Authorities in a North Sumatra village have banned three HIV+ orphans from elementary school, and threatened the children, who are from outside the area, with expulsion from Nainggolan due to community fears of transmission. The children, a boy and two girls, aged 7 to 11 years, were infected by transmission …
your ad hereSaudi Crown Prince Expects Economic Growth of 2.5 Percent in 2018
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday the kingdom will continue with reforms and spending on infrastructure, predicting the economy will grow by 2.5 percent this year. Speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh, the crown prince also said he expected economic growth next year to be higher. …
your ad hereFacebook Unveils Systems for Catching Child Nudity, ‘Grooming’ of Children
Facebook Inc said on Wednesday that company moderators during the last quarter removed 8.7 million user images of child nudity with the help of previously undisclosed software that automatically flags such photos. The machine learning tool rolled out over the last year identifies images that contain both nudity and a …
your ad hereChild Death Toll Hits 7 in Viral Outbreak at NJ Rehab Center
Another child has died following a severe viral outbreak at a New Jersey rehabilitation center for “medically fragile children,” bringing the death toll to seven, the facility said Wednesday. There have been 18 cases overall of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles …
your ad here3 Endemic Countries Hold the Key to a Polio-Free World
As another World Polio Day comes around, the World Health Organization reports three polio endemic countries— Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria — hold the key to the global eradication of this crippling disease. About one-half million children were becoming paralyzed by polio every year when the World Health Organization began its …
your ad hereTaylor Swift Donates to Fan Struggling with Medical Bills
Taylor Swift has donated $15,500 to a GoFundMe account of a fan whose family is struggling with medical bills. Sadie Bartell’s mother has been in a coma for three years, and the family is worried about losing their Orem, Utah, home because of mounting medical bills. The 19-year-old tweeted …
your ad hereApple CEO Backs Privacy Laws, Warns Data Being ‘Weaponized’
The head of Apple on Wednesday endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant’s commitment to protecting personal data, which he warned was being “weaponized” against users. Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook applauded European Union …
your ad hereRust Belt’s Got Talent, But No Money
Julius Wakam worked in auto manufacturing for 11 years before being laid off in 2008. Today, the married father of three has a job at a hardware store to make ends meet until he can secure another well-paying position in his field. Like many workers in America’s so-called Rust Belt, …
your ad hereUK Watchdog: Smugglers to Exploit Border if no Brexit Deal
Smugglers and other organized criminals are likely to exploit gaps in border enforcement if Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement, a watchdog warned Wednesday, amid a growing chorus of warnings about the disruptive impact of a “no-deal” Brexit. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, …
your ad hereNo US High-ranking Officials to Attend China Investment Fair
The U.S. will not send a high-ranking official to attend a major investment fair in China next month, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday, in a move underscoring worsening trade frictions between the world’s two largest economies. “China needs to make the necessary reforms to end its unfair practices that are …
your ad hereUN Official Warns of Imminent Great Hunger in Yemen
A United Nations official is warning that Yemen is in imminent danger of being engulfed by unprecedented famine. Mark Lowcock, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, advised the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that the war-torn Arab country is facing greater famine than any professional in the field has ever seen. VOA’s …
your ad hereIslamic Banking Grows in Africa Amid Booming Muslim Population
Islamic-style banking is on the rise worldwide, showing especially strong growth in Africa recently, according to the rating agency Moody’s. This type of banking system doesn’t charge or pay interest, uses physical assets to underpin transactions, and does not invest in so-called “sin” industries like alcohol, pork and gambling. In …
your ad hereAs Farmers Harvest, Tariff Concerns Loom
It’s a good day for Illinois farmer Bob Gehrke, as the sun shines above the brown, dried and ready-for-harvest rows of soybeans in his fields outside Elgin. A good day because Gehrke isn’t fighting wet weather as he spends up to 16 hours a day racing the clock and the …
your ad hereNuñez Home Run Leads Red Sox to World Series Game One Win
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts played the percentages Tuesday night with his team down by one run to the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning of the opening game of this year’s Major League Baseball World Series. He saw two runners on base, a right-handed pitcher on the …
your ad hereReaders Pick America’s Best-loved Novel in Nationwide Vote
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” a coming-of-age story about racism and injustice, overcame wizards and time travelers to be voted America’s best-loved novel by readers nationwide. The 1961 book by Harper Lee emerged as No. 1 in PBS’ “The Great American Read” survey, whose results were announced Tuesday on the show’s …
your ad hereCosby Judge Rejects New Trial Bid; Camille Cosby Sees Bias
A judge on Tuesday rejected Bill Cosby’s bid for a new trial or sentencing hearing, leading the comedian’s wife, Camille, to again accuse the judge of bias against her husband. The ruling by the same judge that presided over Cosby’s trial also led the entertainer’s lawyers to file their appeal …
your ad hereUS Lawmaker Vows to Work Toward New Trump Tax Cut
The top Republican lawmaker on tax policy in the U.S. House of Representatives said Tuesday that he was working with the White House and Treasury to develop a new 10 percent middle-class tax cut plan that President Donald Trump began touting over the weekend. Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, who chairs the tax-writing …
your ad hereUS Tech Companies Reconsider Saudi Investment
The controversy over the death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi has shined a harsh light on the growing financial ties between Silicon Valley and the world’s largest oil exporter. As Saudi Arabia’s annual investment forum in Riyadh — dubbed “Davos in the Desert” — continues, representatives from many of …
your ad hereLow-tech Tools Can Fight Land Corruption, Experts Say
Technological solutions to prevent land corruption require resources, but they do not have to be expensive, land rights experts said Tuesday. Satellite imagery, cloud computing and blockchain are among technologies with the potential to help many of the world’s more than 1 billion people estimated to lack secure property rights. But they can be expensive and …
your ad hereSyria’s Food Production Hits 29-Year Low
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program finds extreme weather conditions in Syria have caused the lowest production of wheat and barley for nearly three decades in this war-torn country. Still, the Syrian government has managed to pacify most of country after more than seven …
your ad hereDesperate & Duped? GoFundMe Means Big Bucks for Dubious Care
People seeking dubious, potentially harmful treatment for cancer and other ailments raised nearly $7 million over two years from crowdfunding sites, a study found. Echoing recent research on campaigns for stem cell therapies, the findings raise more questions about an increasingly popular way to help pay for costly, and sometimes …
your ad hereFirst Sign Language Starbucks Opens in Washington DC
Coffee drinkers in the nation’s capital can now order that tall pumpkin spice iced skim latte in sign language. Starbucks has opened its first U.S. “signing store” to better serve hard of hearing customers. The store in Washington is just blocks from Gallaudet University, one of the nation’s oldest universities …
your ad hereResearchers Discover Microplastics in 100 Percent of People Studied
In the first study of its kind, Austrian researchers have tracked the movement of microplastics into human beings. The results show that the plastic that is a ubiquitous element of human life is now also a constant element in the human body. The research was presented at this week at …
your ad hereGlobal Stocks Fall on Worries About Weak Economic Growth, Profit
Global stocks tumbled Tuesday amid investors’ concerns over world economic growth and gloomy forecasts from U.S. bellwether companies. Major Asian indexes fell sharply after China increased financing for privately-held companies. Compounding investor worries were gloomy forecasts from U.S. industrial giants Caterpillar and 3M. The developments dampened investor optimism about the …
your ad hereDiddy Pledges $1M to New Bronx Charter School
Sean “Diddy” Combs has pledged $1 million to a network of charter schools for a new location in the Bronx. Capital Preparatory Schools has been approved to open in September with 160 6th and 7th graders. The goal is to expand to 650 students in grades six through 11 …
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