On the eve of an expected grilling by U.S. lawmakers, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg once again apologized for inadequately protecting the data of millions of social media platform users and highlighted steps the firm is taking to prevent a repeat. In multiple interviews with news media outlets and in …
your ad herePakistan Launches Countrywide Polio Eradication Drive
Pakistan launched a nationwide polio vaccination drive this week to try to reach 38.7 million children and eradicate the paralyzing and potentially deadly virus in one of the last countries where it is endemic. Nearly 260,000 volunteers and workers fanned out across Pakistan in an effort to vaccinate every child …
your ad hereSmartphones Could Help Measure Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms
An experimental smartphone application could monitor changes in Parkinson’s disease symptoms throughout the day, sending data to doctors to help them treat patients, U.S. researchers say. “Like diabetes, Parkinson’s has variability and symptom fluctuations, which can also vary the treatment. We can’t measure these fluctuations at home, and you can …
your ad hereChild Advocates Ask FTC to Investigate YouTube
The fine print of YouTube’s terms of service has a warning that goes unheeded by millions of children who visit YouTube to watch cartoons, nursery rhymes, science experiments or videos of toys being unboxed. “If you are under 13 years of age, then please do not use the service,” the …
your ad hereTopless Protester Gets Close to Bill Cosby as Retrial Begins
A topless protester with “Women’s Lives Matter” written on her body jumped a barricade and got within a few feet of Bill Cosby on Monday as the comedian walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his sexual assault retrial. The woman ran in front of Cosby …
your ad hereRice Breeders Report ‘Eye-Popping’ Productivity Gains
The grain that feeds half the world may have taken a big leap forward. Scientists report the biggest improvements in rice productivity in decades. If the results hold up in further tests, it could greatly increase harvests of a critical staple crop at a time when global population growing rapidly. …
your ad here87M Facebook Users Will Find Out Whether Their Data Was Compromised
Social media giant Facebook is starting to notify 87 million of its users whether their personal data was harvested without their knowledge by Cambridge Analytica, the Britain-based voter profiling company U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign hired to target likely supporters in 2016. Facebook believes most of the affected users, more …
your ad hereChina: US Trade Talks Currently ‘Impossible’
China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that trade talks with the United States are impossible under current conditions. The comment from spokesman Geng Shuang during a briefing with reporters came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump predicted there would be a resolution of the U.S.-China standoff on tariffs on hundreds …
your ad hereANALYSIS-Obesity Among Asia-Pacific Children is Growing Health Crisis
Obesity rates among children in Asia-Pacific are rising at a rapid rate, and more action is needed to encourage healthier lifestyles and ease pressure on fledgling healthcare systems, researchers said. The number of overweight children under five rose 38 percent between 2000 and 2016 in the region, and the problem …
your ad hereResearchers Using Blue Light to Accelerate Relaxation After Intense Stress
Spanish researchers have developed a technique to quickly remedy acute psychosocial stress, described as a short-term intense stress that occurs during social or interpersonal relationships caused by a verbal argument. The treatment involves blue, light-emitting diodes. VOA’s Mariama Diallo has more. …
your ad hereAfghanistan Expands Perfume Market with Orange Blossom Scent
Afghanistan is set to exploit its unique agricultural climate by refining and exporting another kind of flower, orange blossoms! An Afghan investor found a way to extract the citrusy, floral bouquet from the delicate flowers to create perfumes. As VOA’s Zabihullah Ghazi reports in Jalalabad, not only is the perfume …
your ad hereFive Questions for Mark Zuckerberg as He Heads to Congress
Congress has plenty of questions for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who will testify on Capitol Hill Tuesday and Wednesday about the company’s ongoing data-privacy scandal and how it failed to guard against other abuses of its service. Facebook is struggling to cope with the worst privacy crisis in its …
your ad hereScientists Harvest First Vegetables in Antarctic Greenhouse
