A U.N. humanitarian aid adviser for Syria says trucks are being prepared to ship polio vaccine into Islamic State group-held areas of Deir Ezzor governorate following confirmation of a “very dangerous” outbreak of the virus. Jan Egeland made the …
A new report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) finds child poverty and hunger are widespread in 41 of the world’s richest countries. The report says one in five children in rich countries lives in poverty, while one in eight …
Thailand’s industrial development faces fresh calls for greater local community participation in addressing the challenges of environmental pollution, especially as reports point to an escalation in the production of hazardous industrial pollution. Industrialization has been a core of Thailand’s economic …
The U.S. central bank raised its benchmark interest rate Wednesday amid concerns about sluggish growth, a slowdown in consumer spending and low inflation. But the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve says the one-quarter of 1 percent increase in the …
The real estate firm owned by the family of Jared Kushner has withdrawn a request for a big tax break for one its buildings in Jersey City, New Jersey, the latest setback for the company in the area. The …
A new report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) says getting more women into the world labor market would add trillions of dollars to the global economy and boost tax revenues. According to the report, the ILO World Employment and …
Typewriter enthusiasts gather at an Albuquerque restaurant to experiment with vintage Smith Coronas. Fans in Boston kneel in a city square and type stories about their lives during a pro-immigration demonstration. A documentary on typewriters featuring Tom Hanks and musician …
Imagine that you could not see. Or hear. And that you were just a child. What would your world be like? How would you communicate? Who would teach you to speak, to sign or to read Braille? To play? For …
The sanctions imposed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states on Qatar have been a blessing for Mohammed Kuwari and his al-Rawa brand of yoghurt. With competing Saudi products off the shelves, his business is booming. “Our sales doubled! There’s …
Wind and solar accounted for more than 10 percent of U.S. electricity generation for the first time in March, the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Wind and solar power capacity has been growing in the United States, …
Activists behind an app designed to assist doctors document evidence of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo aim to go beyond obtaining justice for rape victims and collect data that could help secure prosecutions for war crimes. …
Facebook said Wednesday that it would soon allow its U.S. users to raise and donate money using its “Safety Check” feature, to make it easier for people affected by natural disasters and violent attacks to receive help. “Safety Check,” launched …
There’s not much middle ground on broccoli — people either love it or hate it. U.S. President George H.W. Bush, for instance, was not a fan. “I do not like broccoli,” he famously said. “And I have not liked it …
Researchers have identified an “Achilles heel” in the malaria parasite — a weakness that could stop the mosquito-borne infection in its tracks. The discovery offers the possibility of a cure, as well as a way to halt transmission. The malaria …
Top officials of the U.S. central bank raised the benchmark interest rate slightly on Wednesday, as the recovering economy no longer seems to need quite as much of the boost it gets from ultra-low rates. The Federal Reserve raised its …
China’s three big Internet-driven companies, Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, are set to influence a vast section of the country’s business because they control data concerning the consumer and social behavior of millions of people. The awesome power comes from the government’s drive to …
Musicians tend to talk about their instruments in terms of tone and sound as often as the brand. Electric guitarists are no different, and they can expound on the ‘bright’ sound of the Fender or the bass heavy Gibsons. But …
Musicians tend to talk about their instruments in terms of tone and sound as often as the brand. Electric guitarists are no different, and they can expound on the ‘bright’ sound of the Fender or the bass heavy Gibsons. But …
Nearly one third of all humans are now classified as overweight or obese. That’s the conclusion from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that dropped this week. When it comes to childhood weight problems, the U.S. …
Panama’s business community on Tuesday cheered the Central American country’s decision to establish full diplomatic ties with China and ditch Taiwan, hoping to deepen links with a key customer of the nation’s shipping canal. Although there was regret at the …
Mexico’s ancient civilizations cultivated crops such as maize, tomatoes and chilies for thousands of years before the Spanish conquerors arrived — and now those native plants could hold the key to sustainable food production as climate change bites, said a …
With a record-breaking 26.5 million people going hungry in the Horn of Africa, development banks are increasing their humanitarian funding to fill a gap left by traditional donors, a high-level mission said on Tuesday. Food rations for 7.8 million Ethiopians …
Sheltering under planks on his boat moored at a waterside slum in Lagos, fisherman Thomson Pascal is trying to protect his six children from the rain flooding into what is now their new home. He is one of 30,000 residents …
The World Bank on Tuesday approved financing worth more than $500 million for Afghanistan to support a string of projects to boost the economy, help improve service delivery in five cities and support Afghan refugees sent back from Pakistan. The …