Would you buy a car that sprayed soothing aromas when you are stuck in rush-hour traffic? Or how about a robot that has the scent of a real person? Scientists say that new technology means we will soon be using devices like these in our everyday lives. Henry Ridgwell visited this month's British Science Festival in Brighton, England, to find out more.
Far-right Alternative for Germany won 14 percent of vote, while Merkel's victorious Christian Democrats gained their lowest share in 70 years
The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party has pledged to use its platform in parliament to "reclaim the country and its people." The AfD won close to 14 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, giving them 94 seats — the first significant far-right presence in Germany's parliament since World War II. Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin.
Germans go to the polls Sunday in national elections that will decide whether Angela Merkel remains chancellor for a fourth consecutive term. As Henry Ridgwell reports, many wrote off Merkel's chances as Germany struggled to cope with the 2015 migrant crisis, but she has weathered the storm, and polls point to a comfortable victory.
The lack of a unified approach by world governments to paying kidnap ransoms is putting the lives of citizens of all nationalities at greater risk and is providing terror groups with a big source of finance, warns a new report by a prominent British defense policy institute. Henry Ridgwell has more from London.
Ransoms part of terrorist financing, says Britain’s Royal United Services Institute
As Iraqi forces continue to push back Islamic State militants from their strongholds, many civilians who fled the violence are seeking to return home. For some ethnic and religious groups, such as the Yazidis, the trauma of their ordeal under IS continues to present barriers to their return. A recent conference in Britain looked at what steps are needed to enable the Yazidis to go back to their homeland in northern Iraq. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Ethnic Yazidis particularly affected, needing psychological help after attempted genocide, aid groups say
Islamic State claims responsibility for attack
Visiting London Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged China to cut oil exports to North Korea to force Pyongyang to rein in its nuclear weapons program. Tillerson also had strong words for Iran, which he said was clearly in default of expectations with regard to the 2015 nuclear agreement. Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital.
US secretary of state met with British and French counterparts Thursday in London
In his annual State of the Union address European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ruled out Turkish membership of the bloc for the "foreseeable future" over human rights concerns. He also pledged to improve conditions for African migrants held in horrific conditions at detention centers in Libya.
Jean-Claude Juncker cites arrest of journalists, human rights activists
Tens of thousands of women who survived enslavement and rape during the 1992-95 Bosnian war are still being denied justice, according to a report from Amnesty International. A quarter of a century after the conflict began, rights activists say many of the survivors are living in poverty and have lost all hope the perpetrators will face trial. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Thousands of survivors have yet to receive justice or reparations
A leading humanitarian aid group has accused the European Union of being complicit in the torture, killing and rape of migrants in detention camps in Libya. The system is partially run by armed militias and people smugglers, and critics say the EU is supporting these groups in return for stemming the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
Scientists have accused the liquor industry of misleading the public over the link between consuming alcohol and cancer. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine compare the actions with the tobacco industry's attempts to dispute the link between smoking and lung cancer. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Scientists say information on the link between consuming alcohol and developing cancer is misleading or distorted
Judges at the European Court of Justice on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Hungary and Slovakia to block mandatory quotas of refugees, which the bloc wants to resettle from Greece and Italy. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
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