For a few hours every year, residents and visitors of this pretty Greek seaside town have a license to lose their civility. They have what’s known as a “flour war” — participants pelt each other with bags of dyed flour along the coastal road lining Galaxidi’s old harbor. It’s an …
your ad hereOfficials: Aid Sector Must Innovate to Deliver Value for Money
The humanitarian sector lacks creativity and must innovate to deliver more value for the money, officials said Monday, amid fears of a funding shortfall following the Oxfam sex scandal. Aid groups must make better use of technology — from cash transfer programs to drones — to improve the delivery of …
your ad hereI Want to Drink Your Blood: Vampire Bat’s Genetic Secrets Revealed
If you want to know how vampire bats can survive on a diet that — as everyone knows — consists exclusively of blood, the answer is simple. It’s in their genes. Scientists on Monday said they have mapped for the first time the complete genome of a vampire bat, finding …
your ad hereDoctors Blast Trump’s Mental Illness Focus to Fight Violence
Frustration is mounting in the medical community as the Trump administration again points to mental illness in response to yet another mass shooting. “The concept that mental illness is a precursor to violent behavior is nonsense,” said Dr. Louis Kraus, forensic psychiatry chief at Chicago’s Rush University Medical College. “The …
your ad hereAs ‘Black Panther’ Shows, Inclusion Pays at Box Office
A lavish, headline-grabbing premiere. Lightning word-of-mouth stoked by glowing reviews. Packed movie theaters with sold-out shows, long lines and fans decked out as characters from the film. The phenomenon of “Black Panther” had the look and feel of a classic, bona fide blockbuster in route to its record-setting $201.8 million …
your ad hereCollect Some Uranium Glass for That Peaceful Glow
Uranium glass occupies a little-known niche in the collectables world, whose members appreciate its soft color and distinctive glow, which comes from the uranium added as the glass was created. The pieces shown here come from the collection of Peter Marti and Markus Berner, who trade in antique glass at …
your ad hereMalawi Cholera Cases Pass 500, Eight People Dead
Cholera cases in Malawi have tripled and four more people have died, the Ministry of Health said on Monday, a month after the spread of the disease from Zambia was thought to have been contained. Ministry of Health spokesman Joshua Malango said the number of cases had increased to 527 …
your ad hereTrump Blasts Oprah Over 60 Minutes Episode
U.S. President Donald Trump blasted media mogul Oprah Winfrey on Twitter on Sunday night over a segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes program and again said he hoped she would face him as an opponent in the 2020 presidential race. Actress and television host Winfrey, now a contributor to the CBS …
your ad hereLegendary African Filmmaker Idrissa Ouedraogo Dies at 64
Colleagues say prolific filmmaker Idrissa Ouedraogo has died in his home country of Burkina Faso. The National Union of Burkina Faso Filmmakers on Sunday announced Ouedraogo’s death at the age of 64 from an undisclosed illness. During his career Ouedraogo produced more than 40 films including “Tilai,” which won …
your ad hereRussian Athlete Suspected of Doping
A Russian athlete is suspected of breaching doping rules at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. Russian curlers said that a coach on their team told them late Sunday (South Korean time) that mixed doubles bronze medalist Alexander Krushelnitsky tested positive for meldonium, a substance banned in 2016. Russian Curling Federation …
your ad hereRiding a 270-kilogram Walking Robot
Robotic wheelchairs are already available in some countries. But what if a disabled person needs to travel over a bumpy stretch of a road or climb stairs? A lab in South Korea is experimenting with a walking robot with a comfortable seat for a human operator. VOA’s George Putic has …
your ad hereBubba Watson Wins at Riviera for the 3rd Time
Bubba Watson was feeling low about his health and even worse about his golf. It reached a point that he wondered if he would ever win again, and he says he talked with his wife on a dozen occasions about retiring. Being back at Riviera changed his outlook and made …
your ad hereAnti-Corruption Police Arrest Latvian Central Bank Chief
Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis assured the country and Europe “there is no sign of danger,” after anti-corruption police arrested the head of the Latvian central bank Saturday. “For now, neither I, nor any other official, has any reason to interfere with the work of the Corruption Prevention Bureau,” Kucinskis …
your ad hereTiny Pacemakers Could Be Game Changers for Heart Patients
Some new, tiny pacemakers are making headway around the world. One type is keeping 15,000 people’s hearts beating in 40 countries, according to the manufacturer. Studies show these small pacemakers are safe. And, as VOA’s Carol Pearson reports, doctors expect the technology will help more heart patients over time. …
your ad hereModest Designer Finds Fashion Connects People
New York’s Fashion Week is known as a showcase for top designers’ clothing. Among those whose clothes were on the runway at the recent Fall Fashion Week, is Vivi Zubedi, who designs modest clothing for Muslim women. Anshuman Apte reports from New York. …
your ad hereBig Rigs Almost Driving Themselves on the Highway
Four automakers in Japan, including Mitsubishi and Isuzu, have road-tested a form of driverless technology. The big rigs are all equipped with a type of adaptive cruise-control system as a step toward removing the one feature you’d expect to see in the cab: a driver. Arash Arabasadi reports. …
your ad hereMissing Klimt Drawing Returned to Lentos Museum in Austria
A 100-year-old drawing by one of Austria’s most celebrated artists has come out of hiding. Gustav Klimt’s drawing, Two Reclining Figures, has resurfaced after being lost from the Lentos Museum in Linz for decades, apparently hidden in the home of a former assistant at the museum who retired in 1977. The …
your ad hereTears, Exuberance as ‘Black Panther’ Opens Across Africa
“Black Panther” has burst onto the screen in Africa, handing a powerful response to the unfortunate remarks about the continent by President Donald Trump. As the red carpet in South Africa swirled with stunning outfits and exclamations in the local isiXhosa language used in the film’s Wakanda kingdom, cast member …
your ad hereUS Commerce Department Urges Curbs on Steel, Aluminum Imports
The Commerce Department is urging President Donald Trump to impose tariffs or quotas on aluminum and steel imports from China and other countries. Unveiling the recommendations Friday, Secretary Wilbur Ross said in the case of both industries “the imports threaten to impair our national security.” As an example, Ross said …
your ad hereYoung People with Disabilities Skate Toward Glory at the Special Olympics
As the world watches the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea, some American athletes in Washington are lacing up their skates to train for their own, major sporting event. Special in every way, these young people work to overcome their developmental obstacles to compete for gold — just like the …
your ad hereRobot Drives Itself to Deliver Packages
Delivery robots could one day be part of the landscape of cities around the world. Among the latest to be developed is an Italian-made model that drives itself around town to drop off packages. Since the machine runs on electricity, its developers say it is an environmentally friendly alternative to …
your ad hereFashionable and Able: Designers Strive to Help the Disabled
A new exhibit showcases gadgets and inventions by designers striving to make disabled people’s lives easier — in style. Faith Lapidus reports. …
your ad hereIn Troubling Times, Curling Might be Just What We Need
The world, some fret, is falling apart. Politicians spar viciously on social media. Leaders lie. Former heroes fall like dominoes amid endless scandals. Cruelty has come to feel commonplace. But never fear: We have curling. The sport with the frenzied sweeping and clacking rocks has rules that require players to …
your ad hereFacebook Forges Ahead With Kids App Despite Expert Criticism
Facebook is forging ahead with its messaging app for kids, despite child experts who have pressed the company to shut it down and others who question Facebook’s financial support of some advisers who approved of the app. Messenger Kids lets kids under 13 chat with friends and family. It displays …
your ad hereCould Mining, Analyzing Social Media Posts Prevent Future Massacres?
In multiple online comments and posts, Nikolas Cruz, 19, the suspect in the Valentine’s Day high school shooting in Florida, apparently signaled his intent to hurt other people. I want to “shoot people with my AR-15,” a person using the name Nikolas Cruz wrote in one place. “I wanna die …
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