A handful of Indian cities are gearing up to launch bike-sharing systems to ease traffic congestion and deadly air pollution, as urban populations surge and vehicles clog the streets. Bike-sharing systems in the southern city of Mysuru and the central city of Bhopal, both launched last June, have met with …
your ad hereSudan Currency Continues Descent on Black Market Amid Unrest
Sudan’s pound currency weakened to 30.5 pounds to the U.S. dollar on Tuesday from about 29.5 pounds a day earlier, traders said, continuing its fall amid protests over bread prices and an acute shortage of hard currency. Street protests broke out across the northeastern African country after bread prices doubled …
your ad hereTwitter, Snapchat Tie Up with Fox to Provide Coverage of FIFA World Cup
Twenty-First Century Fox’s Fox Sports is partnering with Twitter to stream a live show and Snap Inc’s Snapchat to showcase stories with match-day highlights on the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament to be hosted in Russia later this year. Fox Sports would produce the show, which will be streamed from …
your ad hereUsing ‘Digital Lego,’ Communities Redesign India’s Slums
When urban designer Trupti Vaitla asked residents of a Mumbai slum what new features they’d like to see in their dilapidated public space, she was surprised by one popular answer: a patch of grass. The Lotus Garden is the only open area for about 200,000 people who live in cramped …
your ad hereIn Kenya, Struggling Potato Growers Ink a New Deal
Sitting on a rickety bench at his home in Kipipiri, in central Kenya, Samuel Macharia pulls a piece of paper from his pocket and proudly points to the signature at the bottom. “This paper means I get paid on time for my potatoes, even when the weather is bad,” he …
your ad hereVenezuela’s Congress Declares ‘Petro’ Cryptocurrency Illegal
Venezuela’s opposition-run parliament on Tuesday outlawed a “petro” cryptocurrency promoted by socialist President Nicolas Maduro, calling it an effort to illegally mortgage the cash-strapped country’s oil reserves. Maduro on Friday said his government would issue nearly $6 billion of petros as a way to raise hard currency and to evade …
your ad hereAmazon’s Jeff Bezos Now World’s Richest Man
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos is now the richest person of all time, with a fortune of $105.1 billion, according to financial news outlet Bloomberg. With the stock market soaring to new heights in the first few days of 2018, Bezos’ fortune rocketed upward, growing $6.1 billion in just five trading …
your ad hereAfter Olympic Deal, North Korea Figure Skaters May Lead Team
They’re the friendly face of North Korea, and it looks like they’re coming south to the Olympics. With sparkling costumes and winning smiles, figure skaters Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik could lead the North Korean team in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month after their government said Tuesday it …
your ad hereOil Prices Rise to Three-Year High
Oil prices surged to a three-year high Tuesday on rising expectations that OPEC member countries will comply with oil production cuts to the end of 2018. Brent Crude prices are headed toward $70 a barrel, West Texas Crude settled at $62.96 bbl, the highest since December 2014. But other factors …
your ad hereScientists: Warming Oceans Could Scupper Marine Food System
Failure to rein in global temperature rises could cause the marine food web to collapse, devastating the livelihoods of tens of millions of people who rely on fisheries for food and income, scientists have warned. Warming oceans restrict vital energy flows between different species in the marine ecosystem, reducing the …
your ad hereStudy: Honeybees’ Attraction to Fungicide ‘Unsettling’ for Food Output
Honeybees are attracted to a fungicide used in agriculture with “unsettling implications” for global food production, a scientist said Tuesday. Tests carried out by a team from the University of Illinois showed bees preferred to collect sugar syrup laced with the fungicide chlorothalonil over sugar syrup alone. The finding follows …
your ad hereFBI Chief Calls Unbreakable Encryption ‘Urgent Public Safety Issue’
The inability of law enforcement authorities to access data from electronic devices due to powerful encryption is an “urgent public safety issue,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday as he sought to renew a contentious debate over privacy and security. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was unable to access …
your ad hereDemocrats Vow to Force Vote on Net Neutrality, Make It a Campaign Issue
U.S. Senate Democrats said on Tuesday they will force a vote later this year on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s reversal of landmark Obama administration net neutrality rules and will try to make it a key issue in the 2018 congressional elections. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the issue …
