Global hunger rose in 2017 for a third consecutive year, fueled by conflict and climate change, the United Nations revealed in a report published on Tuesday. Obesity levels also increased. Here are some facts and figures from the report. World hunger levels rose in 2017 for the third consecutive year. …
your ad hereThree New Species of Fish Found at Bottom of Pacific Ocean
Three new species of fish, aptly named Pink, Purple and Blue for their coloring, have been found at the bottom of one of the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean. The fish belong to the snailfish (Liparidae) family, with bulbous heads, translucent, ribbon-like bodies and no scales. They were found …
your ad hereTate Modern Makes Time for 24-hour Movie ‘The Clock’
Christian Marclay’s “The Clock” is both the ultimate feature film and an artwork you can set your watch by. The Swiss-American artist has edited together thousands of movie clips containing clocks, watches or references to the time — one or more for every minute of the day — into a …
your ad hereAlfonso Cuaron on Building ‘Roma’ on Childhood Memories
Alfonso Cuaron’s last movie, the dazzling space thriller “Gravity,” won seven Oscars and grossed more than $720 million worldwide. His new movie, “Roma,” is based on his childhood memories and was shot in black and white in the Mexico City neighborhood he grew up in. With limitless opportunities at his …
your ad hereS. Africa’s Controversial Land Expropriation Stirs Emotions, Uncertainty
Plans by South Africa’s government to change the law to allow land expropriation without compensation have provoked an emotional response, even reaching the ears of President Donald Trump, who signaled his disapproval last month in a controversial tweet in which he ordered U.S. officials to investigate the situation. South Africa’s …
your ad hereUS Federal Deficit to Hit $1 Trillion by End of Fiscal Year
The U.S. federal deficit will reach $1 trillion by the end of the fiscal year, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday. The CBO said in previous estimates that it did not expect to hit the milestone until 2020. Spending rose by $222 billion, or 32 percent, in the first …
your ad hereChina Puts Off Licenses for US Companies Amid Tariff Battle
Amid a worsening tariff battle, China is putting off accepting license applications from American companies in financial services and other industries until Washington makes progress toward a settlement, an official of a business group said Tuesday. The disclosure is the first public confirmation of U.S. companies’ fears that their operations …
your ad hereWelty Gets First Marker on Mississippi Writers Trail
Mississippi has markers noting a blues trail, a country music trail, a civil rights trail and even an Indian mound trail. Now, with the dedication of a marker to the late author Eudora Welty, the state is starting a writers trail. Gov. Phil Bryant and National Endowment for the Humanities …
your ad hereRosanne Cash Calls Threats to Journalism ‘Really Alarming’
Rosanne Cash’s interest in political and social activism started at a young age, but she also had a role model in her father, Johnny Cash. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter will receive the “Spirit of Americana” Free Speech award Wednesday during the Americana Honors & Awards show in Nashville. Her father received …
your ad hereWorld’s Local Governments Rally in California to Fight Climate Change
Local authorities will carve out a larger role in fighting rising temperatures globally, as national governments have been slow to take action, said organizers of a climate change summit beginning on Wednesday in San Francisco. About 4,500 delegates from city and regional governments, as well as industries and research institutions, …
your ad hereEPA Moves Closer to Rolling Back Obama-era Rules on Methane
The Trump administration moved closer Tuesday to rolling back Obama-era rules reducing oil and gas industry leaks of methane gas, one of the most potent agents of climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency formally released its proposed substitute for a 2016 Obama administration rule that aimed to step up …
your ad hereSerena Williams’ Treatment Resonates Among Black Women
When Serena Williams told the umpire at the U.S. Open final that he owed her an apology, that he had stolen something from her, and then she got penalized for her words, Breea Willingham could relate to her frustration and anger. Willingham isn’t a tennis star, but she is a …
your ad hereLady Mary Signals Filming Begins for ‘Downton Abbey’ Movie
Filming has begun for the “Downtown Abbey” movie. Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary in the global hit, posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, “And…we’re off.” The film will reunite the Crawley family on the big screen. Series creator Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay and will produce. The …
