SunPower Corp. on Wednesday said it would buy U.S. solar panel maker SolarWorld Americas, expanding its domestic manufacturing as it seeks to stem the impact of Trump administration tariffs on panel imports. The White House cheered the deal, saying it was proof that Trump’s trade policies were stimulating U.S. investment. Terms of the transaction …
your ad hereBritain to Ban Sale of Plastic Straws in Bid to Fight Waste
Britain plans to ban the sale of plastic straws and other single-use products and is pressing Commonwealth allies to also take action to tackle marine waste, the office of Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May said. It said drink stirrers and cotton buds would also be banned under the plans. May …
your ad hereSummit Urges Global Response to Malaria Resurgence
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has invested billions of dollars into tackling malaria. It has paid off. Deaths from the disease fell by more than 60 percent between 2000 and 2015, meaning 7 million lives were saved. In 2016, however, that trend was reversed. There were more than 216 million reported …
your ad hereScreening of ‘Black Panther’ Ends Saudi Ban on Movie Theaters
Saudi Arabia has ended a 35-year ban on movie theaters with a private screening of the Hollywood blockbuster Black Panther. The invitation-only screening, held Wednesday at a concert hall converted into a cinema complex in the capital, Riyadh, was attended by both women and men. “This is a landmark moment in …
your ad hereMalawi Can Eradicate HIV Infections, Says US Doctor Who Discovered AIDS Virus
Malawi, which has one of the highest rates of the deadly HIV/AIDS infections, is on course to eradicate the virus, Jay Levy who co-discovered the AIDS virus 35 years ago said. Most of the AIDS cases globally are in poorer countries, where access to testing, prevention and treatment is limited. …
your ad hereUS Manufacturers Seek Relief From Steel, Aluminum Tariffs
President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported aluminum and steel are disrupting business for hundreds of American companies that buy those metals, and many are pressing for relief. Nearly 2,200 companies are asking the Commerce Department to exempt them from the 25 percent steel tariff, and more than 200 other companies …
your ad hereZuckerberg Under Pressure to Face EU Lawmakers Over Data Scandal
Facebook Inc’s Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg came under pressure from EU lawmakers on Wednesday to come to Europe and shed light on the data breach involving Cambridge Analytica that affected nearly three million Europeans. The world’s largest social network is under fire worldwide after information about nearly 87 million users …
your ad hereMerkel Wants European Monetary Fund With National Oversight: Sources
German Chancellor Angela Merkel backs the idea of a European Monetary Fund, provided national governments have sufficient oversight, sources close to her said before a visit by the French president. President Emmanuel Macron, who will meet Merkel in Berlin on Thursday, is pushing hard for bold euro zone reforms to …
your ad hereSwedish King Wants to Let Nobel Body Members Resign
Sweden’s king wants to change the statutes of the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize each year, to allow its life-appointed board members to resign. Academy head Sara Danius stepped down last week amid turmoil at the academy over the alleged sexual misconduct of a man married to …
your ad hereIran Bans Government Bodies from Using Foreign Message Apps
Iran’s presidency has banned all government bodies from using foreign-based messaging apps to communicate with citizens, state media reported Wednesday, after economic protests organized through such apps shook the country earlier this year. Chief among those apps is Telegram, used by over 40 million Iranians for everything from benign conversations …
your ad hereRussia Admits to Blocking Millions of IP Addresses
The chief of the Russian communications watchdog acknowledged Wednesday that millions of unrelated IP addresses have been frozen in a so-far futile attempt to block a popular messaging app. Telegram, the messaging app that was ordered to be blocked last week, was still available to users in Russia despite authorities’ …
your ad hereSimply the Best? UK Critics Praise Tina Turner Stage Musical
British theater critics are praising a new stage musical about the life of Tina Turner – and it also has the approval of the star herself. Turner was in the audience for the opening night of “Tina” at London’s Aldwych Theatre. After the show Tuesday, she joked that “I’ve found …
your ad hereTraining Surgeons to Perform Robotic Surgery
