From pictures of their favorite Madonna looks to naming their top tracks by the songstress, fans paid tribute to the “Queen of Pop” on Thursday as the “Material Girl” turned 60. Taking to social media under the hashtag #MadonnaAt60 fans young and old – and some famous in their own …
your ad hereNo Handshakes, No Helmets in DRC City Preparing for Ebola
A mobile blood-testing lab. Hand-washing stations on street corners. Motorcycle taxi drivers forbidden from sharing spare helmets. If Ebola is coming, the city of Goma in eastern Congo wants to be ready. An outbreak suspected of killing 43 people is spreading across the lush farmlands of eastern Congo, where ethnic and military conflicts threaten to …
your ad hereDespite Summer Heat, Brussels’ Flower Carpet Emblazons City Center
Belgian flower growers bested the summer’s blistering heat to lay out 500,000 blossoms on the central square of Brussels, in this year’s edition of the world-famous flower carpet. As Europe endured one of its hottest summers on record, organizers worried that the heat would prevent the flowers from blooming. “It …
your ad hereHow a Single Shot Keeps You from Getting Sick
Carli Leon remembers hearing the story of a young boy in Spain who died after contracting diphtheria. The 6-year-old boy’s parents had chosen not to have him vaccinated, and he died 28 days after initially showing symptoms. “One of those things that anti-vaxx people say is, ‘Well, [the] U.S. is …
your ad hereIn US Dispute, A Few Turks Destroy iPhones in Online Posts
A small number of Turks are responding to their president’s call to boycott American electronic goods by posting videos in which they smash iPhones with bats, hammers and other blunt instruments. In one video , a man collects iPhones from several youths squatting in front of a Turkish flag, lays …
your ad hereWhite House: US ‘Crushing It’ on Economic Growth
The United States economy, the world’s largest, is “crushing it,” White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow declared Thursday. “This is the hottest business economic environment in the world today,” Kudlow told reporters at the White House. “President [Donald] Trump completely changed the business environment here for the better,” Kudlow said. …
your ad hereUS Treasury Secretary Hints at More Sanctions for Turkey
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the United States is ready to impose more sanctions on Turkey if detained American pastor Andrew Brunson is not released from house arrest. Mnuchin made the statement Thursday during a Cabinet meeting with the president attended by journalists. “We have put sanctions on several …
your ad hereStorm Forecast to Become Hurricane Far Out in East Pacific
Tropical Storm Lane is pushing westward across the Pacific while Subtropical Storm Ernesto heads across the Atlantic in the general direction of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Thursday that Lane had winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and is expected to strengthen into …
your ad hereQueen of Soul Aretha Franklin Dies
Musical icon Aretha Franklin, known by millions around the world as the Queen of Soul, is dead at the age of 76. The American singer — who had been ill for a while — was considered one of the country’s greatest musical artists. She sold millions of albums, received numerous …
your ad here‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin Dies
Aretha Franklin, the American singer known to millions of fans around the world as the “Queen of Soul,” has died at the age of 76. Franklin passed away Thursday in her hometown of Detroit, where she had been under hospice care after a long battle with cancer. Born March 25, …
your ad hereExperts: Cyberattacks Growing Increasingly Sophisticated
The rise of information sharing in the digital age has made it easier to disseminate knowledge, but it also brings with it heightened risks: from hackers stealing our information, to launching cyberwarfare and even potentially weaponizing legitimate platforms. This week on “Plugged In,” VOA Contributor Greta Van Susteren explores these …
your ad hereVietnamese-Cajun Food: A Blend of Two Cultures
Along the Gulf Coast in the southern part of the United States, two distinct cultures have settled in the area: Vietnamese refugees and Cajuns descended from French colonists, who first lived in the eastern part of Canada and eventually resettled in Louisiana. Many of the Vietnamese who live along the …
your ad hereCooking Up Distinct Flavors by Blending Two Cultures
Cajun food is well known along the Gulf Coast in the southern part of the United States. This type of food is known for its unique blend of spices in seafood, sausage and rice. But less well known is a much newer type of cuisine. It blends Cajun food introduced …
your ad hereChina, US to Resume Trade Talks This Month
A Chinese delegation will travel to the United States later this month to resume negotiations as a trade war intensifies between the world’s two biggest economies. China’s Commerce Ministry says Vice Minister Wang Shouwen will meet with David Malpass, an assistant U.S. Treasury secretary for international affairs. The ministry issued …
your ad hereScientists Working to Combat Florida’s Growing ‘Red Tide’
Scientists in Florida are on the cusp of developing promising methods to control toxic algae blooms like the “red tide” that has been killing marine life along a 150 mile (240 km) stretch of the Gulf Coast, the head of a leading marine lab said Wednesday. Michael Crosby, president and …
your ad hereMexico Unsure If It Will Finish NAFTA Talks with US in Aug.
