In a strong defense of his “America First” policies, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday told a gathering of global business and political luminaries that the world would benefit from U.S. economic power and invited them to embrace his growth-oriented philosophy. “When the United States grows, so does the world,” …
your ad hereReport Sees Profit in Restoring Degraded Land
Around the world, an area larger than all of South America has been deforested, eroded, drained or salinized. A new report says there’s money to be made restoring that land. VOA’s Steve Baragona has more. …
your ad hereRosy US Economic Report Expected Friday
The U.S. economy likely maintained a brisk pace of growth in the fourth quarter, driven by an acceleration in consumer and business spending, which could set it on course to attain the Trump administration’s 3 percent annual growth target this year. Gross domestic product probably increased at a 3.0 percent …
your ad hereA Cheap Test for Potable Water
According to the World Health Organization, 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Many of them rely on wells and streams, making testing the water for bacterial contamination of crucial importance. However, cheap and reliable testing equipment is often not available or not affordable. Scientists in …
your ad hereDespite Sanctions, N. Korea Reportedly Exported Coal to S. Korea, Japan via Russia
North Korea shipped coal to Russia last year which was then delivered to South Korea and Japan in a likely violation of U.N. sanctions, three Western European intelligence sources said. The U.N. Security Council banned North Korean exports of coal last Aug. 5 under sanctions intended to cut off an …
your ad hereOprah Winfrey Rules Out 2020 Presidential Run
The excitement of a run for the White House by media mogul Oprah Winfrey has come to an anticlimactic end. Winfrey tells InStyle magazine that running for president is not in her DNA. “It’s not something that interests me,” she said in an interview published Thursday. “I met with someone …
your ad hereGymnasts’ Parents Say They’ll ‘Never Get Rid of the Guilt’
Some parents thought they were misinterpreting the doctor’s techniques. Others assumed their children were lying or mistaken. But as more details emerged, the mothers and fathers had to face an awful truth: A renowned sports doctor had molested their daughters. These parents, many fighting back tears, confronted Larry Nassar during …
your ad hereNutella Riots Spread Across France
Grocery shopping went a little nuts in France when a supermarket chain deeply discounted jars of Nutella. Aficionados of the chocolate hazelnut spread jostled and fought each other when the Intermarché supermarkets offered the treat at a 70 percent discount. “They are like animals. A woman had her hair pulled, …
your ad hereMuseum Offers Trump Toilet Instead of Van Gogh
When the White House asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting from New York’s Guggenheim Museum, the request was denied. Instead, curator Nancy Spector, offered another piece of art: an 18-karat, fully functioning, solid gold toilet. The toilet was used as a temporary interactive exhibit in one of the museum’s …
your ad hereMusician Pushes Boundaries with Earth Harp
Los Angeles musician William Close holds the world record for the longest stringed instrument, a device he invented and has played around the world called the Earth Harp. Close uses resin-coated gloves to demonstrate the instrument at his Malibu studio, with strings stretched from the instrument to metal stakes …
your ad hereMelinda Gates Launches Initiative to Reduce Poverty With New Technology
Melinda Gates has launched a high-level international commission to spark new thinking on how developing countries can best harness new technologies to reduce poverty. The wife of Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates spoke at the launch of the commission in Nairobi on Thursday. The 11-member commission aims to promote …
your ad hereAt Davos Forum, Trump Threatens to Cut Aid to Palestinians
U.S. President Donald Trump has questioned whether peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians will ever resume. He made the remarks in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he accused the Palestinians of disrespecting the United States by refusing …
your ad here2018 Grammys: Will Hip-Hop Finally Even The Score?
