Greece’s largest labor unions are staging a general strike against plans to extend austerity measures, in a 24-hour protest that halted ferry services to the islands, and disrupted flights, public transport and other services. Wednesday’s strike also closed schools and left public hospitals running on emergency staff. Government …
your ad hereStarbucks Closes Stores For Anti-Bias Training
Starbucks closed 8,000 of its stores Tuesday to give 175,000 employees about four hours of anti-bias training. The sessions were part of the company’s response to the April 12 arrests of two black men at a Starbucks in Philadelphia. Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson had not purchased anything and told …
your ad hereAnalysis: N. Korea Sees US Economic Handouts As Threat
The U.S.-North Korea summit appears to be back on track, but Pyongyang is showing increased impatience at comments coming out of Washington that what leader Kim Jong Un really wants, even more than his nuclear security blanket, is American-style prosperity. It’s a core issue for Kim and a message President …
your ad hereStarbucks Closes Stores, Asks Workers to Talk About Race
Starbucks, mocked three years ago for suggesting employees discuss racial issues with customers, asked workers Tuesday to talk about race with each other. It was part of the coffee chain’s anti-bias training, created after the arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks six weeks ago. The chain apologized …
your ad herePicasso Painting Showing in Hong Kong Estimated at $45 Million
Pablo Picasso’s painting of ‘Golden Muse’ Marie-Therese Walter, estimated to be worth up to $45 million, is on display in Hong Kong. The highly celebrated painting of his secret mistress of many years is the highlight of a collection of treasured works of art by Old Master painters that will …
your ad hereBehind the Scenes at Cirque Du Soleil’s Latest Extravaganza
Cirque Du Soleil, one of the world’s largest theatrical producers, is back on tour with another surreal spectacle. It’s called Luzia, a dazzling, acrobatic presentation that takes its audience to an imaginary world where light combines with spirit and rain to celebrate the beauty and magic of Mexican culture. VOA …
your ad hereDoes Good Food Help Cure Disease and Reduce Medical Costs?
The California public health system will start delivering healthy meals to 1,000 patients with congestive heart failure or type 2 diabetes… and little purchasing power. The patients, who are part of a pioneering three-year pilot program, will receive a personalized diet and nutritional education to determine the impact of good …
your ad hereCanadian Who Aided Yahoo Email Hackers Gets 5-Year Term
A Canadian accused of helping Russian intelligence agents break into email accounts as part of a massive 2014 data breach at Yahoo was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. Karim Baratov, who pleaded guilty in November 2017 in San Francisco, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge …
your ad hereUS Warns Again on Hacks It Blames on North Korea
The U.S. government on Tuesday released an alert with technical details about a series of cyberattacks it blamed on the North Korean government that stretch back to at least 2009. The warning is the latest from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation about hacks that …
your ad hereUS Consumer Confidence Rebounds, House Prices Increase
Consumer confidence rebounded in May, but households were a bit pessimistic about their short-term income prospects even as they expected strong job growth to persist, which could restrain consumer spending. The Conference Board said on Tuesday its consumer confidence index rose 2.4 points to a reading of 128.0 this month …
your ad hereChinese Delegation Observing US Drug Abuse Prevention Programs
The U.S. said it is hosting a senior-level Chinese delegation to witness its drug prevention and treatment efforts, even as the United States continues to battle opioid abuse that is killing more than 60,000 people annually. The State Department said Tuesday the Chinese will visit drug abuse prevention programs in …
your ad hereFrance to Beef Up Emergency Alert System on Social Media
France’s Interior Ministry announced plans on Tuesday to beef up its emergency alert system to the public across social media. The ministry said in a statement that from June during immediate threats of danger, such as a terror attack, the ministry’s alerts will be given priority broadcast on Twitter, Facebook …
your ad hereWeinstein’s Lawyer Concerned About Publicity, ‘Pressure’ on Prosecutors
The lawyer defending movie mogul Harvey Weinstein against rape charges said Tuesday he was concerned that publicity surrounding the case and “inappropriate pressure” on prosecutors could be unfair to his client. The lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, spoke to reporters after a closed-door proceeding before New York Supreme Court Justice James Burke …
