Spanish taxi drivers blocked major city streets including Barcelona’s Gran Via and Madrid’s Castellana on Monday in a protest to pressure the government to curb licenses to online ride-hailing services such as Uber. Union representatives were due to meet officials of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government later in the day …
your ad hereTurkish Steel Makers Eye Exports to West Africa Amid US Tariff Setbacks
Turkish steel makers are looking to expand in West Africa and other emerging markets in response to tariffs and planned quotas which threaten their sales to the United States and the European Union, a senior sector official said. Namik Ekinci, board chairman for the Turkish Steel Exporters Association (TSEA), told …
your ad hereFree Camps Help Level Playing Field for Future US Soccer Stars
The happy shouts of children participating in a summer soccer camp emanate from the Tubman Elementary School playing field in Washington D.C. Pay-to-play soccer structures can make it challenging for kids from low-income families to play competitive, organized soccer in the United States. DC Scores, a nonprofit organization, tries to …
your ad hereRoss: US Eases Export Controls for High-tech Sales to India
The United States has eased export controls for high technology product sales to India, granting it the same access as NATO allies, Australia, Japan and South Korea, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday. Ross, speaking at U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, said the move to grant Strategic Trade …
your ad hereIran Currency Hits New Lows Before New US Sanctions Take Effect
Iran’s currency hit new lows with just under a week before new U.S. economic sanctions are due to take effect on August 4, despite the appointment of a new central bank governor and a new economic team. Arab and Iranian media reported the Iranian rial hit a new low of …
your ad hereWTO Ruling Derails Bulk of Ukrainian Trade Dispute Against Russia
Ukraine lost the bulk of a legal dispute against Russia on Monday, when a World Trade Organization dispute panel struck out many of its arguments about Russia refusing to use Ukrainian railway equipment, a major export for Kiev. Ukraine complained to the WTO in 2015 about Russia’s rejection of Ukrainian …
your ad hereParrots For the Price of a Car at Exotic Bird Store in Virginia
It would be easy to imagine yourself in a tropical jungle when you walk into Ed Willis’ store. The room is filled with whistles, chirps and shrieks, made by dozens of bright-colored parrots, from chatty cockatoos to giant macaws to tiny parakeets. In case you’re still not sure what’s for …
your ad hereJapan Scientists to Use ‘Reprogrammed’ Stem Cells to Fight Parkinson’s
Japanese scientists said Monday they will start clinical trials next month on a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, transplanting “reprogrammed” stem cells into brains, seeking a breakthrough in treating the neurodegenerative disorder. Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine made by brain cells, and researchers have long hoped to use …
your ad herePompeo to Announce US Economic Initiatives in ‘Indo-Pacific’
Building on President Donald Trump’s “Indo-Pacific” strategy, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will announce a series of investment initiatives in Asia on Monday focusing on digital economy, energy and infrastructure. The announcement, to be made at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce forum in Washington, comes at a time when …
your ad hereCan Soundwaves Crack the Brain’s Barrier to Alzheimer’s Meds?
The so-called blood-brain barrier around our brains prevents germs and other damaging substances from leaching in through the bloodstream. But it also blocks drugs for Alzheimer’s, brain tumors and other neurological diseases from getting to where they’re needed. Faith Lapidus has details about how researchers are trying to find a …
your ad hereNASA Marks 60 Years Since Legal Inception
America’s dream of space exploration took its first official step 60 years ago Sunday when President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law authorizing the formation of NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although humanity had been staring at the stars and wondering since they were living in caves, it …
your ad hereWhite House Economic Adviser Sees Sustainable US Growth
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday he believes the 4.1 percent growth the U.S. recorded in the last three months is sustainable in the coming months despite skepticism expressed by independent economists. “There’s just a lot of good things going on,” Kudlow told CNN. He said President Donald …
your ad hereChile Art Initiative Eye Opener for Blind
A new initiative in the Chilean capital of Santiago is making some of the city’s dramatic street murals more accessible to visually disabled people by offering them a tactile representation of the artwork. VOA’s Mariama Diallo has more. …
your ad hereG-20 Ag Ministers Slam Protectionism, Pledge WTO Reforms
Agriculture ministers from the G-20 countries criticized protectionism in a joint statement Saturday and vowed to reform World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but did not detail what steps they would take to improve the food trade system. In the statement, they said they were “concerned about the increasing use of protectionist nontariff trade measures, inconsistently with …
your ad hereUK Lawmakers Urge Tougher Facebook Rules
The U.K. government should increase oversight of social media like Facebook and election campaigns to protect democracy in the digital age, a parliamentary committee has recommended in a scathing report on fake news, data misuse and interference by Russia. The interim report by the House of Commons’ media committee, to …
your ad hereAP Fact Check: Trump Falsely Claims Historic Turnaround
President Donald Trump falsely claimed he’s pulled off “an economic turnaround of historic proportions.” Speaking at the White House Friday after the government reported that the economy grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, Trump declared that the gains were sustainable and would only accelerate. …
your ad hereCBS Investigates Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against CEO
CBS said Friday it is investigating sexual misconduct allegations against Les Moonves, the company’s 68-year-old chairman and CEO. The claims were detailed Friday on the website of The New Yorker magazine in an article written by Ronan Farrow. Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize last year for an article in the …
your ad hereNew Speed Record at SpaceX Pod Competition
A sleek futuristic train that travels through a special tunnel and covers the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 30 minutes. This was the dream of Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX in 2013. And every year he’s getting closer to making that dream a reality. Late July …
your ad hereRobotic Tools Could Revolutionize Cancer Screening
Not counting certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S. and worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Now researchers in Europe have come up with a robotic device that may speed detection of cancer tumors, potentially saving thousands …
your ad hereTrump Says Economy Numbers Sustainable, But Experts Doubtful
Friday’s positive numbers on the U.S. economic growth are “very, very sustainable,” according to U.S. President Donald Trump. His comments came after figures showed U.S. GDP growth hit 4.1 percent in the second quarter. The question is whether that growth is sustainable, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from the White …
your ad hereLunar Eclipse, Blood Moon Delight Skywatchers in Cairo
Astronomers and local residents gathered to gaze in awe at the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century: 1 hour, 43 minutes. During eclipses, the moon turns a red or brownish color because the light that reaches it passes through the earth’s atmosphere. In Cairo, astronomers with their telescopes volunteered …
your ad hereNext ‘Star Wars’ Film to Use Unreleased Fisher Footage
Carrie Fisher is not done with Star Wars after all. Lucasfilm says unreleased footage of the actress will be used in the next installment of the science fiction saga to draw her character’s story to an end. The studio and writer-director J.J. Abrams announced Friday that footage of Fisher shot for 2015’s …
your ad hereTwitter Reports Drop in Active Users; Share Price Sinks
Twitter’s share price fell more than 20 percent Friday after the social media giant reported a drop in active users. Twitter said it had 335 million monthly users in the second quarter of the year, which was down a million from the amount of monthly users in the first quarter …
your ad hereFacebook Sued after Stock Plunge
Facebook Inc and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, were sued Friday in what could be the first of many lawsuits over a disappointing earnings announcement by the social media company that wiped out about $120 billion of shareholder wealth. The complaint filed by shareholder James Kacouris in Manhattan federal court …
your ad hereNew Baby for Brigitte Nielsen, Age 54, Opens Debate on Older Mothers
How late is too late to become a mother? Actress Brigitte Nielsen has had her fifth child at 54, reopening debate on the growing number of women using IVF to have babies later in life. Fertility experts say the average age of mothers is steadily rising across the world, with …
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