U.S. law enforcement officials announced on Wednesday the indictment of two Israeli operators of a website that referred hundreds of thousands of users to underground internet marketplaces to purchase drugs, weapons and other illegal products. Tal Prihar, 37, an Israeli citizen living in Brazil, and Michael Phan, 34, …
your ad hereTrump Hails GM Plan to Invest $700 mn in Ohio, Sell Shuttered Plant
President Donald Trump said Wednesday U.S. automaker General Motors will invest $700 million in Ohio and create 450 jobs, selling one of its shuttered plants to a company that will produce electric trucks. “GREAT NEWS FOR OHIO!” Trump tweeted. Trump said he had talked to GM chief Mary Barra who …
your ad hereIn the US, Death Is More Certain Than Taxes
In the U.S., there’s an old saying that there are only two things that are certain in life: death and taxes. But as it turns out, death is way more certain than taxes in the United States. Corporations and some wealthy individuals, including President Donald Trump, are able to legally …
your ad hereBritain’s Prince Harry, Meghan Reveal Baby’s Name
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced the name of their newborn baby in an Instagram post. ” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” @sussex royal posted, along with a photo of Prince Harry, Meghan, …
your ad hereVietnam Braces for Hard Landing Amid World Trade Tensions
If a rising tide lifts all boats, then Vietnam may find that there is a related saying in economics: when the tide goes out, you will see who was swimming naked. The Southeast Asian country has fared fairly well amid the trade frictions around the world, with its foreign investment …
your ad hereGeorge Clooney Hopes Media ‘Kinder’ to Meghan Markle
George Clooney says the media should “be a little kinder” to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, after she gave birth to a baby boy. Clooney told The Associated Press Tuesday at the Hollywood premiere of his miniseries “Catch 22” that the media scrutiny will intensify now that she and Prince …
your ad here‘It’s Magic’: Prince Harry, Meghan Show Off Baby Son
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan showed off their newborn son on Wednesday, describing having a baby as “magic”. Cradling his son, wrapped in a white blanket and wearing a hat, Harry and Meghan appeared before a small group of media at St George’s Hall in Windsor castle where …
your ad hereWaymo, Lyft Take on Uber with Rides in Self-Driving Car
Google’s self-driving car spinoff, Waymo, is teaming up with Lyft in Arizona to attempt to lure passengers away from ride-hailing market leader Uber. The alliance announced Tuesday will allow anyone with the Lyft app in the Phoenix area to summon one of the 10 self-driving Waymo cars that will join …
your ad hereWall Street Slips as US-China Trade Fears Rise
U.S. stocks slid Tuesday as escalating trade tensions between the United States and China triggered global growth fears and drove investors away from riskier assets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its second-biggest daily percentage drop of the year, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq registered their third-biggest percentage drops, …
your ad hereA Robotic Leg That Can Learn to Move Like A Baby and Be Trained Like a Dog
Imagine a robot that can learn to walk by itself in about five minutes. Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed a robotic leg that can do just that with potential applications that range from helping in disaster areas to outer space. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. …
your ad here30 Years On, Film Exposes Russia’s Divisions on Afghanistan
This year, Russia marks 30 years since Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan. The nine-year long military campaign that claimed the lives of nearly 15 thousand Soviet servicemen even today is the subject of a heated debate in Russian society. The upcoming release on May 10th of Russian director Pavel Lungin’s …
your ad hereSmall T-Rex Cousin Predates Rise of Giant Predators
About 20 million years before the massive Tyrannosaurus Rex roamed the earth, a distant cousin was hunting in the prehistoric jungle. But this T-Rex was very different from the famous version of the giant predator. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereHeart Failure Deaths Rising in US, Especially in Younger Adults
More U.S. adults are dying from heart failure today than a decade ago, and the sharpest rise in mortality is happening among middle-aged and younger adults, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on deaths from heart failure between 1999 …