Mexico’s economy minister on Wednesday said that Mexico and the United States may not meet an August goal to finish bilateral talks to revamp the NAFTA trade deal, which is beset by disagreements over automobile trade rules and other issues. Top Mexican officials started their fourth week of talks with …
your ad hereFive ‘Crazy Rich Asian’ Ways to Splash Your Cash in Singapore
Singapore is the setting for new Hollywood movie ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ – an adaptation of a best-selling novel that explores the insatiable consumerism of new money and old-world opulence in a continent producing more billionaires than anywhere else. While the low-tax financial hub is often called a playground for the …
your ad hereIn Chinese Port City, Japan’s Toyota Lays Foundation to Ramp Up Sales
Toyota is likely to make 120,000 more cars a year in the Chinese port city of Tianjin as part of a medium-term strategy that’s gathering pace as China-Japan ties improve, said four company insiders with knowledge of the matter. The Japanese auto maker’s plan to boost annual production capacity by …
your ad hereHome Shopping Networks Refine Their Pitch to Stay Alive
HSN, once known as the Home Shopping Network, is getting an image makeover. A U.S. television network where shoppers can buy everything from electronics to kitchen gadgets, HSN is overhauling its lineup to offer more beauty products while adding streamed video content to win over shoppers without cable TV. A …
your ad hereFoundation: Brazil’s Samarco to Pay $512.5M to Disaster Victims
Brazil’s Samarco Mineração SA expects to pay up to 2 billion reais ($512.5 million) this year to 19,000 families affected by the 2015 mining disaster in the state of Minas Gerais, the foundation created to pay the victims said Wednesday. The first families to receive payments will be “the most vulnerable,” said Roberto Waak, …
your ad hereLawyer: US Youth Activists Will Appeal Setback to Climate Lawsuit
The dismissal of a lawsuit filed by young people claiming government climate policy falls short will be appealed and marks a minor setback in pursuing legal action on behalf of youth and their rights, experts said. The legal complaint arguing that the state of Washington must do more to cut carbon emissions was dismissed …
your ad hereNo Special Rules Needed for Now-Common Gene Therapy Studies
U.S. health officials are eliminating special regulations for gene therapy experiments, saying that what was once exotic science is quickly becoming an established form of medical care with no extraordinary risks. A special National Institutes of Health oversight panel will no longer review all gene therapy applications and will instead …
your ad hereScorching Weather Helps Uncover Archaeological Sites Around Britain
Britain’s hottest summer in decades has revealed cropmarks across the country showing the sites of Iron Age settlements, Roman farms and even Neolithic monuments dating back thousands of years, archaeologists said Wednesday. Cropmarks — patterns of shading in crops and grass seen most clearly from the air — form faster …
your ad hereStudy: Smokers Better Off Quitting, Even With Weight Gain
If you quit smoking and gain weight, it may seem like you’re trading one set of health problems for another. But a new U.S. study finds you’re still better off in the long run. Compared with smokers, even the quitters who gained the most weight had at least a 50 …
your ad hereHeat Waves Affecting Oceans, Too
Even the oceans are breaking temperature records in this summer of heat waves. Off the San Diego coast, scientists earlier this month recorded the highest seawater temperatures since daily measurements began in 1916. “Just like we have heat waves on land, we also have heat waves in the ocean,” said …
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