For the past 50 years, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington has been telling America’s story with images of people who helped shape the history and culture of the United States. It recently added 28 pictures in an effort to tell a more diverse and more complete story of …
your ad hereThere’s More Than One Way to Recycle a Christmas Tree
There are a number of reasons why Americans like to have a live tree for their Christmas centerpiece It just smells like Christmas, they grew up with a real tree, they feel it’s better for the environment than an artificial one. And although trees can be chipped into mulch after …
your ad hereWeather Channel App Sued, Accused of Selling Users’ Data
People relied on the most popular mobile weather app to track forecasts that determined whether they chose jeans over shorts and packed a parka or umbrella, but its owners used it to track their every step and profit off that information, Los Angeles prosecutors said Friday. The operator of The …
your ad hereSwedish Patient Tests Negative for Ebola
Health care officials in Sweden say a patient who was admitted to a hospital with a suspected case of Ebola was found not to be suffering from the highly infectious and potentially deadly disease after all. The male patient, whose identity has not been revealed, had recently returned to Sweden from a …
your ad hereSurge in US Job Creation, Fed Reassurance Boosts Stocks
A surge in U.S. job creation and some reassuring words from the head of the U.S. central bank sent U.S. stocks soaring Friday. The Labor Department reported a net gain of 312,000 jobs in December, far more than economists predicted. The unemployment rate, however, rose slightly, to 3.9 percent. Many …
your ad hereMarriott Cuts Estimate on Size of Massive Starwood Hack
Marriott International Inc said Friday that fewer than 383 million customer records were stolen in a massive cyberattack disclosed last month, down from its initial estimate that up to 500 million guests were affected. The hotel operator also said that some 25.55 million passport numbers were stolen in the attack …
your ad hereUS Dragnet Closes Around Group Accused of $2B ‘Secret’ Loans in Mozambique
It sounds like a Hollywood caper: A group of investors and officials convince European banks to loan a total of $2 billion to a resource-rich African nation trying to rebuild after a bruising civil war. The money promptly disappears, and then this caper turns tragic. The government doesn’t learn …
your ad hereEbola Operations Resume in DRC’s North Kivu Province
Ebola control operations have been restored in Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu province, following pre-election protests late last year, the World Health Organization reports. Anti-government demonstrations preceding presidential elections on December 26 disrupted key Ebola response activities in some affected areas of the province, notably in Beni and …
your ad hereSwedish Hospital Isolates Patient Amid Ebola Suspicion
A suspected case of the deadly Ebola virus has been reported by a Swedish hospital, officials said Friday, adding that the patient has been isolated. Region Uppsala, which oversees several hospitals and medical clinics north of Stockholm, says a test had been carried out on the patient, who was not …
your ad hereChinese Rover Making Tracks on Dark Side of the Moon
The Chinese Jade Rabbit 2 rover is making tracks on the soft, snowlike surface of the far side of the moon. The rover drove off its lander’s ramp and onto the lunar surface late Thursday, about 12 hours after the Chang’e-4 spacecraft made the first-ever landing on the moon’s far …
your ad hereSenegal Opens Museum of Black Civilizations to Public
After an official inauguration last month, Senegal finally opened the Museum of Black Civilizations to the general public this week. Ricci Shryock has more from the capital, Dakar. …
your ad hereGlobal Stocks Continue Fall on US-China Trade War
Asian markets Friday continued the global sell-off triggered by Apple’s warning of lower revenues and futures indicators predict a sharply lower opening for U.S. markets. The Tokyo market dropped 3 percent in morning trading, and markets in Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul and Taipei were also down. Stock markets across the globe …
your ad hereSouthwest Airlines Co-founder Kelleher Dies at 87
Herb Kelleher, who changed the airline industry by helping create and lead Southwest Airlines, a low-fare carrier that made air travel more accessible to the masses, has died. He was 87. Southwest confirmed that Kelleher died Thursday. Kelleher was a lawyer in San Antonio when a client came …
your ad hereEx-Credit Suisse Bankers Arrested on US Charges over Mozambique Loans
Three former Credit Suisse Group AG bankers were arrested in London on Thursday on U.S. charges that they took part in a $2 billion fraud scheme involving state-owned companies in Mozambique, a spokesman for U.S. prosecutors said. Andrew Pearse, Surjan Singh and Detelina Subeva were charged in an indictment in …
your ad hereAfter Historic Flyby, New Horizons Probe Treks Deeper on Hunt for Moons
After studying a space rock some 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from Earth, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft set off on a new hunt for moons in the solar system’s most distant edge, searching for clues on our solar family’s creation, scientists said on Thursday. The piano-sized probe is traveling …
your ad hereSign-ups Steady as US Health Law Case Goes to Appeals Court
The government says 8.4 million Americans have signed up for coverage next year under the Obama health law, reflecting steady enrollment even as supporters of the law appeal a court ruling that declares it unconstitutional. Thursday’s numbers underscore the unexpected staying power of “Obamacare,” which President Donald Trump failed …
your ad hereWith Slump in iPhone Sales, Are We Post Peak Smartphone?
