The search for new worlds outside our solar system will enter a new phase (April 16), when NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, takes off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working with NASA on the mission. Faith Lapidus reports. …
your ad hereBon Jovi, Simone, Dire Straits to be Inducted into Rock Hall
Bon Jovi, the Cars and four first-time nominees, including Nina Simone, will be inducted Saturday night as the 2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class. Dire Straits, The Moody Blues and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who died in 1973, will also earn the prestigious honor at the organization’s 33rd annual ceremony …
your ad hereCambodia Faces ‘Dark Episode’ With Revival of Traditional Arts, Culture
When she was 11, Bonna Neang woke daily at first light to a Khmer Rouge tune broadcast over a public speaker in a hamlet in Cambodia’s rural Banteay Meanchey province. “The bright, fresh red blood was spilled all over the towns and over the plains of Cambodia, our motherland. … …
your ad herePence Says NAFTA Deal Possible in Several Weeks
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that he was leaving a summit of Latin American countries in Peru very hopeful that the United States, Mexico and Canada were close to a deal on a renegotiated NAFTA trade pact. Pence told reporters it was possible that a deal would be reached in the next several weeks. The …
your ad hereIndia’s Federal Police File Case Against Former UCO Bank Chairman
India’s federal police said Saturday that they had filed a case against a former chairman of state-run UCO Bank and several business executives alleging criminal conspiracy that caused a loss of 6.21 billion rupees ($95.17 million). Police said officials at the bank had colluded with private infrastructure firm Era Engineering Infra Ltd. and investment banking firm …
your ad hereWestern Films about Russia – Reflection of History or Propaganda?
Two recent Western films on Russia, one a Hollywood spy thriller, the other an independent historical satire, depict the country’s dark political underbelly. How much of that portrayal is an exaggeration for entertainment’s sake and how much is a take from reality? Experts and filmmakers say it’s a little bit …
your ad hereOscar-Winning Director Milos Forman Dies
Milos Forman, the Czech-born movie director who found fame in Hollywood with the Oscar-winning classics One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus has died at the age of 86, Czech news agency CTK reported Saturday. Forman died Friday in the United States after a short illness, his wife, Martina, told CTK. …
your ad herePower Generator with Only One Moving Part
Rural communities in United States and elsewhere often use portable backup electricity generators in case of power outages. But these machines can be costly to run for longer times and require periodic attendance. A team from West Virginia University is developing a small, natural gas-powered generator that will be able …
your ad herePhilippines Investigating Facebook Over Data-Mining
More trouble may be ahead for Facebook as the Philippine government said it is investigating the social media giant over reports information from more than a million users in the Philippines was breached by British data firm Cambridge Analytica. The Phliippines’ National Privacy Commission, or NPC, said it sent a …
your ad hereZuckerberg’s Compensation Jumps to $8.9M as Security Costs Soar
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s compensation rose 53.5 percent to $8.9 million in 2017, a regulatory filing showed Friday, largely because of higher costs related to the 33-year old billionaire’s personal security. About 83 percent of the compensation represented security-related expenses, while much of the rest was tied to Zuckerberg’s personal usage of private …
your ad hereRough Year in Science Policy Leads Researchers to March Again
Scientists will leave their labs and march on Washington and more than 200 other cities around the world Saturday, protesting government policies on issues from climate change to gun violence that they say ignore scientific evidence. It comes a year after the first March for Science, three months into the …
your ad hereTop 5 Songs For Week Ending April 14
We’re airborne with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending April 14, 2018. If you liked last week’s lineup, you’ll like our new one … we do get a bit of shuffling just for variety’s sake. Number 5: Ed Sheeran …
your ad hereNew Invention Detects Cancer in Seconds
If cancer is suspected in a patient, surgeons, in most cases, would have to cut some of the suspected tissue out and test it. Getting the results could be a long process. A new invention called a MasSpec Pen could cut the wait time to just seconds. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee …
your ad hereCongress Discusses New Ways to Regulate Facebook
Lawmakers in Washington peppered Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with tough questions this week about his firm’s handling of user data and privacy. They also suggested new ways they or others might regulate internet firms. Michelle Quinn reports. …
your ad hereGerman Jewish Leader Slams Rap Song for Auschwitz Reference
A German Jewish leader is criticizing a music awards show for giving a prize to two rappers whose reference to the Nazis’ Auschwitz death camp in a song she says harms efforts to fight anti-Semitism. German rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang won an Echo award Thursday night for their new …
your ad hereBreathtaking Cherry Blossoms Draw International Visitors to Maryland Neighborhood
In the springtime, the Tidal Basin in Washington is known for having a spectacular display of cherry blossoms. But in a quiet neighborhood in Maryland, just outside Washington, more than 1,000 cherry trees also put on quite a show. VOA’s Deborah Block takes us to Chevy Chase, Maryland, where the …
your ad hereCO2-reducing XPRIZE Competition Enters Final Phase
Nonprofit international organization for public competitions XPRIZE has announced 10 finalists in its race to develop new technologies to lower carbon-dioxide emissions. Each team will get an additional incentive of $5 million to scale up their ideas and present them for the top prize of $20 million. VOA’s George Putic …
your ad hereTrump Task Force to Study Postal System Finances
After weeks of railing against online shopping giant Amazon, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday creating a task force to study the United States Postal System. In the surprise move, Trump said that USPS is on “an unsustainable financial path” and “must be restructured to prevent a taxpayer-funded …
your ad hereChina Trade Deficit in March, Surplus with US for Quarter
China’s exports growth unexpectedly fell in March, raising questions about the health of one of the economy’s key growth drivers even as trade tensions rapidly escalate with the United States. March import growth beat expectations, however, suggesting its domestic demand may still be solid enough to cushion the blow from …
your ad hereStudy: Popularity of Wildlife Can Harm Public’s Perception
Researchers say the love youngsters have for wildlife may be clouding the public’s mind about how endangered those creatures are. The study in the journal PLOS Biology lists what the authors say are the world’s 10 most charismatic animals: tigers, lions, elephants, giraffes, leopards, pandas, cheetahs, polar bears, gray wolves …
your ad hereYear-Round Sales of E15 Fuel Possible, Trump Says
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration might allow the sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol year-round, which could help farmers by firing up corn demand but faces opposition from oil companies. The proposal marked the latest move by the Trump administration to navigate the rival oil and corn constituencies as they clash …
your ad hereFacebook to Stop Spending Against California Privacy Effort
Facebook says it will stop spending money to fight a proposed California ballot initiative aimed at giving consumers more control over their data. The measure, known as the “California Consumer Privacy Act,” would require companies to disclose upon request what types of personal information they collect about someone and whether …
your ad hereTrump Wants to Rejoin Pacific Trade Pact
Japan has cautiously welcomed the news that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership. “If this means that President Trump is correctly evaluating the significance and effects of the TPP, it’s something we want to welcome,” Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s trade minister, said Friday. He added that the …
your ad hereSpike Lee, Godard Films to Compete at Netflix-free Cannes
Organizers of the Cannes Film Festival say new films by Spike Lee and Jean-Luc Godard will be among the competitors for the Palme d’Or next month. Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” will open in theaters on Aug. 10, the one-year anniversary of the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists marched …
your ad hereWorld Trade Body Warns US-China Tensions May Dent Business
The World Trade Organization predicts continued trade growth this year, though it warns that tensions and “tit-for-tat” retaliatory measures, notably between the U.S. and China, could compromise those projections. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo laid out the trade body’s predictions at a news conference Thursday amid concerns about a trade war …
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