Scientists in Antarctica have harvested their first crop of vegetables grown without earth, daylight or pesticides as part of a project designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets. Researchers at Germany’s Neumayer Station III say they’ve picked 3.6 kilograms (8 pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and …
your ad hereTrump Predicts Resolution of Trade Dispute with China
U.S. President Donald Trump predicted Sunday there would be a resolution of the U.S.-China standoff on tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of goods the world’s two biggest economies are threatening to impose on each other. The U.S. leader said, without offering any direct information, that “China will take …
your ad here#MeToo Casts Long Shadow over Cosby’s Sexual Assault Retrial
When Bill Cosby’s retrial on sexual assault charges begins on Monday, the man once known as “America’s Dad” will face the same judge and district attorney in the same Pennsylvania courtroom as he did last June when a hung jury failed to reach a verdict. But the familiar trappings cannot …
your ad hereAfrica Misses Out on Taiwan’s Development Aid Due to ‘One China’ Policy
Taiwan says it regrets that the “one China” policy insisted on by Beijing prevents it from providing much needed development aid to most countries in Africa. Taiwan was in a relatively good diplomatic position in Africa several years ago. Taiwan’s Deputy Secretary-General for International Cooperation and Development, Pai-po Lee, says …
your ad hereUN, Singapore Concerned about Rising Trade Tensions
The U.N. secretary-general and the Singaporean foreign minister voiced concerns about global trade tensions and rising protectionism during back-to-back meetings in Beijing on Sunday. Following remarks from his Chinese counterpart, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan vowed to “double-down” on free trade and economic liberalization in tandem with China. “This …
your ad hereWomen of Courage Fight Inequality, Injustice
Outrage, compassion, a desire for justice: these are some of the motivations of 10 women honored by the U.S. State Department this year with the International Women of Courage Award. Mike O’Sullivan spoke with several recipients at a recent stop in Los Angeles. …
your ad hereGlobal Hunger Is Rising, Artificial Intelligence Can Help
Despite a global abundance of food, a United Nations report says 815 million people, 11 percent of the world’s population, went hungry in 2016. That number seems to be rising. Poverty is not the only reason, however, people are experiencing food insecurity. “Increasingly we’re also seeing hunger caused by the …
your ad hereGlobal Hunger Is Rising — Artificial Intelligence Can Help
Despite a global abundance of food, a United Nations report says 815 million people, 11 percent of the world’s population, went hungry in 2016. Advances in technology and artificial intelligence can help feed them, but there are challenges that keep first world technologies from reaching the developing world. VOA’s Elizabeth …
your ad herePalestinian American Comedian Making Her Mark in Male Dominated Arena
Comedy is a field dominated by men, but that’s changing. Among the trendsetters is Suzie Afridi, a Palestinian-American stand-up comedian. Afridi says she’s probably not living the life her parents wanted for her when she was growing up in the West Bank. But she says how else would a feminist …
your ad hereAfghan Artist Uses Her Hands to Craft Jewelry and to Speak
From a refugee camp in Pakistan to an exhibit at the Smithsonian, Saeeda Etebari has had a remarkable journey, even more extraordinary because she is deaf in a region where there is less opportunity for people with disabilities and also a woman in a field dominated by men. Munaza Shaheed …
your ad hereCrash-Test Cockroaches Inspire Wall-Climbing Robot
The next generation of life-saving robots could be inspired by cockroaches. Faith Lapidus explains how. …
your ad hereFacebook Executives Contrite, But Transparency Still Lacking
Mark Zuckerberg has apologized for what he calls a “breach of trust” regarding the exploitation of as many as 87 million users’ data by Cambridge Analytica. Questions are swirling in Washington as the CEO of Facebook prepares to testify before Congress. But, whether the hearings will bring about real change …
your ad hereFreestyle Wrestling World Cup Opens In U.S. Without Russia, Iran
The 2018 World Cup of freestyle wrestling opened Saturday in the U.S. state of Iowa without Russia and Iran, two traditionally strong teams in the sport. Iran, the six-time defending champ, pulled out in March without citing a reason, although many tied it to the resignation of the Iranian federation …
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