The Trump administration said on Tuesday that no major trading partner met its currency manipulation criteria but nine countries, including China, required close attention as Washington presses tariffs and negotiations to address trade deficits. The Treasury Department, in a semi-annual report to Congress, said it reviewed the policies of an …
your ad hereMacKenzie Bezos Pledges to Give Away Half Her Fortune
MacKenzie Bezos, who just months ago divorced the world’s richest man, has pledged to give away half her fortune to charity. The former wife of Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos is one of the 19 new signatories to the Giving Pledge who have promised to donate more than 50% …
your ad hereFacebook Drops 51 Fake Accounts Traced to Iran
Facebook has dropped 51 accounts, 36 pages, and seven groups after the cybersecurity firm FireEye revealed they were fake accounts originating in Iran. Three Instagram accounts were also deactivated. The FireEye report Tuesday says the phony accounts pretended they came from the United States and impersonated legitimate Middle Eastern news …
your ad here50th Annual World Series of Poker Opens in Las Vegas
The annual World Series of Poker opened Tuesday in Las Vegas with dozens of scheduled card tournaments and a special event to celebrate the 50th run of a series known for minting millionaires each year. The seven-week poker festival is expected to again draw tens of thousands of players seeking …
your ad hereTrial Begins in Oklahoma Lawsuit Against Opioid Maker Johnson & Johnson
A civil lawsuit brought by the state of Oklahoma against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson went to trial Tuesday over the company’s alleged role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. The first-of-its-kind trial, which holds opioid manufacturers responsible for the drug crisis gripping the country, could have a large impact on other …
your ad hereSmithsonian Appoints Lonnie Bunch as Its 14th Secretary
The founder of the Smithsonian Institution’s newest museum, which focuses on African-American history, has been selected to lead the institution’s entire system of museums and parks. Tuesday, the Smithsonian Board of Regents appointed Lonnie Bunch as its 14th secretary, becoming the museum’s first African-American leader in its 173-year history. The …
your ad herePakistan Trying to Grapple With Its Biggest HIV Outbreak
A joint rapid response team of experts from the United States and the U.N. World Health Organization arrived in Pakistan Tuesday to support the response to the country’s “biggest” outbreak of HIV infections in a southern district where more than 700 people, mostly children, have been diagnosed over the past …
your ad hereLawyer Accuses Chris Brown of ‘Disrespect’ in Rape Case
The lawyer for a woman who filed a rape complaint in Paris against Chris Brown says the American singer-songwriter “has thumbed his nose at and shown disrespect for the French legal system” after he did not attend a formal meeting with the alleged victim on Tuesday. Brown was arrested in …
your ad hereDesperate Zimbabweans Risk Lives in Abandoned Mines
Officials in Zimbabwe say the bodies of eight illegal miners have been retrieved from an abandoned gold mine about 50 kilometers north of Harare. The news Monday was a reminder of the risk faced by desperate illegal miners trying to make a living in the economically troubled southern African country. …
your ad hereSwiss Scientists Trying Carbon Capture in Their Own Backyard
The idea of pumping excess carbon emissions underground has been around for a while. As the process gets cheaper and more practical scientists are testing new ways to lock away their greenhouse gases. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereOverfishing Off Senegal Is Threatening Fish Stocks
Overfishing in Senegal is crippling a once-prodigious artisanal industry long relied on to help feed the West African nation’s population. Moreover, this crisis is happening at a time when climate change is reducing the amount of food grown on land. To learn more, VOA’s Salwa Jaafari met with traditional fishermen …
your ad hereDesperate Zimbabweans Risk Death in Disused, Unlicensed Mines
Zimbabwe’s disused mines continue to be a death trap for poor and desperate illegal miners in search of the precious minerals to earn a living. Columbus Mavhunga travelled to Matopo a gold rich area about 500 kilometers south of Harare, where mining continues despite some having been trapped earlier this …
your ad hereD-Day’s 75th Anniversary Renews Interest in Some Classrooms