After several near misses and heaps of outrage, this could finally be hip-hop and R&B’s year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday where rappers Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar dominate nominations for the top prizes on the biggest night in music. Rap is now officially the biggest music genre in the …
your ad hereUS, Mexican Unions to File NAFTA Complaint Over Labor Bill
U.S. and Mexican unions will formally complain to the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday that Mexico continues to violate NAFTA’s weak labor standards, a move that they hope will persuade U.S. negotiators to push for stronger rules. The AFL-CIO told Reuters that it and Mexico’s UNT were filing the complaint …
your ad hereFrom Refugee to Chef: Berlin Film Festival to Showcase Syrian Cook
A Syrian refugee will be cooking dishes from Damascus and Aleppo for VIP guests at the opening of the Berlinale International Film Festival next month. The choice of Malakeh Jazmati reflects the mission of the festival, which was set up in 1951 to showcase films that address urgent social and …
your ad herePuerto Rico Warns of 11 Percent GDP Drop in new Fiscal Plan
Puerto Rico’s governor submitted a revised fiscal plan overnight Thursday that estimates the U.S. Caribbean territory’s economy will shrink by 11 percent and its population drop by nearly 8 percent next year. The proposal doesn’t set aside any money to pay creditors in the next five years as the island …
your ad here‘Death of Stalin’ Cast Holds Out Hope for Russian Screening Despite Ban
Just two days before its scheduled release in Russian theaters, a tongue-in-check black comedy about Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, “The Death of Stalin,” has been banned by the Kremlin’s Culture Ministry. In Park City, Utah, however, where British director Armando Iannucci and several cast members are still presenting the film, …
your ad hereEgypt Places Colossus of Ramses II at new Museum’s Entrance
Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry says it has placed the ancient colossus of famed pharaoh Ramses II at the entrance of a museum under construction near the country’s famed pyramids outside the capital Cairo. Thursday’s placement of the colossus, which weighs over 80 tons and is some 12 meters (13 yards) high, …
your ad hereLynyrd Skynyrd Announce Farewell Tour Starting May 4
Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd will kick off their final tour May 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida, more than 40 years after the band’s debut album was released. The Rock `N’ Roll Hall of Famers announced Thursday that the farewell tour will also feature Kid Rock, Hank …
your ad hereControversial Bollywood Film Opens Amid Threats of Violence
There was anger about a rumored romance between a Hindu queen and a Muslim invader. There were death threats. There were buses burned and grandstanding politicians. But when the Indian film “Padmaavat” was finally released on Thursday amid heavy security and breathless TV coverage, Bollywood’s latest over-the-top offering turned …
your ad hereA Girl, a Stranger, and a Quest for Justice in China
The young woman, new to the grind of Chinese factory life, knew the man who called himself Kalen only by the photo on his chat profile. It showed him with a pressed smile holding a paper cup in a swank skyscraper somewhere late at night. Yu Chunyan and her friends …
your ad herePush Is On to Raise Sexual Misconduct Awareness at Grammys
The music industry hasn’t been rocked with as many public allegations of sexual misconduct as Hollywood, but insiders are still seeking to show solidarity with the (hash)MeToo movement on its biggest night. Key executives have called on artists and employees alike to wear a white rose on Sunday in …
your ad hereChina Pledges to Further Open Up Economy at Davos
A top economic adviser and trusted aid of Chinese leader Xi Jinping has promised that reforms are coming to China this year and adds that some could even “exceed expectations.” Speaking at a forum on the Chinese Economy at the World Economic Forum, Liu He said China would take steps …
your ad here‘Death of Stalin’ Wows Viewers at Sundance, Brings Russian Censors to Life in Moscow
Originally slated for release in Russia on Jan. 25, “The Death of Stalin,” has just been banned by the Kremlin’s Culture Ministry. At the Sundance Film Festival where it was recently screened, British director Armando Iannucci and the film’s cast tell Rafael Saakov that they’re still hopeful the movies can …
your ad hereSaving Lives by Taking the Guesswork Out of Snake Bites
An estimated 5 million people around the world are bitten by venomous snakes each year, and more than 100,000 victims die. In many cases the key to survival is anti-venom, but getting the right treatment can depend on knowing what kind of snake did the biting. Some new medical tech …
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