The sloth – a super slow tree dweller that spends most of its life hanging upside down – isn’t on an endangered species list. But human activity hasn’t been kind to the popular creature who lives in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi tell …
your ad hereOcean Heatwave Threatens Hawaii’s Coral – Again
Hawaii’s vibrant reefs are home to amazing populations of corals and fish, which are under growing stress and danger from a spike in ocean temperatures. A similar underwater heatwave damaged the reef four years ago. Now, researchers are using divers and satellites to study these corals and find ways to …
your ad hereUS Health Delegation Committed to Fighting Ebola Outbreak in DRC
Ebola is again spreading quickly in several African countries, with the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular peril. VOA’s Plugged In traveled with U.S. health officials in mid-September to the epicenter of the outbreak, along the country’s remote northeast border. The U.S.-led delegation brought hope and medicine to the region, …
your ad hereDozens Of DC Dachshunds Race to Win Fasters Wiener Dog Title
Hundreds of spectators gathered recently at Washington, DC’s Wharf’s District Pier to watch an unusual competition in speed and agility. Maxim Moskalkov watched the four-legged race. …
your ad herePlacido Domingo Resigns as LA Opera General Director
Opera star Placido Domingo resigned Wednesday as general director of the Los Angeles Opera and withdrew from all future performances, following multiple allegations from women who say the legendary tenor sexually harassed them there and at opera companies around the country over a period of decades.Domingo’s departure from LA Opera …
your ad hereVirginia Doctor Sentenced to 40 Years in Opioid Case
A Virginia doctor who prosecutors said ran his medical practice like an interstate drug distribution ring was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in prison for illegally prescribing opioids.Dr. Joel Smithers of Greensboro, North Carolina, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.This undated photo provided by the Southwest Virginia Regional …
your ad hereGene Editing Video Stirs Talk of Designer Babies, Ethics
A new video that shows people casually discussing gene editing and designer babies is making waves because of who posted it: the government-funded group leading efforts to set standards for the ethically dicey science.The National Academy of Sciences posted the video earlier this week. It also sent a tweet that …
your ad hereVirgin Galactic Says It’ll Fly Italian Air Force Researchers
Virgin Galactic says it has been contracted by the Italian air force for a suborbital research flight aboard its winged rocket ship.The company announced Wednesday that the mission will be flown as early as next year, carrying three Italian specialists who will tend to the experiments while the craft is …
your ad hereGarth Brooks to Receive Gershwin Prize For Popular Song
Country music superstar Garth Brooks has more than just friends in low places. The Library of Congress said Wednesday the Grammy winner will receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in March 2020. Previous recipients include Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Carole King and Willie Nelson.Brooks is a …
your ad hereDr. Dre, Iovine to Unveil High-tech new Building at USC
A high-tech building named after Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Jimmy Iovine will be opened on the University of Southern California campus.Dr. Dre and Iovine are expected to attend a dedication ceremony for the Iovine and Young Hall on the campus Wednesday. The building was named after the duo who …
your ad hereBig Tech’s Eco-pledges Aren’t Slowing its Pursuit of Big Oil
Employee activism and outside pressure have pushed big tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Google into promising to slash their carbon emissions. But there’s another thing these tech giants aren’t cutting: Their growing business ties to the oil and gas industry.When Microsoft held an all-staff meeting in September, an employee …
your ad hereGoogle Rolls Out Updated Privacy Tools for YouTube, Maps
Google is rolling out more tools for users to control their privacy settings.The company and other tech giants are facing increased scrutiny over the amount of data they collect from their users. Google and Facebook both debuted new privacy tools this year.Now, YouTube users will be able to set their …
your ad hereModern American College Teaches Ancient Craftsmanship
The sounds of artists at work fill the spacious workshops at the American College of the Building Arts in historic Charleston, South Carolina.In the Iron shop, Alex Fisher grinds down an iron door handle while Jeremiah Price and others use heat to soften the metal in theirs and hammer them …
