American TV celebrity and food writer Anthony Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room Friday in France while working on his CNN series on culinary traditions around the world. He was 61. CNN confirmed the death, saying that Bourdain was found unresponsive Friday morning by friend and chef …
your ad hereSouth African Fossils Rewrite Early History of Life on Land
Fossils of two amphibians that lived within the Antarctic circle 360 million years ago are forcing scientists to rethink the origins of land vertebrates, including where these pioneers first appeared and the climatic conditions that spawned them. Scientists said on Thursday they have unearthed partial remains of primitive Devonian Period …
your ad hereFriends, Fans Mourn Death of Fashion Designer Kate Spade
Kate Spade, a popular designer and founder of the iconic and accessible brand Kate Spade New York, was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on this week. Her death shocked fans and friends who considered Spade a role model and her line a lifestyle brand — symbolizing both fun and …
your ad hereWashington Capitals Win First Stanley Cup
The Washington Capitals won the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup for the first time in their 44-year history with a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. The victory saw the Capitals clinch the best-of-seven championship series 4-1 in Las Vegas and brought an end to what had …
your ad hereChina’s Trade Surplus With US Widens
China’s trade surplus with the United States rose to $24.58 billion in May, from $22.15 billion in April, according to Chinese customs data published Friday. China’s export growth in May was 12.6 percent, slightly down from 12.9 percent in April, but well above the 10 percent that economists polled by …
your ad hereChina Trash Ban Creates Crisis for Recyclers
Just less than $6 billion worth of U.S. waste was sent to China last year to be converted into packaging and products, and then shipped back to the United States and other markets. Scrap recyclers had taken advantage of low shipping costs for empty containers returning to China after the …
your ad hereSomali-American Tops Dubai Competition
A Minnesota teenager is the first American to win the prestigious Dubai International Quran Recitation Contest. For VOA, Maxamuud Mascadde has the story from Minneapolis. …
your ad hereAn All-Female Gang, an Impossible Heist in Ocean’s 8
A star-studded all-female cast beefs up the new heist film “Ocean’s 8,” by filmmaker Gary Ross. The new release marks a departure from the all-male gang of tuxedo-clad cons both in the original 1960s flick “Ocean’s 11,” with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and in the 2001 remake with George …
your ad hereSeaweed May Hold Key Ingredient for Ocean Friendly Sunscreen
As summer draws near in the Northern Hemisphere, millions of people will slather on sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays. But most sunscreens contain chemicals harmful to the oceans. Now researchers in London have developed a compound found in seaweed that could be the basis for a …
your ad hereTrump Hosts Iftar Dinner in Switch from Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
President Trump hosted a dinner at the White House this week marking the end of the daily fast during Ramadan, the first since he took office in 2017. The guest list included the diplomatic corps but not American Muslim organizations, who held their own “Counter-Iftar” outside the White House. Patsy …
your ad hereNorth Korea Uses US Tech for ‘Destructive Cyber Operations’
North Korea’s senior leadership has been exploiting loopholes in international sanctions to obtain the U.S. technology that Pyongyang uses to conduct “destructive cyber operations,” according to a global cyberthreat intelligence company. Recorded Future, based in Massachusetts, found that while export bans and restrictions are somewhat effective in keeping North Korea …
your ad hereFog Catchers Conjure Water Out of Moroccan Mist
Growing up on Mount Boutmezguida in southwest Morocco on the edge of the Sahara desert, Khadija Ghouate never imagined that the fog enveloping the nearby peaks would change her life. For hours every day and often before sunrise, Ghouate and other women from nearby villages would walk 5 km (3 …
your ad hereUkraine Approves Anti-Corruption Court, Fires Finance Minister
Ukraine’s parliament has voted to establish an anti-corruption court in an effort to meet the criteria to receive $17.5 billion from the International Monetary Fund. Before the IMF releases the funds needed to shore up Ukraine’s struggling economy, it will have make sure the court’s laws are IMF compliant. …
your ad hereConstruction Planned to Prepare Alaska’s Arctic Refuge for Oil Drilling
The Trump administration said Thursday it would spend $4 million on construction projects in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in preparation for oil drilling in the nation’s biggest wildlife park. In an announcement that touted planned improvements to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service visitor facilities, the Department of the Interior …
your ad hereFacebook Says Privacy-setting Bug Affected as Many as 14M
Facebook said a software bug led some users to post publicly by default regardless of their previous settings. The bug affected as many as 14 million users over several days in May. The problem, which Facebook said it has fixed, is the latest privacy scandal for the world’s largest …
your ad hereArgentina Clinches $50B IMF Financing Deal to Speed Up Cuts
Argentina and the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that they had reached an agreement for a three-year, $50 billion standby lending arrangement, which the government said it sought to provide a safety net and avoid the frequent crises of the country’s past. Argentina requested IMF assistance on May 8 after its …
your ad hereElderly Kenyan Women Weave Their Way to More Sustainable Future
Sheltered by a tarpaulin from the blazing sun, a group of Kenyan women weave handfuls of dried reeds, their practiced hands turning them into exquisite baskets, mats and hats that have been sold to tourists from around the world. Their success stems not from choice, but from necessity. On hot …
your ad hereScientists Say Cost of Sucking Carbon from Thin Air Could Tumble
High costs of extracting greenhouse gases from thin air could tumble with new technologies that can help to combat climate change, scientists said on Thursday. Carbon Engineering, a Canadian-based clean energy company, outlined the design of a large industrial plant that it said could capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere …
your ad herePeru President Swears In Fifth Finance Minister in Past Year
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Thursday swore in the country’s fifth finance minister in the past year, tasking him with deciding whether to keep higher excise taxes on diesel and other fuels that have sparked protests. Carlos Oliva, a former deputy finance minister and central bank official, will also be …
your ad hereBrazil’s President Says No Risk of Currency Crisis
Brazilian President Michel Temer said on Thursday there was “no risk” of a currency crisis in Latin America’s largest economy, after the exchange rate fell to its weakest in more than two years on fears over Brazil’s fiscal outlook and political future. Temer said in a televised interview that Brazil …
your ad hereTheater Club at NASA Center Gives Scientists Creative Outlet
By day, she’s a cryogenics engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where she works on what she calls a “baby step toward a mission to Mars.” By night, she participates in Goddard’s Music and Drama Club, often known as MAD. She played keyboard for the club’s spring musical. …
your ad hereSyrian Refugee Launches Luxury Sneaker Brand in France
When Daniel Essa fled Syria in 2014, he faced an uncertain future as a refugee in France, where he knew few people and less French. Now he is selling his own brand of luxury sneakers to the wealthy of Paris and Hollywood. The 30-year-old studied fashion in Damascus but abandoned …
your ad hereDRC Reports First Confirmed Ebola Case in Over a Week
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded its first confirmed case of Ebola in over a week, the health ministry said Thursday, although medics said they had made significant progress in their efforts to contain the disease. The patient, a known contact of someone believed to have died from …
your ad hereWarner Bros. to Release New Prince Album in September
Warner Bros. Records has announced a new Prince album on what would have been the musician’s 60th birthday. The company said Thursday that “Piano & A Microphone 1983” from Prince’s storied vault will be released on Sept. 21 on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Warner Bros. says the …
your ad hereZimbabwe Play Once Banned by Mugabe Government Now Performed on Stage
In Zimbabwe, a play once banned by former president Robert Mugabe has now been performed by a local theater group for the first time. In 2012, the government stopped the performance of the play, called 1983: The Dark Years. The story focuses on the horror of a government crackdown against …
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