The house where rockers Ronnie, Donnie and Johnny Van Zant grew up is officially one of Florida’s historic sites. A marker noting the home as a Florida heritage site will be officially unveiled during a ceremony Saturday in Jacksonville. The plaque notes Ronnie Van Zant’s role in forming Lynyrd Skynyrd, …
your ad hereRolls-Royce Unveils SUV with $325K Price Tag
Motorists with the money can now explore off-road in luxury or just make a statement dropping the kids off at school. Rolls-Royce unveiled its first SUV on Thursday. The Cullinan, named for the diamond in Britain’s Crown Jewels, carries a $325,000 price tag plus an estimated $5,000 gas-guzzler tax. The …
your ad hereChina’s Multistory Hog Hotels Elevate Industrial Farms to New Levels
On Yaji Mountain in southern China, they are checking in the sows a thousand head per floor in high-rise “hog hotels.” Privately owned agricultural company Guangxi Yangxiang Co Ltd is running two seven-floor sow breeding operations, and is putting up four more, including one with as many as 13 floors …
your ad hereIn Taking on High Drug Prices, Trump Faces a Complex Nemesis
Before taking office, President Donald Trump railed against the pharmaceutical industry and accused it of “getting away with murder.” The populist rhetoric appears to be giving way to a more nuanced strategy focused on making the pharmaceutical market more open and competitive, with the aim of lowering costs for consumers. …
your ad hereWHO Prepares for ‘Worst Case Scenario’ for DRC Ebola Outbreak
The World Health Organization said Friday it is preparing for “the worst case scenario” for an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. WHO said Thursday that between April 4 and May 5, twenty-seven cases of fever with hemorrhagic signs, including 17 deaths, were reported in the DRC’s Bikoro …
your ad hereWorld Bank: Kenyan Refugee Camp ‘Open for Business’
Burden or business opportunity? A new U.N.-backed study of refugees from the World Bank’s International Financial Corporation argues for the latter. The IFC researchers examined one of Africa’s oldest and largest refugee camps, Kakuma in northwest Kenya. What they found is a growing consumer base they say is ripe for …
your ad hereSmartphone Apps Help You Monitor Your Health
Advanced sensor technology can monitor a wide range of applications, from water quality to air pollution to energy use. Faith Lapidus tells us how a team of scientists at the University of Washington, with support from the National Science Foundation, is turning the sensors in smartphones into home health care …
your ad hereUN: Protectionism, Debt Threaten Asia Growth
A senior United Nations official says trade protectionism, rising private and corporate debt, and shortcomings in revenue raising are growing challenges to the economic outlook for the Asia Pacific. Shamshad Akhtar, executive secretary of the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), noted the threats of …
your ad hereOfficial: Trump Administration Will Allow AI to ‘Freely Develop’ in US
The Trump administration will not stand in the way of the development of artificial intelligence in the United States, a top official said on Thursday, while acknowledging that the burgeoning technology will displace some jobs. At a White House summit that included companies like Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Facebook Inc. and …
your ad hereClimate Change Talks Stall Ahead of December 2018 Deadline
Two weeks of climate talks organized by the United Nations ended Thursday as countries failed to resolve differences about implementing the Paris climate accord. The negotiations will resume in Bangkok in September, where an extra week’s meeting has now been scheduled. The pact’s 197 signatories have set a December deadline …
your ad hereEven Young Men Who Smoke Have Increased Stroke Risk
Young men who smoke are more likely to have a stroke before age 50 than their peers who avoid tobacco, a small study suggests. Smoking has long been linked to an increased risk of stroke in older adults, but research to date examining this connection in younger adults has mainly …
your ad hereMexico Says Time Running Out for Quick NAFTA Deal; Canada Upbeat
Mexico on Thursday indicated time was running out to see whether NAFTA nations could agree a new deal in the short term while Canada struck a upbeat tone, saying top-level talks this week had achieved a great deal. Major differences remain between the three members of the North American Free …
your ad hereItalian Researchers Develop Lighter, Cheaper Robotic Hand
Italian researchers on Thursday unveiled a new robotic hand they say allows users to grip objects more naturally and featuring a design that will lower the price significantly. The Hennes robotic hand has a simpler mechanical design compared with other such myoelectric prosthetics, characterized by sensors that react to electrical …
