“Emma” rules the West Coast, while “Liam” reigns supreme in the American Midwest. In the southeastern part of the United States, parents prefer the name “William” for boys and “Ava” for girls, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration, which compiled a list of 2018’s most popular baby names. At …
your ad hereUK, Japan Mobile Operators Suspend Huawei 5G Phone Launches
British and Japanese mobile phone companies said Wednesday they’re putting on hold plans to sell new devices from Huawei, in the latest fallout from U.S. tech restrictions aimed at the Chinese company. Britain’s EE and Vodafone and Japan’s KDDI and Y! Mobile said they are pausing the launch of Huawei …
your ad hereKenyan Author, LGBT Activist Binyavanga Wainaina Dies at 48
One of Africa’s best-known authors and gay rights activists, Binyavanga Wainaina, has died at age 48, a colleague and friend said Wednesday. The Kenyan author died Tuesday night in Nairobi after an illness, Tom Maliti, the chairman of the Kwani Trust which Wainaina founded, told The Associated Press. Wainaina, who …
your ad hereBritain’s May Faces Calls to Resign After Revised Brexit Plan Unveiled
British lawmakers are denouncing Prime Minister Theresa May’s latest proposal to withdraw from the European Union (EU) amid growing demands from her own Conservative Party for her resignation. May said on Tuesday a bill she plans to present to Parliament next month would include a provision to vote on whether …
your ad hereA New Robot Promises to Meet Your Internet Needs, Handsfree, at Home
A new personal home robot follows you around your home, navigating past obstacles, so you can multitask while staying connected. Deana Mitchell takes a tour. …
your ad hereSeeking Energy Independence, Palestinians Open Solar Plant
Palestinian officials say they have inaugurated their first solar panel plant as part of a plan to reduce their dependence on Israeli power sources. Mohammed Mustafa, head of the government’s investment fund, says that Tuesday’s plant opening in the ancient West Bank city of Jericho is one of four planned …
your ad hereJamie Oliver’s British Restaurant Chain Collapses
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain in Britain has filed for bankruptcy protection, closing 22 of its 25 eateries and leaving some 1,000 people out of work. The remaining outlets, two Jamie’s Italian restaurants and a Jamie’s Diner at Gatwick Airport outside London, will stay open, the financial firm KPMG, …
your ad hereResearch on Children’s Health Risks in Doubt Over EPA funds
Long-running research projects credited with pivotal discoveries about the harm that pesticides, air pollution and other hazards pose to children are in jeopardy or shutting down because the Environmental Protection Agency will not commit to their continued funding, researchers say. The projects being targeted make up a more than $300 …
your ad hereBloomberg: US May Pay $2 Per Bushel for Soybeans to Help Farmers
The Trump administration is considering payments of $2 per bushel for soybeans, 63 cents per bushel for wheat and 4 cents per bushel for corn as part of a package of up to $20 billion to offset U.S. farmers’ losses from the trade war with China, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. …
your ad herePortugal’s Economy Rebounds, Though Problems Persist
The Portuguese economy is resisting the prevailing gloom in Europe. Activity remained strong, with GDP rising by 0.5% in the first quarter, or 1.8% at an annual rate, compared with 1.2% in the euro zone, forecasts Brussels. Following the trend of 2018, Portugal’s good economic health comes mainly from private consumption …
your ad hereUS Shoe Industry Protests Possible Tariffs on Chinese Imports
More than 170 American shoe manufacturers and retailers, including such well-known athletic shoe brands as Nike, Under Armour and Adidas, urged President Donald Trump on Tuesday to exempt footwear from any further tariffs he imposes on imported goods from China. The lobby for the shoe industry, the Footwear Distributors and …
your ad hereGermany Hands Israel Thousands of Kafka Confidant’s Papers
German authorities on Tuesday handed over to Israel some 5,000 documents kept by a confidant of Franz Kafka, a trove whose plight could have been plucked from one of the author’s surreal stories. The papers returned include a postcard from Kafka from 1910 and personal documents kept by Max Brod, …
your ad herePlaying Music to Ease Pain, Nourish Social Connections
Music has long helped people express their emotions and connect with one another. Over the years, medical studies have proved that music has many health benefits, too. They range from facilitating regular breathing and lifting mood to improving emotional function and motor control in patients. Faiza Elmasry tells us more …
