The European Union rolled out a massive, trillion-dollar investment plan Tuesday to deliver on promises to make Europe the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050.The EU would designate one-quarter of its budget to fighting climate change over the next decade. The trillion-dollar price tag would come from a mix of EU …
your ad hereForget the Mouse: Your Thoughts Can Control Devices
It sounds like science fiction, but a number of tech wearables are letting users control devices with their thoughts. The implications for consumers and businesses are significant. But to start out, the goal of two developers is to simply enable more productivity. Tina Trinh meets the Brooklyn team behind a …
your ad hereTom Hanks’ Family Offered Greek Passport too for Fire Help
Greece’s government is extending its offer of citizenship to Tom Hanks to his wife and their two children, in recognition of the family’s help in assisting victims of a deadly wildfire near Athens in 2018.Last month, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos signed an honorary naturalization order allowing the 63-year-old actor, who …
your ad hereNew Space Force Chief Sworn in
Vice President Mike Pence has formally sworn in in Gen. John “Jay” Raymond as the new Chief of Space Operations Tuesday at the White House.Raymond assumed the duties of the first head of the Space Force on December 20, 2019, when U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law the National …
your ad hereOceans Were Hottest on Record in 2019
The world’s oceans were the hottest in recorded history in 2019, scientists said on Tuesday, as manmade emissions warmed seas at an ever-increasing rate with potentially disastrous impacts on Earth’s climate.Oceans absorb more than 90 percent of excess heat created by greenhouse gas emissions and quantifying how much they have …
your ad hereBrazil Documentary Gets Oscar Nomination, Exposes Division
The Academy Award nomination for a Brazilian documentary about the impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff has once again laid bare the polarization of Latin America’s largest democracy. In “The Edge of Democracy,” 36-year-old filmmaker Petra Costa uses her personal story to argue that Brazil’s democracy is at risk …
your ad hereWorldwide Pollution-Related Deaths Topped 8 Million in 2017
Pollution kills three times more people than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, according to new estimates. It’s one of the leading causes of death. But it’s a neglected issue in most of the world, despite the enormous toll. VOA’s Steve Baragona has more. …
your ad hereWeinstein Back in Court as Jurors Winnowed for Rape Trial
Jury selection resumed Monday at the trial of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty to charges he raped a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and sexually assaulted another in 2006.The initial screening process, now on its fifth day, has been stymied by a host …
your ad here‘Joker’ Leads Oscar Nods with 11 as Women Miss out
Dark comic book tale “Joker” topped the Oscar nominations Monday, picking up 11 nods including best picture and best director, as women and ethnic minorities were largely shut out once again.The pre-dawn Academy Award announcement capped months of ceaseless campaigning by A-listers and studios, revealing which stars and movies have …
your ad hereWHO: First Case of New Virus Behind China Outbreak Found in Thailand
The World Health Organization confirmed Monday the first case in Thailand of a new virus from the same family as SARS that is behind a Chinese pneumonia outbreak.The U.N. health agency said a person traveling from Wuhan, China, had been hospitalized in Thailand on January 8 after being diagnosed with …
your ad hereWhile Shuttered at Home, China Exploits Social Media Abroad
China says its diplomats and government officials will fully exploit foreign social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter that are blocked off to its own citizens. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday likened the government to “diplomatic agencies and diplomats of other countries” in embracing such platforms to …
your ad hereNominees for 2020 Academy Awards Announced
The nominees for the Academy Awards have been announced in Los Angeles. Issa Rae and John Cho announced nominees in 24 categories that honor the best achievements in films released in 2019.The nominees for best picture are: “Ford v. Ferrari”; “The Irishman”; “Jojo Rabbit”; “Joker”; “Little Women”; “Marriage Story”; “1917”; …
your ad herePeople in China Cautious, But Not Worried About New Virus
China’s health officials say there is no danger that a new strain of coronavirus could cause a worldwide spread of pneumonia-like illness similar to the 2003 SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus) pandemic. More than 40 people have been diagnosed with the new virus in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei …
your ad hereNew Strain of SARS Blamed for Pneumonia Outbreak in China
World health officials say an outbreak of pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is being caused by a new strain of the virus that led to the deadly SARS outbreak over a decade ago. VOA’s Jeff Custer reports from Washington. …
your ad hereHarry, Meghan Seek Financial Independence: Will That Work?