your ad hereDr. Dre Loses Trademark Claim Against ‘Dr. Drai’
Dr. Dre has lost his trademark fight against Dr. Drai. The rapper, whose real name is Andre Young, objected to the trademark application of a Pennsylvania gynecologist whose nickname is spelled differently but sounds the same. Dr. Draion M. Burch’s website advertises that he’s a sex expert, “obgyn and media …
your ad herePeople, Power Costs Keep Indoor Farming Down to Earth
There’s a budding industry that’s trying to solve the problem of the limp lettuce and tasteless tomatoes in America’s supermarkets. It’s full of technologists who grow crops in buildings instead of outdoors, short-cutting the need to prematurely harvest produce for a bumpy ride often thousands of miles to consumers in …
your ad hereSpotify Cuts R. Kelly Music From Playlists, Cites Policy
Spotify has removed R. Kelly’s music from its playlists, citing its new policy on hate content and hateful conduct. A spokesperson on Thursday says Kelly’s music is no longer available on the streaming service’s owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations. His music will still be available, but Spotify will …
your ad hereMayo Clinic Researchers Experiment with Age-Delaying Drugs
The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, a magical water source supposedly capable of reversing the aging process. But scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, are working to extend human life span and delay the onset of multiple age-related diseases and disabilities. VOA …
your ad hereDRC Confirms Ebola Outbreak Near Border
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are racing to contain a new Ebola outbreak announced this week. At least two people are confirmed to have died of Ebola this month in a remote village of northwest DRC, very close to the border of the smaller, neighboring Republic of …
your ad hereA New Silicon Valley is Sprouting in Middle America
Kavitha Kamalbabu needed a break. She had raised her two children and the youngest was now in kindergarten. It was time to turn attention to her career. The 36-year-old wanted to code. The mecca of high tech — Silicon Valley — wasn’t an option because she needed to stay close …
your ad hereVirginia Woman Breaks Glass Ceiling with Wood
Virginia Wallen is a wife, a mother of three, and a woodworker. She achieved what she has never imagined she would — turning her carpentry hobby into a business. The entrepreneur isn’t just succeeding in her new career, she’s tearing down stereotypes and building a new role model. It happens …
your ad hereFemale Woodworker Carves a Space for Women in Carpentry
Virginia Wallen is a wife, a mother of three, and a woodworker. She achieved what she has never imagined she would — turning her carpentry hobby into a business. And as Faiza Elmasry tells us, the entrepreneur isn’t just succeeding in her new career, she’s tearing down stereotypes and building …
your ad hereSyrian Refugees Showcase Innovation Ideas
No matter where they live, young people are capable of coming up with fresh ideas about how to improve life in their communities. At a recent exhibition, held in the sprawling Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan, teenage Syrians showcased inventions geared toward making refugee camps more livable. VOA’s George …
your ad hereUSGS: Explosive Eruptions Possible at Hawaii Volcano
The eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano could intensify in the coming weeks, possibly spraying boulders, rocks and ash for miles around, the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday. Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted last week. Lava flows from fissures on its eastern flank have destroyed at least …
your ad hereEnergy Stocks Jump on Wall Street After US Quits Iran Deal
Wall Street surged on Wednesday as surging oil prices boosted energy stocks following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision the previous day to quit a nuclear agreement with Iran. Gains were broad and volume was high, with all but the utilities and telecom sectors advancing as investors who had moved to the sidelines in recent days …
your ad here104-Year-Old Hopes to Change Views on Assisted Suicide
The 104-year-old scientist who has traveled to Switzerland to end his life hopes that his highly publicized move will change the way people think of euthanasia. Australian ecologist David Goodall is scheduled to die Thursday at an end-of-life clinic in Basel. Goodall does not have a terminal illness but says …
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