your ad hereSources: Turkey to Reduce US Import Tariffs This Week
Turkey’s Trade Ministry will implement a reciprocal reduction in tariffs on U.S. imports after the United States halved tariffs on Turkish steel imports last week, two Turkish sources said on Tuesday. The White House last week terminated Turkey’s eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences (GTS) program, in a move …
your ad hereWHO: Ebola Strategies Need Adjusting in Congo
A panel of World Health Organization experts says strategies must be strengthened to combat the worsening Ebola epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO’s latest report counted 1,738 cases of Ebola in Congo, including 1,218 deaths. Congo’s minister of health, Oly Ilungo, likened the Ebola epidemic to …
your ad hereElectronic Trade Helps Cameroonian Farmers
Information technologies are changing the lives of many Cameroonian farmers, who previously were dependent on brokers, who charged fees to serve as middlemen to purchasers. Now they can use the Internet to find customers more easily and increase their income. Moki Edwin Kindzeka narrates this report by Anne Mireille Nzouankeu …
your ad hereHuawei Founder Shrugs Off US Blacklisting Order
The founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei is dismissing the decision by the United States to blacklist the company on the grounds it poses a threat to U.S. national security. In a series of interviews with state-run news outlets Tuesday, Ren Zhengfei said the Trump administration’s actions underestimate his company’s …
your ad hereIndian Exporters Eye Gains Amid Intensifying US China Trade Dispute
As work on establishing a massive garment-manufacturing unit by one of India’s leading apparel exporters enters the final stages, the company is optimistic about keeping the machines humming. Slated to begin production in August, Orient Craft’s new unit in Jharkhand, one of India’s least developed states, will employ about eight …
your ad hereAP Explains: US Sanctions on Huawei Bite, But Who Gets Hurt?
Trump administration sanctions against Huawei have begun to bite even though their dimensions remain unclear. U.S. companies that supply the Chinese tech powerhouse with computer chips saw their stock prices slump Monday, and Huawei faces decimated smartphone sales with the anticipated loss of Google’s popular software and services. The U.S. …
your ad hereF1 Champion and Aviation Entrepreneur Niki Lauda Dies at 70
Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda, who won two of his titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become a prominent figure in the aviation industry, has died. He was 70. The Austria Press Agency reported that Lauda’s family said in …
your ad hereUN: Loss of Bees, Wild Insects Would Devastate World Food Supply
The decline and disappearance of bees, wild insects and other pollinators would have devastating consequences for mankind and the global food supply, the U.N. warned Monday. “Bees support a staggering 170,000 species of plants that sustain over 200,000 animal species,” General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa said on World Bee …
your ad here3 Handwritten Wills Found in Aretha Franklin’s Home
Three handwritten wills have been found in the suburban Detroit home of Aretha Franklin, months after the death of the “Queen of Soul,” including one that was discovered under cushions in the living room, a lawyer said Monday. The latest one is dated March 2014 and appears to give the …
your ad hereCDC: Measles Cases in US Continue to Rise
The United States recorded 41 new cases of measles as of May 17, according to health officials. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday the outbreak has now spread to 24 states, most recently to Oklahoma where one case was confirmed last week. The 41 new …
your ad hereTrade War Adds to Woes of European Companies in China
The U.S.-China trade war has not spared European companies in China. More than one-third of them are feeling a direct impact on their businesses and fear the situation will worsen in the coming weeks. “They [European companies] are feeling more anxious than they felt last year, rising tensions such as …
your ad hereWHO Chief Pitches Universal Health Coverage
In opening this year’s World Health Assembly, WHO General-Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of universal health coverage as an essential component in the quest for a healthier, safer, fairer world. Nearly 4,000 delegates from WHO’s 194 member states were on hand to hear the WHO chief outline the …
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