Scattered throughout the city’s outlying neighborhoods, Moscow’s Soviet-era cinemas have for decades served as the center of communities. With names like “Mars” and “The Diamond,” the cinemas were mostly built in the 1960s and 70s during a Soviet film boom and were popular even after the collapse of the USSR, …
your ad hereBuilding Boom Turning to Bust as Turkey’s Economy Slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage — hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle. Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything …
your ad hereCuba Cabinet Chiefs Ousted Amid Cash Crunch, Transportation Woes
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel replaced his transport and finance ministers this week in his first Cabinet reshuffle since forming his own government in July and amid a cash crunch and growing discontent with the island’s transport sector. Cuban state media said Wednesday that Transport Minister Adel Yzquierdo, 73, and Finance …
your ad hereDeere Puts Spotlight on High-tech Farming
It has GPS, lasers, computer vision, and uses machine learning and sensors to be more efficient. This is the new high-tech farm equipment from John Deere, which made its first Consumer Electronics Show appearance this week to highlight the importance of tech in farming. Deere brought its massive agricultural …
your ad hereRepeating Radio Waves From Deep Space Intrigue Scientists
Astronomers in Canada have detected a mysterious volley of radio waves from far outside our galaxy, according to two studies published Wednesday in Nature. What corner of the universe these powerful waves come from and the forces that produced them remain unknown. The so-called repeating fast radio bursts were identified …
your ad hereSundance Adds Documentary About Alleged Jackson Abuse
A documentary film about two boys who accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this month. The Sundance Institute announced the addition of Leaving Neverland and The Brink, a documentary about Steve Bannon, to its 2019 lineup on Wednesday. A description of …
your ad herePrice Tag Proposed in US for Tailpipe CO2 Emissions
Drivers on the U.S. East Coast may soon start paying for their climate pollution. Nine states and the District of Columbia have announced plans to introduce a system that puts a price on the carbon dioxide produced from burning gasoline and diesel fuel. As the federal government pulls back from …
your ad hereBangkok Fights Floods with Thirsty Landscaping
When Bangkok’s oldest university called for ideas for a symbol to mark its centenary year, landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom successfully pitched a design for a park. It was intended not only as a welcome green space in the middle of the congested city of about 10 million people, but as …
your ad hereBoard Game ‘Who’s She?’ Spotlights Famous Women in History
Did she win a Nobel Prize? Was she an inventor? Did she make a discovery? These are some of the questions that Polish designer Zuzanna Kozerska-Girard wants more children to ask as they learn about famous women while playing her debut board game Who’s She? “We basically don’t know their …
your ad hereImages From Space Help Map Extreme Poverty
The fight against poverty is getting help from a new direction: up. Satellite imagery is helping researchers map areas of extreme poverty. It may help officials identify faster and more accurately when development policies and programs are working, and when they aren’t. Eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 is the first …
your ad hereGems in Teeth Hailed as Proof That Women More Widely Involved in Medieval Texts
The discovery of semi-precious gems in the teeth of a 1,000-year-old female skeleton proved women were more widely involved in creating medieval manuscripts than previously thought, a group of international historians said on Wednesday. A study by German-based Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and Britain’s University …
your ad hereMore Fed Officials Say Caution Is Needed Before More Rate Hikes
Another clutch of U.S. Federal Reserve officials said Wednesday they would be cautious about any further increases in interest rates so that the central bank could assess growing risks to an otherwise solid U.S. economic outlook. The presidents of three of the 12 Fed regional banks, from Chicago, St. Louis …
your ad hereAmazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Wife MacKenzie Set to Divorce
Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie Bezos have decided to divorce after a long trial separation, Bezos said on Wednesday in a joint statement by the couple on Twitter. Amazon.com again became Wall Street’s most valuable company this week, surpassing Microsoft Inc. Bezos’ fortune has soared to …
your ad hereSomali Fishermen Decry Licensing Chinese Vessels
Starting this month, Chinese fishing vessels are allowed to exploit the open waters off the Somali coast, following the granting of licenses by Somalia’s government last month. Somali authorities say the permits will reduce illegal foreign fishing and help boost the economy. But Somali fishermen worry the Chinese vessels now have the …
your ad hereCES 2019: Google Brings a Disney-Like Ride to Tech Show
The CES 2019 gadget show opened its doors Tuesday, with tech companies from giants to tiny startups showing off their latest products and services. In recent years, CES’s influence has declined as Apple, Google and other major companies throw their own events to launch new wares. Still, more than 180,000 …
your ad hereVietnam Says Facebook Violated Controversial Cybersecurity Law
Facebook has violated Vietnam’s new cybersecurity law by allowing users to post anti-government comments on the platform, state media said on Wednesday, days after the controversial legislation took effect in the communist-ruled country. Despite economic reforms and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s Communist Party retains tight media censorship and …
your ad hereHow Forgotten Local Plants Could Ease Malnutrition in East Timor
The Australian owners of a restaurant in East Timor are hoping to use their passion for the local cuisine to combat malnutrition in the tiny Southeast Asian nation. East Timor has Asia’s worst rates of child malnutrition, with more than 50 percent of children suffering from stunting – a condition …
your ad hereThe Latest Drone Technology Helps Keep an Oyster Farm Thriving
As marine farming grows worldwide, there is an urgent need to study the effects—both positive and negative—on the local ecosystems. Deana Mitchell visits Tomales Bay in Northern California where researchers are using the latest drone technology to investigate. …
your ad hereTia Fuller, Fierce Woman in Jazz, Takes Shot at 1st Grammy
Saxophonist Tia Fuller was crying in bed. And praising God. She’d just received the news that she was nominated for her first-ever Grammy Award — but it’s not just any nomination: Her inclusion in the best jazz instrumental album category is a historic moment for women because they have …
your ad hereAsteroid-circling Spacecraft Grabs Cool Snapshot of Home
An asteroid-circling spacecraft has captured a cool snapshot of home. NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft took the picture days before going into orbit around asteroid Bennu on New Year’s Eve. The tiny asteroid — barely one-third of a mile (500 meters) across — appears as a big bright blob in …
your ad hereTom Hanks to Present SAG’s Lifetime Award to Alan Alda
One of America’s sweethearts hands the torch to another when Tom Hanks presents Alan Alda with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Award ceremony. The 82-year-old Alda, a Golden Globe- and Emmy-winner, will become the 55th recipient of the annual award given to an actor who …
your ad hereJordan Peele’s ‘Us’ to Premiere as Opening Film at SXSW
Jordan Peele’s “Us,” his anticipated follow-up to “Get Out,” will make its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival …
your ad hereUS Cancer Death Rate Hits Milestone: 25 Years of Decline
The U.S. cancer death rate has hit a milestone: It’s been falling for at least 25 years, according to a new report. Lower smoking rates are translating into fewer deaths. Advances in early detection and treatment also are having a positive impact, experts say. But it’s not all good news. …
your ad herePeru AG Resigns After Outcry Over Odebrecht Probe
Peru Attorney General Pedro Chavarry resigned on Tuesday after a public outcry over his handling of the high-profile corruption investigation involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht. His departure from the public prosecutors office marks a fresh victory for President Martin Vizcarra and supporters of his measures to uproot entrenched corruption in one …
your ad hereActivists Warn of Gaps as EU Lifts Ban Threat on Thai Fishing Industry
Labor rights campaigners warned against complacency as the European Union on Tuesday withdrew its threat to ban Thai fishing imports into the bloc, saying that the country has made progress in tackling illegal and unregulated fishing. The EU’s so-called “yellow card” on Thai fishing exports has been in place since …
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