A draft report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is under final review in Paris this week. The report was three years in the making and is expected to lay out a rescue plan for the world’s vanishing biodiversity. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereSpace Station Power Shortage Delays SpaceX Supply Run
A major power shortage at the International Space Station has delayed this week’s SpaceX supply run. SpaceX was supposed to launch a shipment Wednesday. But an old power-switching unit malfunctioned at the space station Monday and knocked two power channels offline. The six remaining power channels are working normally, according …
your ad hereSpace Rock Left Big Crater on Moon During Full Lunar Eclipse
A space rock left a massive crater on the moon during January’s total lunar eclipse. Spanish scientists reported Tuesday the meteoroid hit the moon at 38,000 mph (61,000 kph), carving out a crater nearly 50 feet (15 meters) across. It was the first impact flash ever observed during a lunar …
your ad hereIt Seems Like Alzheimer’s But Peek Into Brain Reveals a Mimic
Some people told they have Alzheimer’s may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease — and scientists say even though neither is yet curable, it’s critical to get better at telling different kinds of dementia apart. Too often, the word dementia is used interchangeably with Alzheimer’s when there …
your ad hereObamas Unveil Slate of Series, Documentaries for Netflix
Barack and Michelle Obama on Tuesday unveiled a slate of projects they are preparing for Netflix, a year after the former president and first lady signed a deal with the streaming platform. The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground Productions, on Tuesday announced a total of seven films and series that …
your ad here‘Hadestown’ Leads Tony Award Nominations With 14 Nods
“Hadestown,” singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell’s Broadway debut, earned a leading 14 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, followed by the jukebox musical “Ain’t Too Proud,” built around songs by the Temptations, which received a dozen nominations. The musical “Hadestown,” which intertwines the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, bested more …
your ad hereNetflix Announces Deal for Film About Thailand’s Cave Boys
Netflix announced Tuesday it is joining with the production company for the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” to make a film about last July’s dramatic rescue of 12 village boys in northern Thailand who were trapped with their soccer coach in a flooded cave for more than two weeks. Netflix and …
your ad hereUS Treasury Secretary Hopes for ‘Substantial Progress’ in China Talks
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he hopes to makes “substantial progress” in trade talks with China, as the world’s two largest economies try to reach a resolution to their trade war. Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are leading a U.S. delegation meeting with Chinese officials this week in …
your ad hereTariffs Take Toll on Farm Equipment Manufacturers
Their iconic blue-colored planters and grain cars are recognizable on many farms across the United States. They are also easily spotted in large displays, some stacked one on top of the other, in front of Kinze’s manufacturing hub along Interstate 80, where, inside buildings sprawling across a campus situated among …
your ad hereAt Amboise, Leonardo’s Last Years Paint a Picture of Franco-Italian Harmony
Commemorations for Leonardo da Vinci’s 500th anniversary begin this week in Amboise, in the Loire Valley, with France and Italy setting aside recent tensions to honor the memory of the Renaissance genius in the town where he spent his final years. In 1516, aged 64, Leonardo da Vinci left Italy …
your ad hereKudlow: Trump Administration Eyes More Aid to Farmers if Necessary
The Trump administration is ready to provide more federal aid to farmers if required, a White House adviser said on Monday, after rolling out up to $12 billion since last year to offset agricultural losses from the trade dispute with China. “We have allocated $12 billion, some such, to farm …
your ad hereDo ‘Mechanical Trees’ Offer the Cure for Climate Change?