your ad hereABC Cancels ‘Roseanne’ Following Star’s Racist Tweet
The American Broadcasting Co. canceled Rosanne Barr’s new television show Tuesday after she posted racist remarks about Valerie Jarrett, an African-American who served as a White House adviser to President Barack Obama. Barr, who is white, tweeted earlier in the day that Jarrett was a product of the Muslim Brotherhood …
your ad hereTrump to Impose Tariffs on $50B of China’s Tech Goods
The White House says it plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods that contain “industrially-significant technology” as trade talks between United States and China continue. The White House said Tuesday the proposed tariffs are in response to China’s practices with respect to technology transfer, intellectual …
your ad hereEbola Vaccination Campaign Launches in DR Congo
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo began a vaccination drive to control an Ebola outbreak that has infected more than 50 people and killed as many as 25. But as aid workers and health experts say this vaccination drive is a careful, methodical process in which trust is …
your ad hereNigerian Health Workers Blame Cultural Practices for Fistula Epidemic
Every morning, Asma’u Muhammadu removes the wet sheets from her bed and sets them out to dry. She opens the door to let in the fresh breezes that will air out the smell of urine in the mud-walled room. Along with the sheets, she brings out wet rags she uses …
your ad hereFirst-Year Hockey Team Beats Odds for Stanley Cup Final Berth
The Vegas Golden Knights, the newest team in the National Hockey League, started their season last October as Las Vegas was recovering from the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. As Western Conference winners, the Knights are now competing for the Stanley Cup, the top award in professional hockey. …
your ad hereStudy: AI Better at Finding Skin Cancer than Doctors
A computer was better than human dermatologists at detecting skin cancer in a study that pitted human against machine in the quest for better, faster diagnostics, researchers said Tuesday. A team from Germany, the United States and France taught an artificial intelligence system to distinguish dangerous skin lesions from benign …
your ad hereThe Golden Knights of Las Vegas Have Won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals
The newest team in the National Hockey League — the Golden Knights — is competing for the Stanley Cup, the top award in professional hockey. A best-of-seven series against the Washington Capitals opened Monday night in Las Vegas and the Knights took Game #1 by a score of 6-4. Las …
your ad herePolish Musician Makes Electric Guitars from Tongue Depressors
A man in Poland turned medical equipment into a musical instrument. Wooden tongue depressors used by doctors to examine mouths and throats are popular for making artwork. But an amateur musician spent six months turning 1,300 pieces of wood into a working electric guitar. Arash Arabasadi reports. …
your ad hereNorthern Ireland Rally Calls on Britain’s May to Ease Abortion Rules
Hundreds of women’s rights activist rallied in Belfast on Monday to put pressure on British Prime Minister Theresa May to reform Northern Ireland’s highly restrictive abortion rules after neighboring Ireland’s vote to liberalize its laws. Voters in Ireland on Friday backed the removal of a constitutional abortion ban by two-to-one. …
your ad hereEbola Vaccinations Begin in Congo’s Northwest Town of Bikoro
Officials began vaccinating health workers and others on Monday in Bikoro, where Congo’s current Ebola outbreak was first declared at the beginning of May. Congo’s Health Minister Oly Ilunga traveled to oversee the Ebola vaccinations of at least 10 people in Bikoro, where at least five of 12 Ebola deaths …
your ad hereStudy: Great Barrier Reef Has Had 5 Near-Death Experiences in 30,000 Years
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, under severe stress in a warmer, more acidic ocean, has returned from near-extinction five times in the past 30,000 years, researchers said Monday. And while this suggests the reef may be more resilient than once thought, it has likely never faced an onslaught quite as severe …
your ad hereStudy: Millions Could Avoid Dengue if World Limits Warming
More than three million cases of dengue fever, the world’s fastest-spreading tropical disease, could be avoided annually if global warming is capped at 1.5C, said a study that purports to be the first to show the health benefits of a cooler planet. The mosquito-borne viral infection causes flu-like symptoms and …
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