Getting onto a bus with a driver may be a thing of the past someday. Already, a technology company in Sweden is trying out a driverless minibus in Stockholm. VOA’s Deborah Block tells us about it. …
your ad hereBritain Buys Into China’s ‘One Belt’ Initiative, but Washington Offers Warning
Britain has made clear its desire to be part of China’s so-called ‘One Belt One Road Initiative’ — a cornerstone of President Xi Jinping’s vision to boost Chinese investment and influence across Asia, Europe and Africa. There are, however, concerns over the financial and humanitarian costs of the vast infrastructure …
your ad hereWorkers Benefiting from Tight Labor Market
Another solid month for the U.S. economy as American companies added 200,000 new workers to their payrolls last month. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent, but wages are rising. Although the number of unemployed Americans continues to fall, recruiting agencies say they’ve never been busier. Mil Arcega explains. …
your ad hereFederal Reserve Imposes New Penalties on Wells Fargo
The Federal Reserve announced Friday that it was imposing more penalties on Wells Fargo, freezing the bank’s growth until it can prove it has improved its internal controls. In addition, bank agreed to replace four board members. It’s the latest blow against the San Francisco bank that has had its …
your ad hereSuspected Spam King Extradited to US
Spain has extradited to the United States a Russian citizen who is suspected of being one of the world’s most notorious spammers. Pyotr Levashov, a 37-year-old from St. Petersburg, was arrested in April while vacationing with his family in Barcelona. U.S. authorities had asked for him to be detained on …
your ad hereHigh Levels of Cellphone Radiation Linked to Tumors in Rats, Study Says
Male rats exposed to very high levels of the kind of radiation emitted by cellphones developed tumors in the tissues around their hearts, according to a draft report by U.S. government researchers on the potential health risks of the devices. Female rats and mice exposed in the same way did not develop tumors, according to …
your ad hereUS Stocks Swoon, Sending Dow Down More Than 650 Points
U.S. stocks slumped Friday, pulling down the Dow Jones industrial average by more than 650 points and handing the market its worst week in two years. Technology, banks and energy stocks accounted for much of the broad slide. Several major companies, including Exxon Mobil and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, sank …
your ad hereDow Falls More Than 600 Points as Stocks’ Slide Continues
Stocks closed sharply lower in New York on Friday, extending a weeklong slide, as the Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 600 points. The drop capped stocks’ worst week in two years. The Dow’s drop was its biggest in percentage terms since June 2016. Several giant U.S. companies’ shares dropped after …
your ad hereJames Ivory, 89, May Set an Oscar Record, But He’d Rather Work
James Ivory didn’t see “Call Me By Your Name” with an audience until the week before he was nominated for its screenplay. He caught it at a New York theater with a good audience, he says, that applauded at the end. It was his first tangible taste of the adulation …
your ad hereViva Forever? Ex-Spice Girls Meet Up Amid Reunion Rumors
All five former members of the Spice Girls have met up amid rumors of a plan to reunite the girl-power group. Photos posted by several group members on social media showed Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, Melanie “Sporty Spice” Chisholm, Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton, Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown and Geri “Ginger …
your ad hereOctober Wedding Date Set for Britain’s Princess Eugenie
Britain’s Prince Andrew says an Oct. 12 wedding date has been set for his daughter, Princess Eugenie. Andrew, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II, announced the date Friday on his official Twitter account. Eugenie, the 27-year-old daughter of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, will marry Jack Brooksbank at …
your ad hereBritain Embraces China’s ‘One Belt’ Initiative; Washington Offers Warning
Britain has made clear its desire to be part of China’s so-called “One Belt One Road” initiative — a cornerstone of President Xi Jinping’s vision to boost Chinese investment and influence across Asia, Europe and Africa. But there are concerns about the financial and humanitarian costs of the vast infrastructure …
your ad hereBear-Cams Show Polar Bears Going Hungry as Arctic Ice Shrinks
A rare glimpse inside the everyday lives of polar bears may give scientists clues about their decline. With bear-cams and activity trackers around the necks of nine polar bears, researchers monitored more than a week of their daily activity during peak hunting season in the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Five …
your ad hereMinneapolis Residents Take to the Sky
February in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is cold — the kind of cold that stings your face and burns your lungs as soon as you walk outside. Today’s temperature is minus 10 degrees Celsius, and local business owner Brad Rohles is getting ready for work. Boots? Check. Heavy jacket? Check. Gloves? Check. …
your ad hereWorld’s Longest Skyway Gives Minneapolis Residents a Break From Harsh Winter
Minneapolis is known for being cold — extremely cold. But when the temperatures drop and the wind chill bites, how do local residents cope and still carry on with their day-to-day lives? VOA’s Brian Allen will take you up into the sky, or more specifically, up into the Skyway to …
your ad hereGlasses Capture 360 Video From Wearer’s Perspective
As virtual reality becomes more popular, different types of 360-degree cameras are popping up for consumers. One that stands out from the crowd for its unique look and design are eye glasses with built-in cameras. Elizabeth Lee has the details. …
your ad hereUltrasound Prosthetics Allow Fine Motor Control
Just like every other health technology, prosthetics are now able to do things that were unimaginable a few years ago. The advances are happening with the help of machine learning, but also through human ingenuity. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereInvestigators: Actor Robert Wagner a ‘Person of Interest’ in Wife Natalie Wood’s Death
Investigators in the unsolved 1981 drowning death of actress Natalie Wood have named her husband, actor Robert Wagner, as a “person of interest” in a case that stunned the nation. Wood’s body was found floating off Santa Catalina Island the morning after she disappeared from a yachting party with Wagner, …
your ad hereGoogle’s AI Push Comes with Plenty of People Problems
Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently declared that artificial intelligence fueled by powerful computers was more important to humanity than fire or electricity. And yet the search giant increasingly faces a variety of messy people problems as well. The company has vowed to employ thousands of human checkers just to catch …
your ad hereHaiti’s Women’s Under-20 Soccer Team Makes History, Qualifies for World Cup
Haiti’s teen women’s soccer team made history this week when it qualified for the country’s first FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup berth. Star midfielder Sherly Jeudy scored the winning goal to lead the team to a 1-0 victory over Canada in the third-place game Sunday at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, held …
your ad hereApple Dealing with iPhone Jitters, Coming Off Big Quarter
Apple is making more money than ever, but it still doesn’t seem to be enough to keep everyone happy. Not with conspiracy theories swirling around Apple’s secret slowdown of older iPhones while a cloud of uncertainty looms over its high-priced iPhone X. It’s a reality check for a company accustomed …
your ad hereSuper Blue Blood Moon of 2018
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your ad hereCan a Better Electric Motor Save the Planet?
If Nikola Tesla, the legendary genius who invented the electric induction motor were alive today, he would no doubt be disappointed. That’s because the majority of electric motors we produce today (including the one that powers his namesake 2017 Tesla Model S), remain fundamentally the same as the one he patented …
your ad hereEgypt Starts Radar Scans for Secret Rooms Behind Tut’s Tomb
Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry says archaeologists are starting radar scans of the tomb of famed pharaoh Tutankhamun in the southern city of Luxor. The ministry said Thursday the scans will be carried out over a week to check for the existence of any hidden chambers behind the tomb. Egypt …
your ad hereEBay Investors Cheer Move to Ditch PayPal as Main Payments Partner
Shares of eBay hit an all-time high on Thursday after the e-commerce platform unveiled a plan to take more control of customer payments from long-standing partner PayPal, a move analysts said would help it compete better with Amazon. Dutch fintech company Adyen will become eBay’s primary payments processor under the …
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