A Dublin-based company plans to erect “mechanical trees” in the United States that will suck carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, it said on Monday, in what may be prove to be biggest effort to remove the gas blamed for climate change from the atmosphere. The company, Silicon Kingdom Holdings …
your ad hereCongo Registers Record of 27 New Ebola Cases in One Day
Democratic Republic of Congo registered a one-day record of 27 new confirmed Ebola cases on Sunday, raising last week’s number of cases to 126, the biggest since the current outbreak was declared last August, the health ministry said. The previous record was 110 confirmed cases a couple of weeks ago. …
your ad hereSomali American Becomes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 1st Hijab-Clad Model
Halima Aden is featured in the magazine’s 2019 swimsuit issue wearing swimwear that covers the entire body except the face, hands and feet. “Young girls who wear a hijab should have women they look up to in any and every industry. We are now seeing politicians, business women, television reporters, …
your ad hereMaking Driverless Cars Safer For Pedestrians
One big concern about autonomous vehicles is that logical computers sometimes have trouble dealing with a messy world. To the point, a pedestrian was struck and killed by an autonomous vehicle in Arizona last year. But new algorithms are trying to solve that potentially deadly problem. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereScientists Say They’re Closer to Possible Blood Test for Chronic Fatigue
Scientists in the United States say they have taken a step toward developing a possible diagnostic test for chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition characterized by exhaustion and other debilitating symptoms. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine said a pilot study of 40 people, half of whom were healthy and …
your ad hereElle Fanning, ‘The Favourite’ Director Lanthimos Picked for Cannes Jury
U.S. actress Elle Fanning, French graphic novelist Enki Bilal and the Oscar-nominated director of “The Favourite,” Yorgos Lanthimos, will be among jury members at the Cannes Film Festival next month, organizers said on Monday. The world’s biggest cinema showcase kicks off on the French Riviera on May 14th, with Mexican …
your ad hereBreaking from Tradition, Indigenous Women Lead Fight for Land Rights in Brazil
Brazil’s indigenous women have been overturning tradition to step into the spotlight and lead an international push to defend their tribal land rights, which are up against the greatest threat they have faced in years under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil’s 850,000 indigenous peoples live on reservations that make up …
your ad herePompeo: US-China Trade Talks Will Not Be Impacted by End of Iran Oil Waivers
VOA Mandarin service reporter Lin Feng also contributed to this report. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington’s decision to end Iran oil waivers to China will not have a negative impact on the latest trade talks between the world’s two leading economies. “We have had lots of …
your ad hereScandinavian Airlines Strike in 4th Day, Affecting Thousands
A strike among pilots at Scandinavian Airlines has entered its fourth day with the carrier being forced to cancel 1,213 flights Monday and Tuesday, affecting some 110,000 passengers. The flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden says more than 170,000 passengers have been affected since the open-ended strike started Friday. …
your ad here‘Avengers: Endgame’ Obliterates Records With $1.2B Opening
The universe belongs to Marvel. “Avengers: Endgame” shattered the record for biggest opening weekend with an estimated $350 million in ticket sales domestically and $1.2 billion globally, reaching a new pinnacle in the blockbuster era that the comic-book studio has come to dominate. The “Avengers” finale far exceeded even its …
your ad hereChina Showcases Ecological Achievements at 2019 Horticulture Expo
Chinese President Xi Jinping says people in China want bluer skies, greener mountains and clearer water. In his address Sunday at the opening ceremony for the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Expo, Xi said the country has embarked on the construction of “ecological civilization.” China is the world’s worst polluter but …
your ad hereUS Measles Outbreak Raises Questions About Immunity in Adults
Adults in the United States who were vaccinated against measles decades ago may need a new dose depending on when they received the shot and their exposure risk, according to public health experts battling the nation’s largest outbreak since the virus was deemed eliminated in 2000. Up to 10 percent …
your ad hereTwitter Terror: Arrests Prompt Concern Over Online Extremism
A few months after he turned 17 — and more than two years before he was arrested — Vincent Vetromile recast himself as an online revolutionary. Offline, in this suburb of Rochester, New York, Vetromile was finishing requirements for promotion to Eagle Scout in a troop that met at a …
your ad hereTech Helping Make Big Impact on Local Government
Local governments often try to solve problems using old technology. A U.S. Senate bill aims to fund small tech teams to help state and municipal governments update and rebuild government systems. Deana Mitchell takes a look at the impact on one program that is serving the needy. …
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