your ad hereBorn Deaf, Top-Scoring Footballer Dreams of National Team
International sporting law forbids athletes with disabilities from competing against those who don’t. Inevitably, some players outshine their counterparts despite missing limbs or senses. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story of a man with disabilities who rolls past the competition. …
your ad hereRouen Residents Demand Government Action After Massive Fire In Chemical Plant
Thousands of people protested Tuesday in the northern French city of Rouen to denounce the consequences for health and the environment of last week’s fire at a chemical factory. The blaze that broke out early Thursday ravaged the Lubrizol chemical plant in Rouen, a port city on the river Seine …
your ad hereJohnson & Johnson Settles Ohio Lawsuits to Avoid Federal Trial
Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it will pay $20.4 million to settle claims by two Ohio counties, allowing the U.S. healthcare giant to avoid an upcoming federal trial seeking to hold the industry responsible for the nation’s opioid epidemic.J&J became the fourth drugmaker to settle claims ahead of the …
your ad hereBanned in Boston: Without Vaping, Medical Marijuana Patients Must Adapt
In the first few days of the four-month ban on all vaping products in Massachusetts, Laura Lee Medeiros, a medical marijuana patient, began to worry.The 32-year-old massage therapist has a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from childhood trauma. To temper her unpredictable panic attacks, she relied on a vape …
your ad hereTyler Perry Believes His Studio Rivals Hollywood’s Best
Tyler Perry remembered shedding tears when he saw an Atlanta highway exit bearing the name of his television and film studio for the first time.The actor-director-writer believes he might have the same emotions during the grand opening of his massive state-of-the-art Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday night. He’s planning a …
your ad hereNASA Lander Captures Marsquakes, Other Martian Sounds
NASA’s InSight lander on Mars has captured the low rumble of marsquakes and a symphony of other otherworldly sounds.Scientists released an audio sampling Tuesday. The sounds had to be enhanced for humans to hear.InSight’s seismometer has detected more than 100 events, but only 21 are considered strong marsquake candidates. The …
your ad hereUS Government Watchdog Faults DEA for Slow Response to Opioid Crisis
A U.S. government watchdog on Tuesday harshly criticized the Drug Enforcement Agency for its response to the opioid crisis, saying that amid a surge in opioid-related deaths the agency failed to use its most powerful deterrent and authorized an increase in pain pill output.A report released by Justice Department Inspector …
your ad hereCourt: FCC Can Dump Net Neutrality, But Can’t Bar State Laws
The Federal Communications Commission could dump rules that keep internet providers from favoring some services over others, but couldn’t bar states like California from enacting their own prohibitions, a federal court ruled.While Tuesday’s ruling handed Trump-appointed regulators a partial victory, consumer advocates and other groups viewed the ruling as a …
your ad hereEddie Murphy Rejuvenated by ‘Dolemite’
Eddie Murphy is very fond of his couch.He talks about it a lot. It’s where, according to Murphy, he’s spent much of his last few years, in a happy retreat from the public eye. He’s a natural homebody, content to stick close to his Los Angeles home with his family …
your ad hereUkraine President Woos Tom Cruise
Ukraine’s leader isn’t just trying to charm U.S. President Donald Trump — he’s set his sights now on Tom Cruise, too.Mission impossible? Maybe not — Cruise is studying possible Ukrainian locations for an upcoming film, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.Zelenskiy tapped his roots as a TV and film …
your ad hereEgypt Displays Looted Coffin Returned From New York’s Met
Egypt is displaying a gilded ancient coffin returned to the country last week from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art after U.S. investigators determined to be a looted antiquity. The coffin once held the mummy of Nedjemankh, a priest in the Ptolemaic Period some 2,000 years ago. It was …
your ad hereBotswana to Offer Free ARVs to Foreign Sex Workers
Botswana has started offering free antiretroviral therapy (ARV) to foreign sex workers, following a decision to extend treatment to non-citizens. An estimated 30,000 foreigners living in Botswana are HIV positive, and most are sex workers. Until now, the southern African nation was one of only a few countries that did …
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