Grinch-like warning comes from the FBI, which said earlier this year that toys connected to the internet could be a target for crooks who may listen in on conversations or use them to steal a child’s …
your ad hereFamed Conductor Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Three opera singers and a classical musician say that world-renowned conductor Charles Dutoit sexually assaulted them — physically restraining them, forcing his body against theirs, sometimes thrusting his tongue into their mouths, and in one case, sticking one of their hands down his pants. In separate interviews with The Associated …
your ad hereUN Security Council to Vote Friday on Additional North Korea Sanctions
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Friday on another round of targeted sanctions aimed at further restricting North Korea’s crude oil imports, which fuel its illicit weapons programs. The proposed sanctions come in response to Pyongyang’s November 28 launch of a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) called …
your ad herePapa John’s Founder Out as CEO, Weeks After NFL Comments
Papa John’s founder John Schnatter will step down as CEO next month, about two months after he publicly criticized the NFL leadership over national anthem protests by football players — comments for which the company later apologized. Schnatter will be replaced as chief executive by Chief Operating Officer Steve Ritchie …
your ad hereRussia’s Globex Bank Says Hackers Targeted Its SWIFT Computers
Hackers tried to steal 55 million rubles ($940,000) from Russian state bank Globex using the SWIFT international payments messaging system, the bank said Thursday, the latest in a string of attempted cyberheists that use fraudulent wire-transfer requests. Globex President Valery Ovsyannikov told Reuters that the attempted attack occurred last week, …
your ad hereApple Acknowledges Taking Action to Slow Down Older iPhones
Apple, the American multi-national technology company, has acknowledged it has taken action that slows the performance of its older iPhones. After Primate Labs, which makes an application that measures the speed of iPhone processors, disclosed data Monday that seemingly showed the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models perform slower as …
your ad hereAfter Delays, Ground Broken for Thailand-China Railway Project
Construction of a long-awaited Thai-Chinese railway line that will link Thailand, Laos and China officially began on Thursday with a ground-breaking ceremony in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The first phase of the project, a 250-km (155 mile) high-speed rail line linking Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, is expected …
your ad hereA Shoe James Bond Would Be Proud Of
For every person who just loves James Bond, it’s the perfect gift. A very nice, stylish pair of shoes, that just happen to be full of high-tech hidden compartments. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereFans Say Farewell to S. Korean Singer Who Died in Suspected Suicide
Grief-stricken fans braved Seoul’s winter cold on Thursday to bid farewell to Kim Jong-hyun, the lead singer of top South Korean boy band SHINee, who died in hospital in a suspected suicide. Weeping, wailing and embracing one another, young men and women dressed in grey and black lined the road …
your ad hereNew York Gets Ready for Christmas
Cities around the United States are getting ready for Christmas. And when it comes to the season’s decorations, New York City stands out for turning Manhattan’s streets into a big, dazzling holiday display. Faiza Elmasry has this report narrated by Faith Lapidus. …
your ad hereThailand Battles Drug-Resistant Malaria Strains
While progress has been made against malaria, the mosquito-borne disease kills more than 420,000 people each year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Now, drug-resistant malaria strains in Southeast Asia could threaten the global fight against the disease. VOA’s Faith Lapidus reports. …
your ad hereClifford Irving, Author of Howard Hughes Literary Hoax, Dies at 87
Clifford Irving, whose scheme to publish a phony autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes created a sensation in the 1970s and stands as one of the all-time literary hoaxes, died after being admitted to hospice care. He was 87. Irving’s wife, Julie Irving, confirmed that he died Tuesday at a hospice …
your ad hereOverdose Deaths Soar, Cut Life Expectancy for 2nd Year
U.S. deaths from drug overdoses skyrocketed 21 percent last year, and for the second straight year dragged down how long Americans are expected to live. The government figures released Thursday put drug deaths at 63,600, up from about 52,000 in 2015. For the first time, the powerful painkiller fentanyl and …
your ad hereUS Youth Conservation Group Enjoys Holiday Cheer
Throughout the year, young members of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps beautify the city — cleaning and planting trees, and creating trails and green spaces in the city. They get a break at the holidays to share holiday cheer. “We all come together to have fun,” says Corps member Chrishana …
your ad hereIron-Fortified Beans Winning Customers in Rwanda, Uganda
A recent study by the Global Nutrition Report 2017 shows that eating beans bred to contain more iron boosts memory and attention in college-going women in Rwanda. The specially biofortified beans could prove significant in a continent where iron deficiency (ID) affects both adults and children, with dire consequences. Lenny …
your ad hereLaurie Metcalf Gets her First Oscars Shot With ‘Lady Bird’
Laurie Metcalf has won three Emmys and a Tony Award in her nearly 40-year year career, but the veteran stage and screen actress still feels uncomfortable in front of a camera. She says even after all her years on “Roseanne,” she still finds that a camera recording her makes her …
your ad hereMilitants in Lake Chad Region Block Polio Program
Scientists warn a campaign to eradicate polio in central Africa is falling short because of upheaval in the Lake Chad Basin area, where the Boko Haram militant group remains active. On the positive side, on country – Gabon – has been declared polio-free. Professor Rose Leke, who heads the Africa …
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