Since 2000, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave approval to the world’s first robotic surgical system, almost 4,000 of these sophisticated machines have been deployed in operating suites around the world. Recognizing that the proficiency of the surgeons who use them can be subjective, a group of surgeons …
your ad hereEU Pushes to Approve Japan Trade Deal
The European Commission will put forward a proposed free-trade agreement with Japan for fast-track approval Wednesday, hoping to avoid a repeat of the public protests that nearly derailed a trade pact with Canada two years ago. The European Union and Japan concluded negotiations to create the world’s largest economic area …
your ad hereChinese City Turns to Wind Power Lottery
The city of Yanan, a major wind power base in northwest China’s Shaanxi province, has introduced a lottery system to decide which wind projects will go ahead this year, a sign that grid constraints are forcing local governments to restrict capacity. China has been aggressively developing alternative power as part …
your ad hereIcons of American West Showcased — in Florida
When you think of Florida, the colored stone walls of the Grand Canyon don’t come to mind. Neither do cowboys, wolves or Native American silver-and-turquoise jewelry. In downtown St. Petersburg, all of those icons of the American West are on display in a new museum. It’s called the James Museum …
your ad hereSteven Spielberg Taking on DC Universe Film ‘Blackhawk’
Steven Spielberg is flying into the DC Universe with the World War II action adventure “Blackhawk.” Warner Bros. Chairman Toby Emmerich says Tuesday that the legendary filmmaker will produce and may direct the film for the studio. The “Blackhawk” series started in 1941 and follows a group of …
your ad hereComey’s Tell-all Book Piques Readers’ Interest, Stoked by Trump’s Fury
Diane Kacprowski showed up at 57th Street Books in Chicago early on Tuesday on a mission to be one of the first to snap up a copy of James Comey’s scalding memoir about his time at the helm of the FBI and his abrupt firing by President Donald Trump. “A …
your ad hereVenezuela Arrests Two Chevron Executives Amid Oil Purge
Chevron said on Tuesday two of its executives were arrested in Venezuela, a rare move likely to spook foreign energy firms still operating in the OPEC nation stricken by hyperinflation, shortages and crime. Venezuelan Sebin intelligence agents burst into the Petropiar joint venture’s office in the coastal city of Puerto …
your ad hereUS Commerce Secretary: Trade with Latin America Could Grow
VOA’s Celia Mendoza interviewed U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Peru. This is an edited transcript of that interview. Question: Secretary Ross, tell us what the importance is for the United States to do business with Latin America, especially now …
your ad hereAs Congressional Republicans Push for 2nd Tax Vote, Democrats Say ‘Let’s See’
Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress are moving forward with a plan to vote before the 2018 midterm elections on a bill to make permanent the temporary individual tax cuts in their recent tax overhaul. It is not yet clear, however, if the plan would pick up support from Democrats, …
your ad hereKendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Win Hailed as ‘Big for Music’
The decision to award rapper Kendrick Lamar the Pulitzer Prize for music represents a historic moment for hip-hop and American music, according to two of the music jurors who picked the album “DAMN.” as a finalist. “It’s big for hip-hop. I think it’s big for our country. It’s big …
your ad hereGlobal Leaders Seek to Reignite Fight Against Deadly Malaria
Renewed action and boosted funding to fight malaria could prevent 350 million cases of the disease in the next five years and save 650,000 lives across commonwealth countries, health experts said Wednesday. Seeking to reignite efforts to wipe out the deadly mosquito-borne disease, philanthropists, business leaders and ministers from donor …
your ad hereExiled Artist Uses Art to Preserve Memories of Syria
Mohammad Hafez, a Syrian-born artist in exile, saves memories of his home country through dioramas depicting life in Syria before and during the war. His miniature pieces made of scraps of metal, wood and marble create images of life in the war-torn nation. Hafez, who now lives in Connecticut, relies …
your ad hereIRS Website Crashes as US Tax Deadline Looms
Americans who waited until the last day to file their federal taxes faced a major hurdle hours before the midnight deadline. The Internal Revenue Service website’s “Direct Pay” page, which allows filers to pay their taxes directly from their bank account free of charge, crashed Tuesday. The IRS still expects …
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