American labor unions are increasingly skeptical that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on countries like China will significantly increase manufacturing jobs, wages and conditions for workers in the U.S. The president began to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum in March. Since then, metal prices …
your ad hereInternet of Things Could Revolutionize City Planning
The massive breach of Facebook and the exposure of the information of an estimated 50 million users last week has highlighted one of the problems with all the data we are putting out into the world. City planners share those concerns, but they’re looking also looking at how “Big Data” …
your ad hereDHS: No Reason to Doubt Firms’ Denials of China Hack
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Saturday it currently had no reason to doubt statements from companies that have denied a Bloomberg report that their supply chains were compromised by malicious computer chips inserted by Chinese intelligence services. “The Department of Homeland Security is aware of the media reports …
your ad hereRobotic Farm Promises Cheap Local Produce
The U.S. farm-to-table trend is definitely one of the latest. Americans are hungry for fresh, organic produce in their homes, and in many cases they are willing to pay more for it. But in an urban setting, residents don’t have a farm next door. The company Iron Ox is looking …
your ad hereExtracting Nutrients from Poultry Litter Generates Profits, Eases Pollution
Large scale agriculture creates large scale pollution, especially from animal waste. The waste from poultry farms, for example, is bad for the environment, but it contains nutrients that are good for fertilizer. Faith Lapidus reports that scientists in Maryland are developing a new technology to separate the good from the …
your ad hereDown Syndrome No Obstacle for 21-Year-Old Model
It’s Fashion Week season, and major cities around the world are gearing up to show off the latest trends in high fashion clothing and accessories. It’s also a busy time for the world’s top super models, who will grace the catwalks and runways in New York, London, Milan and Paris. …
your ad hereMormons to Spend Less Time at Church on Sundays, Leaders Say
Mormons will start spending less time at church each Sunday — two hours instead of three — after a change announced Saturday aimed at making worship more manageable for members around the globe. The change, which takes effect in January, is a significant one for Mormons, who since 1980 have …
your ad hereHealth Organization Seeks Regulation of Heated Tobacco Products
Delegates from 148 parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are calling for new heated tobacco products on the market to be regulated in the same way cigarettes and other tobacco products are. Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are not e-cigarettes. They are products that contain nicotine …
your ad hereThe Battle for Gender Equality in Hollywood
The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements address the sexual harassment and abuse of women by powerful men in Hollywood and elsewhere today. But systemic sexism in the film industry goes back decades, influencing how stories have been told on the silver screen. Consider the cartoon Pepe Le Pew, about a persistent …
your ad hereSexism, Assault in Workplace, Including Hollywood, Stopped by Balancing Power
Since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements began, many films have offered more nuanced and textured female characters and are telling more women’s stories. But activists say more needs to be done to increase women’s equitable treatment in Hollywood. In this installment, VOA’s Penelope Poulou talks with activists, filmmakers and actresses …
your ad hereHow Sexist Characters in Film Abet Women’s Harassment Behind the Scenes
The discrimination and objectification of women in Hollywood is not a new phenomenon. For decades sexist behavior by powerful men in the industry has been part of the star system, and it has influenced how stories were told on the large screen. In the first part of a two-part series …
your ad hereSpanish Opera Singer Montserrat Caballe Dies at 85
Montserrat Caballe, a Spanish opera singer renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, has died. She was 85. Caballe died early Saturday at Hospital San Pau in Barcelona, hospital spokesman Abraham del Moral told The Associated Press. Caballe’s family requested …
your ad hereNYC Adding Nonbinary ‘X’ Designation to Birth Certificates
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign legislation soon that will add a third gender category to birth certificates. The city council passed legislation on the issue in September, and the mayor announced his intention to sign it after a public hearing. Faiza Elmasry reports …
your ad hereNew Drugs Join Fight Against Ebola
Four more cases of Ebola have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past two days. And the World Health Organization says officials are now concerned the virus will spread beyond the DRC. The total number of cases is now 165, with 106 deaths. But some new …
your ad hereFinal Tweaks in North American Trade Deal Keep Lid on E-commerce
Last-minute changes to a new North American trade deal sank U.S. hopes of making Canada and Mexico allow higher-value shipments to the countries by online retailers, such as Amazon.com, a top Mexican official said on Friday. The revised pact was set to double the value of goods that could be …
your ad hereNew Study Links Warmer Water, More Hurricanes
A new study is blaming 2017’s unusually high number of hurricanes on the Atlantic Ocean’s rising surface temperatures. The report is one of the first to suggest that human-driven global warming is actually causing more hurricanes. The study published in last week’s journal Science also predicts that as warming increases …
your ad hereYazidi Community Reacts to Nadia Murad’s Nobel Prize
The Yazidi community in Iraq and around the world expressed joy and hope after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded its 2018 Peace Prize to Nadia Murad, a Yazidi activist and survivor of sexual slavery by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. Murad will be sharing the prize with Dr. Denis …
your ad hereBen Affleck Posts About Substance Abuse Treatment
Ben Affleck says battling addiction is “a lifelong and difficult struggle.” The actor posted on Instagram Thursday that he has completed a 40-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remains in outpatient care. The 46-year-old says the support he’s received from family and friends has given him …
your ad hereMonica Lewinsky Changes Social Media Name to Fight Bullying
Monica Lewinsky is teaming up with celebrities for an anti-bullying campaign that targets name-calling. Appearing Friday on ABC’s Good Morning America, Lewinsky says the #DefyTheName campaign calls on people to change their social media names to include the names they were bullied by. Lewinsky says she’ll now be known as …
your ad hereChance the Rapper to Give $1M to Boost Mental Health Services
Chance the Rapper says he’s donating $1 million to help improve mental health services in Chicago. The Chicago native made the announcement Thursday during a summit for his nonprofit organization SocialWorks, saying those involved “want to change the way that mental health resources are being accessed.” Six mental health providers …
your ad hereUS Job Growth Cools; Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.7 Percent
U.S. job growth slowed sharply in September likely as Hurricane Florence depressed restaurant and retail payrolls, but the unemployment rate fell to near a 49-year low of 3.7 percent, pointing to a further tightening in labor market conditions. The Labor Department’s closely watched monthly employment report on Friday also showed …
your ad here1 Year Later, How #MeToo Is Changing America
After a year that saw the #MeToo movement sweep America, sexual harassment remains a global problem. Nearly 1 in 4 men across eight countries believe they are owed sex from their employees and that it’s sometimes OK to expect a worker to have intimate interactions with the boss’s family member …
your ad hereThousands of Sketchbooks Displayed at Brooklyn Library
With the digital era in full swing, sketchbooks are likely to be gathering dust in desk drawers around the world. But for the founder of the Brooklyn Art Library, sketchbooks are precious, the nondigital predecessors of Instagram. As part of a special project, the library has created a business by …
your ad hereUS Plans to Rewrite Rules that Impede Self-driving Cars
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to revise safety rules that bar fully self-driving cars from the roads without equipment such as steering wheels, pedals and mirrors, according to a document made public on Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “intends to reconsider the necessity and …
your ad hereLight Exercise Might Lessen Stroke Severity, Study Indicates
People who regularly engage in light to moderate physical activity — like walking four hours a week or swimming two hours weekly — might have less severe strokes than individuals who aren’t as active, a Swedish study suggests. Researchers examined data on 925 patients who were treated for strokes at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in …
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