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Nearly 45,000 Boy Scouts from across the United States and from around the world are camping outdoors for 10 days of fun and adventure as the youth organization celebrates 100 years of scouting. Every four years the Boy Scouts of America holds its national jamboree, a large scale celebration that recognizes the organization's objectives of developing character, physical fitness and citizenship through community and outdoor activities. VOA's Chris Simkins has more.
London's transport agency has introduced a bicycle rental system throughout central London to encourage people to ride bikes rather than drive, take taxis or use other public transport. It's an effort to alleviate congestion on London's overcrowded roads and transport system.
The incoming CEO of the oil giant BP on Friday (July 30) outlined the British company's plans for the economic and environmental recovery of the Gulf of Mexico. Bob Dudley says BP will help Gulf Coast communities rebuild even after the company's damaged oil well is permanently capped. The well began leaking crude into the Gulf more than three months ago following an explosion
Slower economic growth in the United States pushed global stocks lower Friday. The U.S. Commerce Department reports the country's gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation's economic health, grew by a disappointing 2.4 percent in the second quarter. Economists blame the slower pace of growth on continuing high unemployment and falling consumer confidence.
The people of Zimbabwe are in the process of drafting a new constitution that is aimed at bringing new elections and ending years of political strife. As part of the process, specially trained leaders are consulting with citizens across the country in a process called the Constitution Outreach Program.
A new public opinion poll in Pakistan highlights some contradictions in the way many Pakistanis view the world: Most consider the US and India as their country's number-one enemies, but at the same time most Pakistanis want improved relations with both. Many Pakistanis are against the Taliban and al-Qaida, but say they would have no problem if the Taliban were to retake power in neighboring Afghanistan. The poll by the PEW Research Center consisted of face-to-face interviews in April with 2,000 adults in areas of Pakistan that represent about 84 percent of the nation's adult population. VOA's Ravi Khanna has the story.
The use of midwives to help with home childbirths is an ancient and honored tradition in many societies around the world. But in the United States, midwifery began to fall out of favor in the mid-19th century, as the number of medical doctors and hospitals proliferated. By 1935, 90 percent of all births in America were taking place in hospitals, attended by doctors. And by the 1950s, most American states had outlawed the practice of midwifery altogether. Today, though, the laws are changing, and midwives are making a slow but steady comeback.
Over the past few weeks, thousands of people flocked to the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, to see - and smell - a rare plant from the rain forests of Sumatra, in Indonesia. The unlikely attraction, an odor like that of a rotting corpse that the flower sent out as it bloomed. This is only the 29th time one of these rare flowers has bloomed in the United States, and the museum stayed open 24 hours a day until the full bloom occurred. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Houston.
Lucy Walker's new documentary "Countdown to Zero" reminds us that nuclear weapons are not relics of the of Cold War.
The film contends that in a volatile world filled with terrorists, rogue nations and opportunists, it is a matter of time before nuclear weapons get into the wrong hands and wreak havoc.
Lucy Walker offers a chilling description of a nuclear explosion in her documentary "Countdown to Zero," about the threat of nuclear weapons today. Using scientific records and anecdotal stories of nuclear near misses, Walker shakes up even the most complacent viewer. Walker considers terrorism as the top danger of a nuclear attack, but believes it is not the only one.
Residents of the Western U.S. state of Arizona reacted Thursday to a federal judge's ruling that blocked key parts of a controversial state immigration law. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports from Nogales, Arizona, some applauded and others criticized Wednesday's ruling by Judge Susan Bolton, as a restricted version of the law went into effect.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says he has asked the FBI to assist in the investigation into the leak and publication of classified military documents. Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke about the issue at a press conference at the Pentagon Thursday, several days after the website WikiLeaks posted tens of thousands of classified documents about the war in Afghanistan. VOA's Suzanne Presto in Washington reports.
Vehicles that can be both driven and flown have long been a fantasy in the realm of science fiction. But advances in technology have paved the way for just such a vehicle to enter the realm of fact. Moreover, it could be available to the general public as early as next year. Some of the concept vehicles were recently on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in the Midwest state of Wisconsin.
President Obama visits two Michigan auto plants on Friday. Over the last two years the administration has been instrumental in propping up the U.S. car industry -- by approving billions in government loans after bankruptcies and management changes. VOA's Carolyn Presutti reports from Michigan on the mood leading up to the president's visit.
The U.S. Army recently held a series of training exercises in (the U.S. Midwest state of) Indiana, to teach troops how to react if a small nuclear bomb, set off by terrorists, were to hit an American city. The exercises included crowd control, medical care and rubble removal. Helping to make the mock scenarios especially realistic were the people hired to play the roles of survivors. VOA's Deborah Block has more.
It's an idea that's been repeated so often on the Internet that it has become to look like a fact: namely that social media like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter helped inspire and fuel protests in places like Iran, Burma, China and elsewhere.
But is it really true? In spite of all the flash, are social media really a good way to organize? VOA's Philip Alexiou has this look.
US agricultural organizations, state farm bureaus and the US Chamber of Commerce have joined forces in support of a bill that would ease the current US embargo against Cuba, allowing food to be exported to the communist-ruled Caribbean island nation. The bill, which was approved by the House Agriculture committee earlier this month, is opposed by many Cuban-American groups who fear the opening would bolster communist rule. VOA's Greg Flakus has more on the story from Houston.
The goal of rapid HIV testing in emergency rooms is to save lives and prevent the spread of HIV. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends routine HIV screening of patients admitted to hospital emergency rooms, unless the patient refuses or opts-out of the test. But, a study on the testing did not produce the results doctors expected.
President Obama signed a bill last week extending unemployment benefits to 99 weeks. The extension will affect 1.4 million unemployed Americans and help ease the longest bout of joblessness since the great Depression. VOA's Jeff Swicord visited a career counseling center outside Washington D.C. to get a feel for what job seekers are going through.
By turning a powerful x-ray machine on a caterpillar, scientistists have discovered a novel way of movement that could inspire new robotics to help humans. The caterpillar's two-bodied mechanical locomotion system - where the gut slides independently from the surrounding tissues - has never before been observed by scientists. Simon says the novel biological system could be applied to the design of soft-material robots.