In spite of an earlier denial, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on the Internet, stepping up efforts against netizens’ access to unsupervised connections, including those via virtual private networks (VPNs) halfway through its 14-month-long crackdown nationwide. VPNs are third-party services that help bypass the so-called Great Firewall, installed …
your ad hereRecords: EPA Chief Jets Away for Weekends on Taxpayer’s Dime
Records show the head of the Environmental Protection Agency spent weekends in his home state during his first three months in office, frequently flying to and from Oklahoma at taxpayer’s expense. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s expense reports from March, April and May were released following a Freedom of Information request …
your ad hereAnalysts: US Could Impose Steel Tariffs After Weak Trade Talks
Following a lack of agreement at the U.S. China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue in Washington last week, analysts say they expect the Trump administration to impose stiff penalties on Chinese steel and other imports. They are also predicting the U.S. might go a step further and start questioning some of the …
your ad hereSeeing Outbreaks From Space
Countries with few health-management resources are prone to periodic outbreaks of insect-borne diseases affecting both people and livestock. One of the best ways to reduce the impact is timely vaccination and eradication of insects. But how to tell when an outbreak might occur? VOA’s George Putic spoke with a scientist …
your ad hereYoung African Entrepreneur Develops Rival to YouTube
A Ghanaian teenager wanted to develop a video search engine that could challenge the dominance of YouTube. As Faith Lapidus reports, he’s well on his way. …
your ad hereFrom Rented Jeans to Reused Cooking Oil, Businesses are Going ‘Circular’
From recycled paint to rented jeans, businesses large and small are looking at ways to cut waste, use fewer resources and help create what has been coined a “circular economy” in which raw materials and products are repeatedly reused. Unilever, Renault, Google and Nike are some of the companies starting …
your ad hereVenezuela Maduro’s ‘Despacito’ Political Remix Backfires Quickly
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s attempt to use Latin hit “Despacito” – which means ‘slowly’ – to inject some cool into his controversial new congress has backfired quickly. Maduro’s unpopular leftist government on Sunday promoted a remixed version of “Despacito” to encourage Venezuelans to vote for the Constituent Assembly, which will …
your ad here‘Game of Thrones’ Author Teases 2 Possible New Books in 2018
Author George R.R. Martin has hinted at the possibility of not one but two new “Game of Thrones” books in 2018, whetting the appetites of fans who have been waiting for the next installment of the epic saga since 2011. Martin, whose “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels were …
your ad hereGlobal Use of Trade Restrictions Slows, WTO Says
More steps to free up trade globally have been taken since Donald Trump was elected than measures to restrict it, the World Trade Organization said, despite concerns his administration would introduce a raft of punitive rules to protect U.S. jobs. The WTO’s global monitoring report, debated at a trade policy …
your ad hereThailand Freezes Former PM Yingluck’s Bank Accounts in Rice Subsidy Case
Thailand’s justice ministry froze some of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s bank accounts, the ministry and her legal team said on Monday, in relation to a $1 billion fine imposed by the ruling junta over her administration’s rice-subsidy program. She has filed a court petition to revoke the freezing of …
your ad hereNext James Bond Film Set for November 2019, No Word on 007 Star
James Bond is returning to movie theaters in November 2019, producers said Monday, but they did not say who will play Britain’s most famous fictional spy. Eon Productions and MGM studios said in a statement that the 25th Bond film will be released in U.S. theaters on Nov. 8, 2019, …
your ad hereBrazil Plans Federal Workers’ Buyout to Cut Deficit
Brazil’s cash-strapped government is drawing up a voluntary redundancy plan for federal civil servants aimed at reducing its bloated payroll and saving about 1 billion reais ($318 million) a year, the Planning Ministry said on Monday. It will also offer public employees a shorter workday in the latest effort to …
your ad hereRepublicans in US House Push for Congressional Budget Office Cuts