Kasey Turcol has just 75 minutes to explain to her high school students the importance of D-Day — and if this wasn’t the 75th anniversary of the turning point in World War II, she wouldn’t devote that much time to it. D-Day is not part of the required curriculum in North Carolina …
your ad hereFiat Chrysler Proposes Merger With Renault
Fiat Chrysler proposed a merger Monday with Renault, a union that would create the world’s third biggest automaker. The merger, if it happens, would vault the new company, with annual sales of 8.7 million vehicles, into a position ahead of General Motors and behind only Volkswagen and Toyota, both of …
your ad hereAI Phones, PCs Edging Into Global Consumer Technology
Artificial intelligence-driven phones that turn photos into 3D images and PCs with interactive speakers will come a step closer to reality this week during Asia’s biggest consumer technology show. Organizers of the Computex Taipei show with 1,685 exhibitors — including a who’s who of global high tech companies — …
your ad hereGhana Just Scratching Surface of Illegal Gold Mining
Only the chirping of birds and insects break the silence at a gold mining site in the Eastern Region of Ghana, right at the foot of the Atewa forest reserve. Caterpillar excavators stand still, as the two Ghanaian companies operating them wait for a new mining permit a process that …
your ad hereBolivian Women Fight Gender-Based Violence through Theater
On stage, amid the hubbub of a Bolivian street market, women recount their stories of abuse at the hands of men. But the violence depicted in the play isn’t just make-believe for the 22 indigenous actresses: It’s based on their own real-life experiences. “Kusisita,” a work that seeks to raise …
your ad hereFacial Recognition Technology Raising Alarms Around the World
San Francisco, California recently became the first U.S. city to ban police and other city agencies from using facial recognition technology. The city is not alone. More people are growing wary of the powerful tech, at the same time that others are embracing it. Deana Mitchell reports. …
your ad hereNew Tech Keeps Phone Lines Open During Disasters
When a natural disaster strikes, some of first pieces of infrastructure to go down are communication networks. And for first responders, that could lead to chaos and in some cases even lives lost. But a group of entrepreneurs, with some help from IBM, has created what they think is a …
your ad hereScientists Find Gold-Loving Fungus In Australia
A fluffy pink fungus that decorates itself with gold nanoparticles has been found in Western Australia. Researchers believe the fungus is an indicator of gold deposits and hope the discovery will help miners narrow down where to dig. Scientists in Australia have found a fungus that can bond with gold …
your ad hereLumberjacks Test Their Mettle in Timbersports Championship
North America, as the world knows it today, would likely look different without their efforts. Woodsmen logged forests, producing essential lumber and firewood, while also clearing farmland. They grew to be called lumberjacks, and at a recent competition in Sweden, a champion emerged a cut above the rest. Arash Arabasadi …
your ad hereSimon Pagenaud Wins Indy 500 on Penske’s Golden Anniversary
Simon Pagenaud arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month with his job on the line and rumors swirling around Gasoline Alley that Alexander Rossi could soon replace him at Team Penske. The Frenchman is leaving with a pair of wins, his face soon to be engraved on the Borg-Warner trophy …
your ad hereWe’re Only About 43% Human, Study Shows
New discoveries about what is inside the body are making scientists rethink what makes a person human and what makes people sick or healthy. Less than half of the cells in the body are human. The rest belong to microorganisms that affect the health, mood and whether certain people respond …
your ad hereStudy: Less Than Half of Human Body Is Human
New discoveries are making scientists rethink what makes us human, and even why we get sick and how to stay healthy. Research estimates that we’re only about 43% human. The rest are microorganisms that affect health, mood and how you respond to medication. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee visited a lab at …
your ad hereVirtual Reality Offers Glimpse of Rome’s Circus Maximus
The Circus Maximus Experience, opened in Rome this week and offers visitors the chance to relive the ancient splendors of chariot racing in the Imperial period of Rome through augmented and virtual reality. The innovative project implements interactive display technologies never before used in such a large outdoor area. “Now …
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