As part of a surprise announcement distancing themselves from the British royal family, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, declared they will “work to become financially independent” — a move that has not been clearly spelled out and could be fraught with obstacles.The couple indicated in their statement Wednesday that …
your ad hereRoyal Courtiers Chart Path for Prince Harry’s Independence
Queen Elizabeth II has moved quickly to take control of the crisis surrounding the decision by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to distance themselves from the royal family, ordering royal courtiers to find a future role for the pair within days.Officials representing the most senior members of …
your ad hereUS Scanning Cyberspace for Signs of Iranian Aggression
U.S. government officials are watching and waiting, with many believing it is only a matter of time before Iran lashes out in cyberspace for the U.S. drone strike that killed Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani last week.According to the latest advisory from the Department of Homeland Security, there are still …
your ad hereTwo Documentaries Chronicle Horrors in Syria Through Women’s Eyes
Two award-winning documentaries capture death and destruction in the war-torn Syrian cities of Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta through the eyes of women. Waad al-Kateab’s film “For Sama,” and Feras Fayyad’s film “The Cave,” document civilians’ struggle to survive in devastated cities where doctors in makeshift hospitals tend to throngs of …
your ad hereUS Plutonium Production Plan Likely to Spur Legal Challenge
The agency that oversees the United States’ nuclear arsenal says it doesn’t need to do any broad environmental reviews of a proposal that calls for ramping up production of plutonium triggers at federal installations in New Mexico and South Carolina.The National Nuclear Security Administration on Wednesday released a supplemental analysis …
your ad hereComedian-Director Buck Henry Dies at 89
American comedian, writer and director Buck Henry, who was behind one of the most influential films in history, has died of a heart attack. He was 89.The Dartmouth-educated Henry first emerged in the late 1950s, playing a puritanical character who was offended by so-called naked animals and wanted them to …
your ad hereVietnamese Investors More Cautious with Tech Startups
Vietnamese startups are heading into the new year looking to avoid the mistakes of such companies as Uber and WeWork, which disappointed investors in 2019 for failing to turn a profit after so much buildup.Investors and entrepreneurs in the communist nation are taking a more critical look at their businesses …
your ad hereTrump Orders Changes in Environmental Law He Calls ‘Broken and Outdated’
President Donald Trump Thursday announced changes to a 50-year-old environmental law that he calls “broken and outdated,” but that critics say will now give developers a green light to pollute.Trump said the National Environmental Policy Act “ties up and bogs down” infrastructure projects by an “outrageously slow and burdensome federal …
your ad hereAt CES, Tech Startups Hail from Around the World
Building a tech startup is not easy, especially in countries with less-established tech industries. Nevertheless, many global entrepreneurs are determined to succeed, and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is their chance to prove themselves to the rest of the industry. VOA’s Tina Trinh met with startup founders …
your ad here‘Pose’ Cast, Niecy Nash, Matsoukas, Lynch to Be Honored by Essence
Emmy winner Niecy Nash, the groundbreaking cast of the hit TV series “Pose,” Grammy-winning music video director Melina Matsoukas and “Captain Marvel” actress Lashana Lynch will be honored at the 2020 Black Women in Hollywood Awards.Essence Communications, the media company dedicated to black women that hosts the annual pre-Oscars luncheon, …
your ad hereActor Jeremy Irons to Head Jury at Berlin Film Festival
British actor Jeremy Irons will head the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival next month, organizers said Thursday.Irons will be jury president at the festival’s 70th edition, running from Feb. 20 to March 1. Other members of the jury haven’t yet been named. Irons’ screen and stage career started …
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