Conservative Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking to add an amendment this week to spending legislation that would slash the number of staff at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The budget research office, known as the CBO, has drawn recent Republican criticism, including from the White House, …
your ad hereTest-tube Immune Systems Can Speed Vaccine Development
New technology allows scientists working on new vaccines to combat infectious diseases to test their products’ effectiveness on a model immune system in a laboratory, without putting the upgraded vaccine into humans. Researchers have begun building model immune systems using human cells, and this lab technique should make early vaccine …
your ad hereIMF Warms to Eurozone Economy Amid Lower Political Risks
The International Monetary Fund is more optimistic about the economy of the 19-country eurozone after a run of elections saw populist politicians defeated and risks to its outlook abated. In an update to its April projections published Monday, the IMF revised up its growth forecasts for many eurozone countries, …
your ad here‘Unprecedented’ Dengue Outbreak Kills Nearly 300 in Sri Lanka
The worst-ever outbreak of dengue fever in Sri Lanka has killed nearly 300 people, with the number of cases rising rapidly. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health reports that the number of dengue infections has climbed above 103,000 since the start of 2017, with 296 deaths. The number of cases this …
your ad hereHijab Goes Mainstream as Advertisers Target Muslim Money
The hijab — one of the most visible signs of Islamic culture — is going mainstream with advertisers, media giants and fashion firms promoting images of the traditional headscarf in ever more ways. Last week, Apple previewed 12 new emoji characters to be launched later this year, one of a …
your ad hereHome Sweet Home: Islanders Stay Put Even When the Sea Invades
Islanders in the Philippines have stayed in their homes even after an earthquake caused subsidence and floods, according to a study on Monday that questions how far global warming will trigger mass migration as sea levels rise. Ice is thawing from Greenland to Antarctica and will raise sea levels by …
your ad hereSwaziland Cuts HIV Infection Rate in Half
The U.S. government says the HIV epidemic is “coming under control” in Swaziland, the country with the world’s highest prevalence of the virus. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) said Monday that new infections among adults in Swaziland have dropped by nearly half since 2011. It said …
your ad hereLayoffs Occur at Carrier Plant Outlined in Trump Deal
The U.S. Carrier factory where President Donald Trump says he saved 800 jobs from moving to Mexico notified 300 people last week that they were being laid off. The layoff notices began Thursday, exactly six months since Trump took office. The layoffs are part of a deal Trump made with …
your ad hereKenyan Girls to Fly to Google Headquarters After Inventing App to End FGM
Animated chatter spills out from a corner of tech giant Google’s Nairobi offices as five Kenyan schoolgirls discuss their upcoming trip to California where they hope to win $15,000 for I-cut, an app to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The five teenagers, aged 15 to 17, are the only Africans …
your ad hereBritain Goes for Front of the Line in US Trade Talks
The United States and Britain launched preliminary talks Monday in Washington on a trade deal that will set up a new trade relationship between the two countries, after Britain’s exit from the European Union. Britain hopes removing barriers under its current EU arrangement will boost trade with the United States …
your ad hereComputer Vision Technology Teaches Drones to ‘See’
The popularity of drones keeps growing, both for personal and commercial use. Instead of humans controlling them, researchers are working on ways to teach the unmanned vehicles how to navigate and avoid obstacles. In Switzerland, researchers are training drones to recognize their surroundings and build 3D maps. VOA’s Deborah Block …
your ad hereSimple Fix Makes Wheelchairs Much Easier to Maneuver
Sometimes, it’s the simplest ideas that can have the biggest impact. When it comes to wheelchair technology, any advances are welcome, but one simple idea may forever change the way wheelchairs work. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereTotal Sun Eclipse Will Be Seen Across US
On August 21, 2017 people in many parts of United States will be able to enjoy a rare visual spectacle – a total eclipse of the sun. Although the moon passes between the sun and our planet relatively often, a total eclipse is visible only occasionally and only in some …
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