It’s not just human workers who commute each day. Millions of tiny creatures that form the base of the ocean food chain migrate in giant swarms each night. They go up and down – from deep waters to the surface to feed, then back to the depths as dawn breaks. …
your ad hereFirst Iranian-American Woman to Win Oscar Turns to Iran-Themed Films
The first Iranian-American woman to win an Oscar, Rayka Zehtabchi, says she wants to build on Sunday’s triumph of her documentary about menstruation by producing several films with Iran-related themes. “I’m very interested in telling Iranian stories as well as women’s stories,” the 25-year-old Los Angeles-based filmmaker told VOA Persian …
your ad hereFed’s Powell: ‘No Rush’ to Hike Rates in ‘Solid’ But Slowing Economy
The Federal Reserve is in “no rush to make a judgment” about further changes to interest rates, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday as he spelled out the central bank’s approach to an economy that is likely slowing. In two hours of testimony to the Senate Banking …
your ad hereUnderprivileged Children Find a Spot in Prestigious Literary Magazine
A library run by a volunteer group in New Delhi’s largest slum resettlement colony is helping underprivileged teenagers become writers. Some have had their stories published in India’s best-known Hindi language literary magazine as well as in other publications. For VOA, Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi. …
your ad hereNoise-weary New York Ponders a Gentler, European-style Siren
If two New York City lawmakers get their way, the long, droning siren from police cars, fire trucks and ambulances that has been part of the city’s soundtrack for generations — WAAAAAhhhhhhh — would be replaced by a high-low wail similar to what’s heard on the streets of London and …
your ad hereUsing One Germ to Fight Another When Today’s Antibiotics Fail
Bacteria lodged deep in Ella Balasa’s lungs were impervious to most antibiotics. At 26, gasping for breath, she sought out a dramatic experiment — deliberately inhaling a virus culled from sewage to attack her superbug. “I’m really running out of options,” said Balasa, who traveled from her Richmond, Virginia, home …
your ad hereMobile World Congress Overshadowed by Huawei 5G Spying Standoff
Robots, cars, drones and virtual-reality gaming sets connected by cutting-edge 5G networks are among the thousands of futuristic gadgets on display at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. While there is much excitement over how 5G will transform our everyday lives, the conference is overshadowed by the standoff …
your ad hereRio de Janeiro Hits the Gas in Push Toward Its Zero Carbon Goal
In its efforts to slash its climate-changing emissions nearly to zero by 2050, Rio de Janeiro has chosen a perhaps unlikely place to start: its trash bins. At a huge waste treatment plant outside of the famed beach city, methane gas released by buried municipal garbage is captured and turned …
your ad hereChina-US Huawei 5G Standoff Overshadows Mobile Tech Summit in Spain
5G-connected robots, cars, drones and virtual-reality gaming sets are among the thousands of futuristic gadgets on display at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. While there is much excitement over how 5G networks will transform our everyday lives, the conference is overshadowed by the standoff between the United …
your ad hereMost Popular Last Name in Each US State
Smith is the most common last name in the United States, followed by Johnson, Miller, Jones, Williams, and Anderson, according to genealogy company Ancestry.com. What the most common surnames in the United States have in common is that they all have English, Scottish, Irish or Welsh roots because people from …
your ad hereErdogan’s War on Turkey’s Rising Food Prices Leaves Casualties
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared war on food inflation. With food prices rising nearly 30 percent and looming critical local elections next month Erdogan is turning to unconventional methods to rein in costs. Subsidized food is being sold at distribution centers in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, along …
your ad hereLook But Don’t Touch as Smartphone’s Flexible Future Unfolds
Flexible and folding formats framed the future of smartphones this week as manufacturers focused on new forms in an effort to jolt the market out of uniformity and re-invigorate sales. But anyone hoping to tap or swipe Huawei’s Mate X, a smartphone that wraps the screen around the front and …
your ad hereKenya Ride-Hailing Company ‘Little Cab’ Expanding to Tanzania, Ghana
Kenya’s ride-hailing company ‘Little Cab’ is expanding to Tanzania and Ghana. The company will start offering rides in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam next week and plans to launch in Accra by May. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports. …
