A documentary “Period. End of Sentence,” which won an Oscar last month, centers on a small village in Uttar Pradesh state in Northern India where a machine to make affordable sanitary napkins was installed with the help of a crowdfunding initiative by a student group in the United States. The film, made by Iranian-American …
your ad hereWhite House, Business Groups Make Push on Trade Pact
The White House and business groups are stepping up efforts to win congressional approval for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade accord. But prospects are uncertain given that Republicans are at odds with some aspects of the plan and Democrats are in no hurry to secure a political victory for the president. President …
your ad hereUN Officials: 13 Million in Congo Need Aid in Major Increase
The number of people needing humanitarian aid in Congo has increased dramatically in the past year to 13 million and “hunger and malnutrition have reached the highest level on record,” the head of the U.N. children’s agency said Monday. UNICEF’s Executive Director Henrietta Fore told a news conference that 7.5 …
your ad hereBig U-Turn: Key Melting Greenland Glacier Growing Again
A major Greenland glacier that was one of the fastest shrinking ice and snow masses on Earth is growing again, a new NASA study finds. The Jakobshavn (YA-cob-shawv-en) glacier around 2012 was retreating about 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) and thinning nearly 130 feet (almost 40 meters) annually. But it started …
your ad hereHong Kong Ex-Official Patrick Ho Jailed 3 Years for Bribery
Hong Kong’s former home affairs secretary Patrick Ho Chi Ping was jailed for three years Monday for a scheme to bribe African officials to boost a top Chinese energy company that was part of Beijing’s global Belt and Road initiative. Ho, 69, who worked for the controversial energy conglomerate CEFC …
your ad hereAirbus Wins China Order for 300 Jets as Xi Visits France
Airbus signed a deal worth tens of billions of dollars on Monday to sell 300 aircraft to China as part of a trade package coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping and matching a China record held by rival Boeing. The deal between Airbus and China’s …
your ad hereFrom Attacks to Deaths, Key Facts About Congo’s Escalating Ebola Epidemic
Congo’s Ebola epidemic has now exceeded 1,000 cases, the country’s health ministry said Monday, with a death toll of about 629 in the world’s second-worst outbreak. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), an aid group, cautioned that case numbers were on the rise and the outbreak could last another six to …
your ad hereChances of UN Banning Killer Robots Looking Increasingly Remote
The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots warns chances of achieving a U.N. treaty banning the development, production and use of fully autonomous lethal weapons, also known as killer robots, are looking increasingly remote. Experts from some 80 countries are attending a weeklong meeting to discuss the prospect of negotiating an …
your ad hereChairman of India’s Ailing Jet Airways Resigns
The chairman of India’s private Jet Airways has quit amid mounting financial woes which have forced it to suspend 14 international routes and ground more than 80 planes. A statement by the airline says its board on Monday accepted the resignations of Chairman Naresh Goyal, his wife and a nominee …
your ad hereFashion, Champagne Grace Nigeria Polo Party
When polo comes to Lagos, the champagne flows and exuberant fashion colors adorn the green fields. While most Nigerians would never trade their love of soccer, the commercial capital still hosts the biggest polo tournament in West Africa, with trophies fiercely disputed against a backdrop of glitz and glamour for …
your ad hereNike fined $14 Million for Blocking Cross-border Sales of Soccer Merchandise
U.S. sportswear maker Nike was hit with a 12.5 million euro ($14.14 million) fine on Monday for blocking cross-border sales of soccer merchandise of some of Europe’s best-known clubs, the latest EU sanction against such restrictions. The European Commission said Nike’s illegal practices occurred between 2004 to 2017 and related …
your ad hereApple Spotlights Services with TV, Gaming and Credit Card Offerings
Apple attempted to reintroduce itself on Monday as an entertainment and financial services company that also makes iPhones as it launched a streaming television service, a credit card and an online gaming arcade. The world’s second-most valuable technology company lifted the curtain on a television and movie service called Apple …
your ad hereLong-Awaited Video Service Expected From Apple on Monday
Apple is expected to announce Monday that it’s launching a video service that could compete with Netflix, Amazon and cable TV itself. It’s a long-awaited attempt from the iPhone maker, several years after Netflix turned “binge watching” into a worldwide phenomenon. The new video service is expected to have original …
your ad hereHow Will Foreign Investment Change Vietnam’s Economy?