your ad hereBiking Advocate Gives Kids Pedal Power
Rachel Varn worked as a salesperson in the bicycle industry, but last year, she quit her job to become a certified cycling instructor. She founded PedalPower Kids to teach bicycle education. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, Varn’s goal is getting more kids on two wheels. Faith Lapidus narrates. …
your ad hereUS Lawmakers Alarmed by New Trump Tariffs on Chinese Goods
U.S. President Donald Trump’s intention to further hike U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods has alarmed American lawmakers of both parties who fear dire economic consequences from escalating tensions between the United States and its trading partners. “I’m anxious for the tariff war to come to an end,” Republican Sen. Jerry …
your ad hereScience Says: Why Biodiversity Matters to You
Scientists say you may go your entire life without seeing an endangered species, yet the globe’s biodiversity crisis threatens all of humanity in unseen ways. A massive United Nations report Monday said that nature is in trouble and that 1 million species are threatened with extinction if nothing is done …
your ad hereDelighted and Thrilled: British Royals Welcome Harry & Meghan’s Baby
Senior members of the British royal family said on Tuesday they were delighted and thrilled at the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby as the couple considered a name for their son. Meghan gave birth in the early hours of Monday morning to the boy, the seventh-in-line to the …
your ad hereGoogle Annual Event to Showcase New Hardware, AI
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to showcase much-anticipated updates to the company’s hardware lines and artificial intelligence. Google will also likely address privacy updates as concerns about data sharing continue to plague the tech industry. Facebook dedicated much of its own conference last week to addressing privacy. Rumors suggest …
your ad herePorsche Fined 535 Million Euros Over Diesel Cheating
German sports car maker and Volkswagen subsidiary Porsche will pay a 535-million-euro ($598 million) fine over diesel vehicles that emitted more harmful pollutants than allowed, Stuttgart prosecutors said Tuesday. “The Stuttgart prosecutor’s office has levied a 535-million-euro fine against Porsche AG for negligence in quality control,” the investigators said. Porsche …
your ad hereCan Kissing Cousins Wed in the US?
What do famous Americans such as author Edgar Allan Poe, Wild West outlaw Jesse James and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein have in common? They all reportedly married their first cousins. The legality of cousin marriage in the United States varies from state to state. The practice is illegal in 25 …
your ad hereTop Chinese Economic Official to Travel to US for New Round of Trade Talks
China has confirmed that its top trade negotiator will travel to the United States to conduct a new round of trade talks later this week, even after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened higher tariffs on billions of dollars of Chinese goods after he complained the process is taking too long. …
your ad hereUS to Impose Tariffs on Mexican Tomatoes as New Pact Remains Elusive
The United States will impose a 17.5 percent tariff on Mexican tomato imports starting on Tuesday, as the two countries were unable to renew a 2013 agreement that suspended a U.S. anti-dumping investigation, a Mexican official said on Monday. The U.S. Commerce Department said in early February that the United …
your ad hereK-Pop Stardom Lures Japanese Youth to Korea Despite Diplomatic Chill
Yuuka Hasumi put high school in Japan on hold and flew to South Korea in February to try her chances at becoming a K-pop star, even if that means long hours of vocal and dance training, no privacy, no boyfriend, and even no phone. Hasumi, 17, joined Acopia School in …
your ad hereToo Many Jobs, Too Few Qualified Workers are Economic Obstacles in Vietnam
Vietnam has long been a tough place to hire and keep employees, but it’s even tougher now, as business trends force companies to scramble to recruit enough staff, according to a new report. Foreign retail brands are entering the market for Vietnamese customers, factories and other businesses are relocating here …
your ad hereGoogle’s AI Assistant Aims to Transcend the Smart Speaker
When Google launched its now distinctive digital assistant in 2016, it was already in danger of being an also-ran. At the time, Amazon had been selling its Echo smart speaker, powered by its Alexa voice assistant, for more than a year. Apple’s Siri was already five years old and familiar …
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