Russian retailers warned of price increase after ruble tumbles European electronic and household goods manufacturers have warned Russian retailers of a possible 5 to 10 percent rise in prices after the ruble tumbled this week due to U.S. sanctions, retailers said on Tuesday. Eldorado, which operates over 400 stores in …
your ad hereTurkish Currency Hits Record Lows Over Fears of Overheating Economy
The Turkish lira Tuesday hit another historic low against the U.S. dollar amid growing financial market concerns that the Turkish economy is overheating. With elections on the horizon, the government is stoking economic growth. The latest figures saw growth running at over 7 percent, making Turkey one of the fastest-growing …
your ad hereGazprom Says Gas Transit via Ukraine to Europe May Fall to 10-15 bcm per Year
Future Russian gas transit flows through Ukraine to Europe may be between 10 and 15 billion cubic metres per year, Alexei Miller, head of Russian gas giant Gazprom, said on Tuesday, which is a significant decline from current levels. Miller issued his comments after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that …
your ad hereCampaigners Call for Ban on Killer Robots
The group known as the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots says fully autonomous lethal weapons that can strike selected targets are no longer within the realm of science fiction. The coalition says it wants pre-emptive action taken to ban them. Government experts will spend the next two weeks discussing the …
your ad hereAmerica’s Equal Pay Day Dismay
Tuesday, April 10, is Equal Pay Day in the United States. Advocates designated the day to mark how much longer women must work, on average, to earn as much as men averaged in the previous year. Germany recognized Equal Pay Day on March 10. The Czech Republic will observe it …
your ad hereCongo’s Talented Artists Struggle for Recognition
Painter Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s tiny, sweltering Kinshasa studio seems worlds away from his glittering, well-received foreign exhibitions. The 25-year-old painter says he is inspired by his country’s vast cultural and mineral wealth — but also by the region’s painful colonial history. That message shines through in his captivating, dizzyingly bright …
your ad hereCongo’s Talented Artists Struggle for Recognition at Home, Abroad
The art scene in the Democratic Republic of Congo is vibrant and flourishing, but talented local artists still struggle for international recognition. VOA’s Anita Powell takes us to the studios of some of Kinshasa’s top talents, including 25-year-old art sensation Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga. …
your ad hereZuckerberg Apologizes for Data Breach Before Congressional Testimony
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify publicly Tuesday before a group of U.S. senators after apologizing for the way his company handled data for millions of users. He is due to appear before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Commerce Committee, and on Wednesday …
your ad hereHeavy Facebook Use Exposed Southeast Asia to Breaches of Personal Data
Facebook users in Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, were especially exposed to recent data privacy breaches due to high user numbers and the popularity of an app at the core of the problem, analysts believe. According to Facebook figures, the data of 1.175 million users in the Philippines may have …
your ad hereNew Way of Defining Alzheimer’s Aims to Find Disease Sooner
Government and other scientists are proposing a new way to define Alzheimer’s disease basing it on biological signs, such as brain changes, rather than memory loss and other symptoms of dementia that are used today. The move is aimed at improving research, by using more objective criteria like brain scans …
your ad hereApple Co-Founder Closing Facebook Account in Privacy Crisis
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is shutting down his Facebook account as the social media giant struggles to cope with the worst privacy crisis in its history. In an email to USA Today, Wozniak said Facebook makes a lot of advertising money from personal details provided by users. He said the …
your ad hereUS Designers Use Repurposed Materials in High-End Interior Decor
Landfills around the world are getting overloaded with waste, much of it hazardous and slow to decompose. As it becomes increasingly difficult to find new places for discarded unwanted items, people around the world are looking for ways to re-use as much stuff as possible before throwing it away. Designers …
your ad hereThe First 3D-Printed Building Goes Up in Denmark
In the span of only a few years, printing of tri-dimensional objects has gone from toys to buildings, and 3D printers can now print with any material – from plastic and metal to concrete, so printing houses is gaining popularity. The first in Europe is a small office building, 3D-printed …
your ad hereThe Selfie Museum Opened Its Doors To The Public In Los Angeles
Across the globe—“the selfie” has become a social media phenomenon. While it’s considered bad manners in some places, there’s a venue in Los Angeles where it is welcomed at all times. Genia Dulot visited the brand new Selfie Museum there. …
your ad hereFacebook CEO Zuckerberg Faces Tough Questions on Capitol Hill
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faces tough questions on Capitol Hill this week following revelations that the Trump-affiliated political firm Cambridge Analytica accessed the data of as many as 87 million users of the social media site during the 2016 election. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson looks at the questions lawmakers …
your ad hereChina’s Xi Pledges to Cut Auto Tariffs, Press Ahead With Reforms
China’s President Xi Jinping did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump by name or speak directly about rising trade frictions with Washington during a closely watched speech at the Boao Forum — China’s version of Davos for Asia. But the pledges Xi made to press forward with economic reforms had …
your ad hereChina’s Xi Promises to Lower Tariffs this Year, Open Economy Further
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday promised to open the country’s economy further and lower import tariffs on products including cars, in a speech that comes amid rising trade tensions between China and the United States. Xi also said China would raise the foreign ownership limit in the automobile sector …
your ad hereBusy Bees Turn Afghan Schoolgirl Into an Entrepreneur
In war-torn Afghanistan, honey is regarded as a traditional cure-all but for one schoolgirl, the sticky commodity has also created sweet opportunities to work and own a business in a country where few women do so. Three years ago, Frozan, now 19 years old, obtained a small loan, bought two …
your ad hereHow to Find Out What Facebook, Google Know About You
As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies in front of Congress about the company’s practices this week, Americans are waking up to just how much personal information tech companies have collected about them. Facebook said it will begin notifying 87 million people this week whose information was handed to political consultancy …
your ad hereIran Unifies Official and Open Market Exchange Rates as Rial Hit New Low
Iran unified the country’s official and open market exchange rates, state media said, after its currency, the rial, plunged to an all-time low on Monday on concerns over a return of crippling sanctions. The U.S. dollar jumped in a day from 54,700 rials to 60,000 rials in the open market …
your ad hereJaw Fossil From English Beach Belongs to Monstrous Marine Reptile
A jawbone fossil found on a rocky English beach belongs to one of the biggest marine animals on record, a type of seagoing reptile called an ichthyosaur that scientists estimated at up to 85 feet (26 meters) long – approaching the size of a blue whale. Scientists said on Monday …
your ad hereFossil Human Finger from Saudi Desert is 90,000 Years Old
A fossil finger bone dating back about 90,000 years that was unearthed in Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert is pointing to what scientists are calling a new understanding of how our species came out of Africa en route to colonizing the world. Researchers said on Monday the middle bone of an …
your ad hereNew Projects in Brazil’s Amazon? Not Without Congressional Approval, says Court
Brazil’s government has been told that development projects, including hydropower dams, in protected areas can no longer go ahead without the prior approval of lawmakers. Last week’s ruling by the supreme court followed the use by the government in recent years of the controversial “provisional measure”, a legal instrument that …
your ad hereApple: All Its Facilities Now Powered by Clean Energy
Apple on Monday said it had achieved its goal of powering all of the company’s facilities with renewable energy, a milestone that includes all of its data centers, offices and retail stores in 43 countries. The iPhone maker also said nine suppliers had recently committed to running their operations entirely …
your ad hereAfter Vegas, Jason Aldean Carries Weight of the Tragedy
Last October, Jason Aldean was in a Las Vegas hospital visiting some of the victims injured in a mass shooting at a country music festival a week earlier. On that Sunday afternoon, the country star turned to his longtime manager, Clarence Spalding. “He looked at me and said, ‘This …
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