Bill Cosby spent his first night in prison alone, in a single cell near the infirmary, as he began his three-to-10-year sentence for sexual assault. Corrections officials announced Wednesday that Cosby – now known as Inmate No. NN7687 – will serve his sentence at SCI Phoenix, a new state prison …
your ad hereSenate Panel Opens Hearing on Crafting US Privacy Law
The Trump administration is hoping Congress can come up with a new set of national rules governing how companies can use consumers’ data that finds a balance between “privacy and prosperity.” But it will be tricky to reconcile the concerns of privacy advocates who want people to have more control …
your ad hereAsian Lender Says Trade Wars, Debt Adding to Financial Risks
Trade conflicts, rising debt and the potential impact from rising interest rates in the U.S. will likely dampen growth in the coming year, the Asian Development Bank said Wednesday in an update of its regional economic outlook report. The Manila, Philippines-based regional lender said Wednesday that it expects economic growth …
your ad hereIrishman Donates World’s Largest Model Aircraft Collection
When Irishman Michael Kelly was a boy, he loved nothing more than gazing at planes taking off and landing at his nearest airport. Now 67, after more than half a century building what he believes is the world’s largest private collection of model aircraft, he has donated the lot to …
your ad hereIn ‘Free Solo,’ Love Proves A Steeper Challenge for Honnold Than El Cap
The important thing to rock climber Alex Honnold is that the movie screen be big. IMAX, whatever. But big. It’s shortly before the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Free Solo, the documentary that chronicles Honnold’s legendary, ropeless ascent up Yosemite’s El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall of sheer granite and …
your ad hereShape-Changing Materials to Enter Everyday Life
Many materials change shape when exposed to heat, electricity or some other kind of energy. That change is usually random, but scientists are now learning how to direct that energy to turn the material into a predetermined shape. VOA’s George Putic visited a lab at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh …
your ad hereBrazil’s Jobs Crisis Lingers, Posing Challenge for Next President
After losing his job with a foreign food company in March, Alexander Costa surveyed Brazil’s anemic labor market and decided to start selling cheap lunches by the beach in Rio de Janeiro to try and provide for his young family. “I could have stayed home, looking for work, sending out …
your ad hereInto the Fold? What’s Next for Instagram as Founders Leave
When Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger sold Instagram to Facebook in 2012, the photo-sharing startup’s fiercely loyal fans worried about what would happen to their beloved app under the social media giant’s wings. None of their worst fears materialized. But now that its founders have announced they are leaving in …
your ad hereGSK Vaccine Success a Milestone in TB, But Room for Improvement
An experimental GlaxoSmithKline vaccine could prevent tuberculosis developing in half of those who receive it, making it potentially the first new shot against the global killer in a century, researchers said on Tuesday. Given the failure of other candidates in recent years, it marks a milestone in the fight against …
your ad hereGlobal $500M Data Drive Aims to Boost Harvests, End Hunger
A $500 million data drive aims to improve the harvests of hundreds of millions of farmers worldwide as rising hunger levels threaten a global goal to end hunger by 2030, organizations involved in the initiative said Tuesday. Developing countries and donors launched the “50 X 2030” scheme on the sidelines …
your ad hereNumber of Babies Born With Syphilis in US Doubles in Four Years
The number of babies born infected with syphilis in the United States has more than doubled since 2013, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a report released Tuesday, the CDC said the number of cases of congenital syphilis, in which the disease is passed from …
your ad hereTrade Minister: Updated Peru-China Trade Deal May Be Ready by 2020
An update of Peru’s trade agreement with China could be completed as soon as 2020, and certainly by the time President Martin Vizcarra leaves office, Peruvian Trade Minister Roger Valencia said Tuesday. Peru and its top trade partner China vowed to update their 2010 bilateral free trade deal shortly after …
your ad hereSudan Reports Outbreak of Mosquito-borne Disease
More than 11,000 people in Sudan’s eastern state of Kassala have been infected over the past month by Chikungunya, a debilitating mosquito-borne viral disease, but no deaths have been reported, a Sudanese official said Tuesday. Chikungunya is spread by two mosquito species and can cause severe symptoms, which develop three …
