The International Olympic Committee has slowed its support for recognizing electronic gaming as a sport. After an Olympic leaders’ meeting on Saturday, the IOC said “discussion about the inclusion of esports/egames as a medal event on the Olympic program is premature.” Enthusiasm has seemed to dim since the IOC hosted …
your ad hereUS, Western Diplomats See Political Motive Behind OPEC Oil Cut
Despite repeated calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for oil production to remain steady, the Saudi-led Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, along with Russia and its allies, announced Friday they would cut their pumping of crude to reduce oil flows onto the global market by 1.2 million barrels of …
your ad hereSpace Station Astronauts Get Holiday Treats Delivered After Delay
A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship finally delivered more than 2,500 kilograms of holiday treats Saturday to the International Space Station after a communications drop-out delayed the shipment. After two approach attempts, the Dragon locked onto the orbiting lab three days after launching from Cape Canaveral in the southeastern U.S. state …
your ad hereIMF Approves $3.7 Billion Loan for Oil-rich Angola
The International Monetary Fund says it has approved a three-year loan of about $3.7 billion for Angola, which seeks to diversify its economy and curb corruption after a new president took office last year. The IMF said Friday that the loan aims to help the southern African country restructure state-owned …
your ad hereAustralia Passes World’s First Encryption-Busting Law
Security agencies will gain greater access to encrypted messages under new laws in Australia. The legislation will force technology companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google to disable encryption protections to allow investigators to track the communications of terrorists and other criminals. It is, however, a controversial measure. Australian law …
your ad hereChina Exports, Imports Weaken Ahead of US Talks
China’s export growth slowed in November as global demand weakened, adding to pressure on Beijing ahead of trade talks with Washington. Exports rose 5.4 percent from a year ago to $227.4 billion, a marked decline from the previous month’s 12.6 percent increase, customs data showed Saturday. Imports rose 3 percent …
your ad hereUS Agency Seeks to Curb E-Cigarette ‘Epidemic’ Among Teens
U.S. health officials are concerned about the increasing number of American teenagers smoking electronic cigarettes, a practice commonly known as vaping. So many teenagers are taking up the habit that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is worried that it’s become an epidemic. Nina Vishneva reports from New York in …
your ad hereRome Opera Hires Gatti, Who Lost Job Over #metoo Allegations
Rome’s opera house on Friday defended hiring conductor Daniele Gatti, who was fired by an Amsterdam-based orchestra last summer over sexual misconduct allegations. Teatro dell’Opera di Roma spokesman Renato Bossa said that the theater signed Gatti this week to a contract running through December 2021 as musical director because, in …
your ad hereChina Launches Pioneering Mission to Far Side of Moon
China launched a groundbreaking mission Saturday to land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and the U.S. A Long March 3B rocket carrying a lunar probe blasted off at 2:23 …
your ad hereStocks Drop 4 Percent in Rocky Week on Trade, Growth Worries
Wall Street capped a turbulent week of trading Friday with the biggest weekly loss since March as traders fret over rising trade tensions between Washington and Beijing and signals of slower economic growth. The latest wave of selling erased more than 550 points from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, bringing …
your ad hereNew NASA Lander Captures 1st Sounds of Martian Wind
NASA’s new Mars lander has captured the first sounds of the “really unworldly” Martian wind. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory released audio clips of the alien wind Friday. The low-frequency rumblings were collected by the InSight lander during its first week of operations at Mars. The wind is estimated to be …
your ad hereTop Democrat: Moscow Has Closed Cyber Gap With US
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee warns the United States is being outgunned in cyberspace, already having lost its competitive advantage to Russia while China is rapidly closing in. “When it comes to cyber, misinformation and disinformation, Russia is already our peer and in the areas of misinformation …
your ad hereAustralia Anti-Encryption Law Rushed to Passage
A newly enacted law rushed through Australia’s parliament will compel technology companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google to disable encryption protections so police can better pursue terrorists and other criminals. Cybersecurity experts say the law, the first of its kind globally, will instead be a boon to the …
your ad hereMajor Oil-producing Countries Agree to Cut Output
Oil prices climbed sharply Friday after OPEC and other producers led by Russia agreed to cut output to reduce global inventories of crude oil. OPEC countries and the Russian-led coalition agreed to collectively slash oil production by 1.2 million barrels a day, said OPEC president Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, more than the …
your ad hereDrake, Lamar Lead but Women Shine Through in Grammy Nods
Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake led Grammy Award nominations on Friday, but Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile and American newcomer H.E.R helped make it a female-dominated line-up for the year’s top prizes in the music industry. Ten-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello were among …
your ad hereUS Locks in Duties on Chinese Aluminum Sheet Imports
The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Friday it made a final determination that American producers were being harmed by imports of common alloy aluminum sheet products from China, a finding that locks in duties on the products. The ITC determination means that duties ranging from 96.3 percent to 176.2 …
your ad hereTechnology Companies Lead Slide in US Markets; Oil Rising
U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday, erasing an early gain, as the market closed in on its third weekly decline in four weeks. Losses in technology and health care stocks outweighed gains elsewhere in the market. Energy companies led the gainers as crude oil prices rose on news that OPEC members …
your ad hereWhat? Me, Cheat?
Gorillas at a zoo in England have demonstrated a distinctly human trait while attempting to solve a puzzle: cheating. …
your ad hereWHO: Traffic Crashes Are Leading Killer of Children
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent action to put a brake on road traffic crashes that kill 1.35 million people every year, mostly in poor developing countries. In Geneva, the U.N. agency launched its global status report on road safety 2018. The report found road traffic injuries …
your ad hereUS Hiring Slowed to 155K Jobs, Jobless Rate Unchanged
U.S. employers added just 155,000 jobs in November, a slowdown from recent months but enough to suggest that the economy is expanding at a solid pace despite sharp gyrations in the stock market. The Labor Department said Friday the unemployment rate remained 3.7 percent, nearly a five-decade low, for the …
your ad hereComedian Steps Down as Oscars Host After Outcry Over Tweets
Just two days after been named host of the Academy Awards, Kevin Hart has stepped down following an outcry over past homophobic tweets by the comedian. Capping a swift fallout, Hart wrote on Twitter just after midnight Friday that he was withdrawing as Oscars host because he didn’t want to …
your ad hereResponding to Homophobic Tweets, Kevin Hart Draws More Ire
Kevin Hart’s response to criticism over earlier homophobic tweets on Thursday further inflamed a backlash to the comedian two days after he was named host of the upcoming Academy Awards. On Thursday, Hart wrote on Instagram that critics should “stop being negative” after years-old tweets surfaced in which he used …
your ad hereSplits Deepen as UN Climate Talks Near Crunch Time
Divisions deepened at the U.N. climate talks Thursday, pitting rich nations against poor ones, oil exporters against vulnerable island nations, and those governments prepared to act on global warming against those who want to wait and see. The stakes were raised by a scientific report that warned achieving the most …
your ad hereEPA Proposes Rollback on Coal Emissions Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rolling back a regulation for coal plants that would allow new plants a lower standard on carbon emissions. The EPA made the announcement Thursday regarding the Obama-era ruling requiring new coal plants to produce no more than 1,400 pounds of carbon per megawatt-hour. …
your ad hereCars MIght Soon Start Monitoring Drivers’ Vitals
Many car companies are looking at adding sensors to monitor your vital signs while you drive. The University of Southern California’s Center for Body Computing, which is focused on digital health and innovation, brings together experts to look at the benefits and dangers of this next step in automotive design …
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