Halloween is a popular holiday in the United States. Hauntworld.com estimates there are more than 4,000 Halloween “fee-based” attractions in the U.S., with the overall industry generating more than $1 billion. VOA’s Jill Craig takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of a popular haunted forest in Maryland, where people pay …
your ad hereCould Plants be the Last Straw for Plastic?
For 30 years, the Ocean Conservancy has conducted an ocean cleanup campaign on the world’s beaches. They’ve collected 300 million pounds of garbage, a lot of it plastic. But slowly and surely some entrepreneurs are working to reduce the amount of plastic filling up oceans and landfills. VOA’s Kevin Enochs …
your ad hereChanged Climate Blamed for Barracudas Settling in Colder Waters
Climate change is usually thought to bring hotter weather, but scientists say it can also make some places colder. Temperature changes mean some plants and animals struggle to survive, while others seek new territory. That may be the case for one species of barracuda that is living in colder waters …
your ad hereVietnam Wants to Go Hollywood
Call it Vollywood? Vietnam’s movie scene is growing quickly, with an explosion of theaters across the country, more filmmakers entering the market, and more global attention from the 2017 blockbuster “Kong,” which was set and filmed here. Search for “Vietnam movies” online and most of the results are not films …
your ad hereBattles Over Safe Ebola Burials Complicate Work in DRC
A runaway hearse carrying an Ebola victim has become the latest example of sometimes violent community resistance complicating efforts to contain a Congo outbreak — and causing a worrying new rise in cases. The deadly virus’ appearance for the first time in the far northeast has sparked fear. Suspected contacts …
your ad hereWFP: Climate Change to Accelerate World Hunger
The World Food Program warns climate change will have a devastating impact on agriculture and the ability of people to feed themselves. The WFP forecasts a huge increase in worldwide hunger unless action is taken to slow global warming. The WFP warns progress in reducing global hunger is under …
your ad hereUsing CT Scans to Predict Heart Attacks
One of the joys of computer algorithms and machine learning is their ability to extract new data from old technologies. Doctors at the University of London in Oxford for instance have figured out a way to take regular CT heart scans and predict heart problems years in advance. VOA’s Kevin …
your ad hereUS Pledges $90 Million as World Leaders Gather to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade
The United States and dozens of other countries have pledged to work together to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and treat it as a “serious and organized crime” following a two-day conference in London that ended Friday. Trade in endangered wildlife, such as elephant tusks, rhino horns and tiger bones, …
your ad here‘Women of Troy: Voices From Afghanistan’ an Afghan, American Collaboration
Afghan women too many times have been seen by some as victims. Victims of domestic violence, cultural limitations, political restrictions and more. Their voices often go unheard, but not in a play produced in Washington called ‘Women of Troy: Voices From Afghanistan.’ It is a story of Afghan women’s bravery …
your ad hereHow Wine Corks Help Fight Global Warming
Scientists say climate change is becoming more pressing with news of melting permafrost and rising sea levels. Scientists have been urging people around the globe to reduce emissions of climate warming carbon, but the Salk Institute in San Diego is taking a different approach. There, scientists are working on developing …
your ad hereEating Roadkill in WV: A Controversial Tradition That Makes Locals Proud
Summer in the United States is a time for festivals, featuring music, games and food. And in one West Virginia town that can entail very unusual food. We’re talking about fare such as spicy bear and deer stew, rich turtle soup, alligator gumbo, possum and elk. The main ingredients are …
your ad here‘First Man’ Shows Personal Sacrifice, High Risk of Apollo 11 Mission
The world was watching, July 20, 1969, as a grainy black and white TV image showed American astronaut Neil Armstrong step onto the moon’s surface and plant a U.S. flag. A new biopic follows his life, chronicling his courage, spirit of adventure and razor-sharp focus under pressure that paved the …
your ad hereUN Worker Among Sharp Increase in DRC’s Ebola Caseload
A U.N. employee in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the first such incident during the current outbreak, according to the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission. “I am writing today to inform you that my leadership team and I have regretfully just received news …