your ad hereMacron: France to Reject Trade Deals from Countries that Reject Paris Climate Accord
French President Emmanuel Macron declared Tuesday in a fiery speech at the United Nations General Assembly that France would no longer accept “commercial agreements” with countries that do not “respect” the Paris climate accord, a clear shot at the United States, the only country that has not agreed to the …
your ad hereNike’s Marketing Strikes a Chord Without Hurting Business
Nike caused an uproar this month with its ad featuring former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick that debuted just as the football season was about to begin. But the shoe maker’s stock is up and sales have been steady. The furor seems to have largely died down as the company …
your ad hereArgentina’s Unions Stage Nationwide Strike to Protest Crisis
Unions called a nationwide strike Tuesday to protest Argentina’s economic crisis, and walkouts grounded airline flights, paralyzed bus and train lines and forced the closure of the main agricultural port. Many workers stayed home as the strike made commuting a puzzle, and some demonstrators blocked highways. Banks, courts and …
your ad hereZambia’s Sovereignty Concerns Put China in Crosshairs
In early September, James Lukuku staged a one-person protest in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, against his country’s relationship with China. Lukuku brandished a homemade sign that read: “China EQUALS Hitler.” Scrawled on his T-shirt was a plea to U.S. President Donald Trump for help. “I want every Zambian to rise and …
your ad hereUS Trade Chief Says Changing China’s Policies ‘Not Going to Be Easy’
U.S. President Donald Trump’s top trade official said on Tuesday changing China’s economic policies to become more market-oriented “is not going to be easy” even with tariffs now in place on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, in rare public remarks at the Concordia Summit, …
your ad hereJordan Pushes New IMF-backed Tax Bill to Parliament
Jordan’s cabinet on Tuesday sent to parliament an IMF-backed draft tax bill, a main plank of austerity measures to ease rising public debt, an issue that caused street protests last summer, officials said. The government hopes to push through the new legislation within two months despite opposition from many deputies, …
your ad hereAntibiotics for Appendicitis? Surgery Often Not Needed
When emergency tests showed the telltale right-sided pain in Heather VanDusen’s abdomen was appendicitis, she figured she’d be quickly wheeled into surgery. But doctors offered her the option of antibiotics instead. A new study from Finland shows her choice is a reasonable alternative for most patients with appendicitis. Five years …
your ad hereLoss of Bird Species Hampers Forecasting for Zimbabwe’s Farmers
As the summer planting season approaches in eastern Zimbabwe, small-scale farmers struggle with familiar questions: When will the rains come, and when should I sow my crops? This year something else is keeping them awake: In late August the government issued a warning about a potential El Niño weather pattern, …
your ad hereJapan Preschools Use Tablets to Prep Tots for Digital Age
It’s drawing time at this suburban nursery school in Japan, but instead of crayons, tiny fingers are tapping on colors on iPad screens and taking selfies. Digital schooling has arrived in this nation long known for its zealous commitment to “three R’s” education. Coby Preschool, in a small town northeast …
your ad hereCosby Gets Up to 10 Years in Prison for Sex Assault
His Hollywood career and good-guy image in ruins, an 81-year-old Bill Cosby was sentenced Tuesday to three to 10 years behind bars for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, becoming the first celebrity of the #MeToo era to be sent to prison. The punishment all but completed the dizzying, …
your ad hereBill Cosby’s Day of Reckoning Arrives in Court
A defense psychologist testified at Bill Cosby’s sentencing Tuesday that the chances of the comedian committing another sex offense are “extraordinarily low” because he is old, blind and needs help getting around. Psychologist Timothy Foley took the stand as the 81-year-old TV star waited to learn his punishment for drugging …
your ad hereWHO Warns Ebola Spreading in Eastern DR Congo
The World Health Organization warns the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading to new parts of conflict-ridden North Kivu province, including areas that border Uganda and Rwanda. Attacks by armed opposition groups in North Kivu have increased in severity and frequency in recent weeks. The …
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