Vietnam’s cheap workers might not be the country’s stars for much longer: low wages helped to propel the communist nation to some of the fastest growth rates in the world, but analysts say it needs a new economic model now. After a slow recovery from the Vietnam War, the Southeast …
your ad hereEthiopian Airlines Chief: ‘Many Questions’ Remain About Boeing Aircraft
The head of Ethiopian Airlines said “many questions on the B-737 MAX airplane remain without answers” and he pledged “full and transparent cooperation to discover what went wrong.” “Until we have answers, putting one more life at risk is too much,” CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said Monday in a statement. “Immediately …
your ad hereLab Test Appears To Diagnose Fibromyalgia for the First Time
Millions of people live with the constant pain of fibromyalgia. It’s a disorder that’s often misdiagnosed. And while lab tests can help identify a lot of diseases, until recently there was no test for fibromyalgia. Now, a simple blood test could finally give these patients scientific proof of their condition. …
your ad hereHuman Impact on Planet Focus of Environmental Film Festival
At the 27th annual Environmental Film Festival in the nation’s capital, over 100 hundred films were showcased in 25 locations around the city. Many of them focused on the human impact on Climate Change worldwide, pointing to severe weather phenomena already underway, such as rising sea levels, and disappearing biodiversity. …
your ad hereLarry Cohen, Director of Cult Horror Films, Dies at 77
Larry Cohen, the maverick B-movie director of cult horror films “It’s Alive” and “God Told Me To,” has died. He was 77. Cohen’s friend and spokesman, the actor Shade Rupe, said Cohen passed away Saturday in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones. Cohen’s films were schlocky, low-budget films that developed …
your ad hereGet Out! Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Shatters Records With $70.3M
Jordan Peele has done it again. Two years after the filmmaker’s “Get Out” became a box-office sensation, his frightening follow-up, “Us,” debuted with $70.3 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The opening, well above forecasts, had few parallels. It was the largest debut for an original horror …
your ad hereDRC, Madagascar Struggle With Ebola, Measles Outbreaks
Efforts to control the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are hitting a roadblock, says Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The medical charity group says security forces and a climate of community mistrust are hampering efforts to combat the outbreak. Meanwhile the country of Madagascar is struggling to curb a measles …
your ad hereBetter Future for Victims of Gender-Based Violence
A business in Washington, D.C., is working to empower women who have been victims of gender-based violence by targeting the growing number of consumers who are socially and environmentally conscious. Handmade handicrafts are imported from countries where women are vulnerable. Access to a broader market gives victims more opportunities for …
your ad hereBlair House: A look Inside the US President’s Guest House
The U.S. President’s Guest House, commonly known as Blair House, has played a significant role in the history of American diplomacy. Milena Gjorgjievska visited the unique place and learned more about whom it has hosted and what events it has witnessed since it was built in 1824. …
your ad hereOcean Heatwaves Become More Frequent
Parts of our oceans routinely go through temperature swings. The El Nino and La Nina effects in the Pacific are perhaps the best known. But new research in Britain suggests that those heat waves are becoming more common and more extreme. And that spells trouble for the world’s waters. VOA’s …
your ad hereIndia, Southeast Asia to Mark Five Years of Being Polio-free
The World Health Organization says that on March 27, India’s 1.3 billion people and the entire WHO Southeast Asia region will celebrate five years of being polio-free. Twelve years ago, the WHO said, India alone was responsible for almost 70 percent of all polio cases around the world. It called …
your ad hereExperts Advise Against Human Genome Editing as Too Risky
A group of experts meeting for the first time to examine the pros and cons of human genome editing say it would be “irresponsible” to engage in this procedure at this time. Late last year, a Chinese scientist triggered an international storm when he announced he had created the …
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