Behind Apple’s disconcerting news of weak iPhone sales lies a more sobering truth: The tech industry has hit Peak Smartphone, a tipping point when everyone who can afford one already owns one and no breakthroughs are compelling them to upgrade as frequently as they once did. Some manufacturers have boosted …
your ad hereJudge Blocks NYC Law Demanding Airbnb Disclosures
A federal judge says a New York City law forcing Airbnb and HomeAway home-sharing platforms to reveal detailed information about its business seems unconstitutional. Judge Paul Engelmayer on Thursday blocked the law from taking effect on Feb. 2, finding there’s a greater than 50 percent chance the companies would prevail …
your ad hereSnacks on Wheels: PepsiCo Tests Self-driving Robot Delivery
Forget vending machines, PepsiCo is testing a way to bring snacks directly to college students. The chip and beverage maker says it will start making deliveries with self-driving robots on Thursday at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Students will be able to order Baked Lay’s, SunChips or …
your ad hereCould Tesla Price Cuts Mean Demand is Slowing?
Tesla made about 9,300 more vehicles than it delivered last year, raising concerns among industry analysts that inventory is growing as demand for the company’s electric cars may be starting to wane. If demand falls, they say, the company will enter a new phase of its business. Like other automakers, …
your ad hereThe Other Jay-Z: South African Ex-President Jacob Zuma Releasing Album?
The man South Africans know as J-Z is dropping an album. But instead of fans, he’s hearing haters who are questioning why public dollars are being used to fund the project. That’s because the talent in question is not the Jay-Z – the multi-millionaire platinum-selling producer and rapper (and, no …
your ad hereMichael B. Jordan, Ben Stiller among Golden Globe Presenters
Michael B. Jordan, Ben Stiller and Idris Elba are among the first presenters announced for next month’s Golden Globe Awards. Other presenters announced Thursday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association include Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dick Van Dyke, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chrissy Metz, Felicity Huffman and Mike Myers. Sandra Oh and Andy …
your ad hereFlying Drones Deployed Against Nests of Asian Hornets
It has no natural predator. There are no plans to control its plague. Hailing from China by way of France, the Asian hornet (vespa velutina) is now taking over Spain’s Iberian Peninsula and wreaking havoc on honeybees. With modern technology … the Spanish are fighting back. Arash Arabasadi reports. …
your ad hereChinese Craft First to Land on Moon’s Far Side
A Chinese spacecraft Thursday made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon in the latest achievement for the country’s growing space program. The relatively unexplored far side of the moon faces away from Earth and is also known as the dark side. A photo taken by the …
your ad hereBroadway Hits Iran with Unique Take on ‘Les Miserables’
Iranian theatre director Hossein Parsaee calls Victor Hugo’s classic a “masterpiece without borders” but his groundbreaking production of “Les Miserables” that has hit the stage in Tehran has a few unique twists. For a start, none of the actresses are allowed to reveal their own hair, and in case their …
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