your ad hereCreating Venice Carnival Masks — a Labor of Love
The famed annual Venice Carnival is in full swing with revelers donning beautiful costumes and extraordinary masks. The masks range from historical classics, to modern, original creations. VOAs Deborah Block takes us to a shop in the city of canals that makes intricate masks by hand. …
your ad hereErdogan’s War on Rising Food Prices Leaves Casualties
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared war on inflation after food prices in the country soared by 30 percent after last year’s collapse of the Turkish currency. In a bid aimed at securing his political future, Erdogan is taking radical measures to curb price increases after accusing food sellers …
your ad hereIraqi Antique Collector Turns His House into a Museum
There is more than a century of Iraqi history in Sheikh Yousif Akar’s house, a modest home in the holy city of Najaf which the retired teacher has crammed full of local antiques collected over 50 years. Rifles dating back to when the city was run by the Ottomans or …
your ad hereScientists: Evidence for Man-Made Global Warming Hits ‘Gold Standard’
Evidence for man-made global warming has reached a “gold standard” level of certainty, adding pressure for cuts in greenhouse gases to limit rising temperatures, scientists said Monday. “Humanity cannot afford to ignore such clear signals,” the U.S.-led team wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change of satellite measurements of rising …
your ad hereMexican Leader Knocks Racism at Home After ‘Roma’ Oscar Wins
Mexico’s president on Monday denounced racism in his country a day after the Mexican film Roma emerged as a big winner at the Academy Awards with a plot that highlighted prejudice and inequality. Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won the best director Oscar on Sunday for his semi-autobiographical film Roma, which …
your ad hereShopping Street Rises From the Ashes of War in Libya’s Benghazi
The old center of Benghazi lies in ruins but one shopping street has sprung up in the war-ravaged Libyan city, with sportswear and fashion stores that would not be out of place in Dubai or Istanbul. Foreign brands are tapping into residents’ desire to enjoy shopping again after a three-year …
your ad hereGreen Climate Fund Names France’s Glemarec as New Chief
The $8 billion Green Climate Fund, set up to help developing nations tackle global warming, named Yannick Glemarec of France as its new executive director Monday after his predecessor quit. Former leader Howard Bamsey of Australia stepped down in July after what the fund described as a “difficult” board meeting …
your ad hereOscar Win Seen Ending Shame About Menstruation That Puts Women at Risk
Giving an Academy Award to a documentary about periods set in India will help shatter the monthly shame that impacts millions of women globally, with some even dying in isolation while menstruating, health campaigners said on Monday. The Netflix film “Period. End of Sentence.,” set in a village in northern …
your ad hereFed’s Powell Heads to US Congress Amid Shifting Landscape
Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell worked hard to strengthen ties with Congress during his first year as head of the U.S. central bank, doubling the pace of meetings with lawmakers over his predecessors and courting Democrats and Republicans alike. The value of that effort will get a very public test this …
your ad hereUAE Says its First Astronaut Going Into Space in September
The first astronaut from the United Arab Emirates will blast off into space on Sept. 25 on a trip to the International Space Station, authorities announced Monday. Either military pilot Hazza al-Mansoori or engineer Sultan al-Neyadi will be the first Emirati in space, part of an ambitious space program for …
your ad here2019 Oscars Were About Diversity
Green Book, the heartwarming drama about the friendship between an eclectic African – American musician and his uncouth white driver during the segregation era won three Academy awards including Best Picture. That most coveted award fit right in to the night of diversity at the Oscars. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has …
your ad hereAfghanistan Begins Exports to India Through Iranian Port
Afghanistan has started shipping goods to India for the first time through a newly developed Iranian seaport in a bid to improve exports and reduce reliance on routes through its uneasy neighbor, Pakistan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani traveled Sunday to the western border city of Zaranj to see off the …
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