your ad hereZambia Continues to Borrow as China Debt Concerns Rise
Zambia’s government has denied that the country faces an economic crisis, despite widespread concerns that the money it owes China is reaching unsustainable levels. Speaking from Lusaka, Amos Chanda, spokesperson for President Edgar Lungu, told VOA’s Daybreak Africa that, while Zambia may have economic challenges, it’s far from a debt …
your ad hereZimbabwe Declares Cholera Outbreak After 20 Deaths
A cholera emergency has been declared in Zimbabwe’s capital after 20 people have died, the health minister said Tuesday. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands at the height of the southern African country’s economic problems in 2008. Water and sanitation infrastructure …
your ad hereIndonesia Battles Currency Woes
Policymakers in Indonesia are grappling to deal with a weakened currency, the rupiah, which was valued at just 14,930 per U.S. dollar last week — its lowest point since the 1998 Asian financial crisis. But unlike 20 years ago, when economic turmoil led to major political upheaval in Indonesia, most …
your ad here13-Year-Old Kurdish-American Boy Becomes Entrepreneur
United States is a land of opportunity. We have all heard this saying, but what does it mean and how does it happen? A Kurdish-American family in the state of Virginia is seeing how their 13-year-old son has made the most of a unique opportunity. VOA’s Yahya Barzinji recently visited …
your ad hereStudy: US Teens Prefer Remote Chats to Face-to-Face Meetings
American teenagers are starting to prefer communicating via text instead of meeting face-to-face, according to a study published Monday by the independent organization Common Sense Media. Some 35 percent of kids aged 13 to 17 years old said they would rather send a text than meet up with people, which …
your ad here‘A Star Is Born’ Mania Sweeps Over Toronto Film Festival
The response to Bradley Cooper’s romantic saga “A Star Is Born” has been intense. Critics have boasted of crying uncontrollably. Fans outside theaters have swooned for its star, Lady Gaga. Words like “glorious,” “rapturous” and, of course, “gaga” are running rampant. “Having been on the other side of it, …
your ad hereJapan’s Bid to End Whaling Ban is Top Issue at Conference
Japan will once again try to get the international ban on whale hunting overturned at the global conference of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which opened in Brazil on Monday. The proposal presented by Japan says, “Science is clear: there are certain species of whales whose population is healthy enough …
your ad hereProbst Leaves Complex Legacy After 10 Years as USOC Chairman
Larry Probst will step down as chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, exiting with a complicated legacy that includes restoring the federation’s international reputation while leaving it saddled with as many problems on the home front as he faced when he arrived. Probst, who announced his departure Monday, will step …
your ad hereStar-studded Human Trafficking Film Scripts Message for Rural India
A new Indian movie about human trafficking starring Freida Pinto and Demi Moore is to be screened in towns and villages around the country to raise awareness of a crime that affects millions. “Love Sonia,” which traces the journey of a young girl trafficked from rural India into the global …
your ad hereDOE: US, Saudi Energy Ministers Meet in Washington
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry met with Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih on Monday in Washington, the U.S. Energy Department said, as the Trump administration encourages big oil-producing countries to keep output high ahead of Washington’s renewed sanctions on Iran’s crude exports. Perry and Falih discussed the state of world …
your ad here‘Saving Species with Feces’, a New Collaborative Effort to Save Endangered Animals
Scientists are collecting rhino poop…all in the interests of conservation. It’s part of an initiative to help prevent global extinction of threatened species. The team from Chester Zoo and the University of Manchester has called the collaboration: “saving species with feces.” VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo reports. …
your ad hereIn India, Success Stories Fuel Entrepreneurship
More Indians are aspiring to become entrepreneurs, leaving the security of well-paid jobs to launch their own ventures. As Anjana Pasricha reports, their dreams have been fueled by successful start-ups in the last decade that have reached valuations of billions of dollars. …
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