your ad hereMexico Records 6.77 Percent Inflation Rate in 2017, a 17-year High
Mexico recorded 6.77 percent annual inflation in 2017, the country said Tuesday, more than double its 3 percent target and a 17-year high. The government’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography published the widely expected figure, also saying that consumer prices rose 0.59 percent in December. “The inflation rebound is …
your ad hereFilm on New York’s Met to Include Price Interview
The Opera House, a documentary to be broadcast to theaters worldwide Saturday as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series, includes an interview with soprano Leontyne Price. Price is the unquestioned star of the film, which blends operatic and architectural lore with an overview of New York’s social and political history …
your ad hereUnlikely Rivalry in Aerials Set to Continue at Pyeongchang Olympics
Two countries, Belarus and China, have dominated the men’s aerials at the last three Winter Olympics and look to do the same this time around in Pyeongchang. While traditions, resources and basic geography often sustain the same rivalries in Olympic events, the long-standing duel in the acrobatic skiing event of …
your ad hereGreek Communist Anti-Austerity Protesters Storm Labor Ministry
Greek demonstrators stormed the country’s Labor Ministry and confronted its chief on Tuesday in protest at moves to restrict the right to strike, a condition set by international creditors in exchange for bailout funds. Athens is set to introduce legislation which could limit the frequency of strikes in the country, …
your ad herePeru’s Alpine Herders Revive Ancient Technologies to Face the Future
With their alpine grasslands shrinking due to erratic rainfall and glacier retreat, herders in Peru’s central Andes have decided that the future lies in reviving the past. To improve access to water and save their livestock, indigenous communities in the villages of Canchayllo and Miraflores have restored abandoned dams, reservoirs …
your ad hereEurozone Recovery Pushes Unemployment to Lowest Since 2009
Unemployment across the 19-country eurozone fell in November to its lowest level in nearly nine years, official figures showed Tuesday, in the latest sign that the currency bloc’s economy headed into the new year in robust shape. Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency, said the jobless rate adjusted for seasonal …
your ad hereDavid Beckham Launches L’Oreal Men’s Grooming Products
David Beckham is following his wife into the beauty market with a label of his own for L’Oreal. The soccer star married to fashion mogul Victoria Beckham will launch 21 men’s grooming products under the name House 99 on Feb. 1 in the United Kingdom, exclusively at Harvey Nichols stores. …
your ad hereTrump Doesn’t Believe Oprah Winfrey Will Run for President
President Donald Trump says he doesn’t believe self-made billionaire media proprietor and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will run for president in 2020 but he expressed confidence that he would defeat her. “Oprah will be lots of fun,” Trump said at the White House Tuesday. “I don’t think she’s going to run.” …
your ad hereSmart Everything at Computer Electronics Show
The new smart electronic gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas may help drive you into an increasingly connected future. In the case of Byton, a futuristic smart car that is one of the hits of the CES – a driver steps into a …
your ad hereTrump to Attend Davos World Economic Forum
The White House says President Donald Trump will attend this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, only the second time a U.S. president has attended the summit, and the first in 18 years. Presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday, “The president welcomes opportunities to advance his America …
your ad hereVenezuela Extends Trade Ban With 3 Caribbean Islands
Venezuela has extended its ban on air and maritime ties with three nearby Dutch Caribbean islands, citing out of control smuggling, officials said Tuesday. Venezuela is pressing for high-level talks with leaders of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire before trading can resume, officials said. Vice President Tareck El Aissami …
your ad hereSpaceX: Rocket Performed OK in Secret Satellite Launch
SpaceX is defending its rocket performance during Sunday night’s launch of a secret U.S. satellite, responding to media reports that the satellite codenamed Zuma was lost. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says the Falcon 9 rocket “did everything correctly” and suggestions otherwise are “categorically false.” Northrop Grumman — which provided …
your ad here