your ad hereBill Cosby Switches Up Legal Team with Appeal Looming
Bill Cosby is switching up his legal team as he looks to appeal his conviction and three- to 10-year sentence in his Pennsylvania sex assault case. A court filing Friday says the 81-year-old Cosby is replacing the suburban Philadelphia lawyer who handled his sentencing with a pair of criminal defense …
your ad hereLife-Sized Plastic Whale to Raise Ocean Pollution Awareness
Artists are putting the finishing touches on an 82-foot-long (24-meter-long) blue whale made from discarded plastic that will be on display near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge to raise awareness about ocean pollution. The Monterey Bay Aquarium said Friday a blue whale can weigh 300,000 pounds (136,000 kilograms) — about …
your ad hereSecond Space Telescope Shuts Down, NASA Says
Another NASA space telescope has shut down and halted science observations. Less than a week after the Hubble Space Telescope went offline, the Chandra X-ray Observatory did the same thing. NASA said Friday that Chandra automatically went into so-called safe mode Wednesday, possibly because of a gyroscope problem. Hubble went into …
your ad hereFacebook: Hackers Accessed 29M Accounts – Fewer Than Thought
Facebook says hackers accessed data from 29 million accounts as part of the security breach disclosed two weeks ago, fewer than the 50 million it initially believed were affected. The hackers accessed name, email addresses or phone numbers from these accounts, according to Facebook. For 14 million of them, hackers …
your ad hereGlobal Stocks Climb Following Two Days of Sharp Losses
World stocks are climbing Friday after two days of sharp losses. Major U.S. stock indexes are up more than 1 percent, but they’re still on track for their biggest one-week loss since late March. Technology and internet companies were some of the hardest hit over the last two days and …
your ad here‘Winter Is Coming’: Indonesia Warns World Finance Leaders Over Trade War
Just in case any of the global central bankers and finance ministers gathered in Indonesia missed the message delivered repeatedly this week, the host nation said it again Friday: Everyone stands to lose if trade wars are allowed to escalate. Indonesian President Joko Widodo didn’t mention the United States or …
your ad hereFilm Academy Honors 19 Student Filmmakers
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored 19 student filmmakers at the 45th Student Academy Awards on Thursday night. The winners are eligible to compete for a 2018 Academy Award in the animated short, live action short and documentary short categories. They join a list of Student Academy …
your ad hereQueen Elizabeth’s Granddaughter Marries in Grand Royal Wedding
Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle on Friday in front of celebrities and Britain’s senior royals including Prince Harry and wife Meghan who wed at the same venue in May. Eugenie, 28, younger daughter of the queen’s third child, Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife, Sarah …
your ad hereClimb for Albinism: 6 Women Challenge Stereotypes on Africa’s Highest Peak
Six African women with albinism, a condition that affects the pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes, set out to climb Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro earlier this month in a bid to raise the visibility of people living with the condition. The climbers have all suffered abuse and discrimination, and in …
your ad hereRussia Space Agency: Astronauts Will Likely Fly in Spring
The head of Russia’s space agency said Friday that two astronauts who survived the midair failure of a Russian rocket would fly again and would provisionally travel to the International Space Station (ISS) in spring of next year. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, was speaking a …
your ad hereDoctors Warn of Global C-Section ‘Epidemic’
Worldwide cesarean section use has nearly doubled in two decades and has reached “epidemic” proportions in some countries, doctors warned Friday, highlighting a huge gap in childbirth care between rich and poor mothers. They said millions of women each year may be putting themselves and their babies at unnecessary risk …
your ad hereUS-Russian Space Crew Makes Emergency Landing After Rocket Problem
A U.S. astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut made an emergency return to earth Thursday shortly after launching on what was supposed to be a mission to the International Space Station. Rescuers reached American Nick Hague and Russian Alexei Ovchinin after their emergency landing in Kazakhstan. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb …
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