YouTube said Thursday it will disable user comments on a broad array of videos featuring children to thwart “predatory behavior” after revelations about a glitch exploited for sharing of child pornography. The Google-owned video sharing service announced further steps to crack down on inappropriate comments a week after an investigation …
your ad hereMusical Virtuoso Previn Dies at 89
Musical virtuoso Andre Previn, who mastered almost every type of genre, died Thursday at 89. His manager gave no cause of death in making her announcement. The Berlin-born Previn was a child prodigy, but his family fled Hitler’s Germany when he was 9 years old. They eventually …
your ad hereUS Craft Marketplace Makes Plans to Go Green by Offsetting Emissions
Online crafts retailer Etsy Inc will go green by offsetting planet-warming carbon emissions from its shipping activities, the U.S. company said Wednesday, joining a host of companies making public moves to battle climate change. Etsy will buy clean energy certificates supporting tree conservation in the United States, wind and solar …
your ad hereLady Gaga: Bradley Cooper Duet Was Acting, Not Love
It was acting, not love, when Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper sang a duet Sunday at the 91st Academy Awards. Gaga discussed the emotional performance of “Shallow” from their film “A Star Is Born” during an appearance Wednesday on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live .” The duet led online posters …
your ad hereWTO Rules China Over-Subsidized Farmers
The United States won a World Trade Organization ruling Thursday that China subsidized its wheat and rice producers too much in recent years. The WTO in Geneva agreed with the U.S. position that Beijing paid its farmers excessive amounts for growing wheat, Indica rice and Japonica rice from 2012 to …
your ad hereSwiss Study Shows Language Learning During Sleep
A new study suggests you can learn language while you sleep. Researchers from Switzerland’s University of Bern say they discovered people were able to learn new language words during deep levels of sleep. Results of the study that recently appeared in the publication Current Biology and other studies suggest the …
your ad hereThai Lawmakers Approve Controversial Cybersecurity Act
Thailand’s legislature has passed a cybersecurity bill that would allow authorities access to people’s personal information without a court order. The Cybersecurity Act addresses computer hacking crimes, but activists fear it will allow the government sweeping access to people’s personal information. The National Legislative Assembly, which passed the bill in …
your ad hereIce Castles Turn US Farmland Into Winter Wonderland
On a clear, frigid night in a courtyard made of walls of ice, Bruce McCafferty and his young son stand mesmerized, bathed in the pulsating rainbow light emanating from a series of stout ice formations. McCafferty and his son Dougie have come out to Ice Castles in North Woodstock, New …
your ad herePopular Fur-Trimmed Parkas a Boon for Trappers, Not for Coyotes
Those fur-trimmed parkas so common on city sidewalks have become a boon to backwoods trappers. Coyote fur pelts are in big demand to provide the lush, silvery or tawny-tinged arcs of fur on the hoods on Canada Goose coats and their many global imitators. A good western coyote, prized for …
your ad hereSculptures Add to the Attraction of Outdoor Ice Rink
Water turns to ice when it gets cold enough, and that physical state change turns a splashing summertime fountain in front of one of Washington’s museums into a smooth surface for skaters. Valdya Baraputri takes us to the Sculpture Garden Ice Rink. …
your ad hereUS-China Trade Talks ‘Not Close’
The top U.S. trade official said Wednesday that a new trade agreement with China is not yet close to being completed. State Department correspondent Nike Ching reports from Washington on the latest in the talks and how U.S. concerns over high-tech issues remain a key point of friction. VOA Mandarin …
your ad hereHow ‘Completely Avoidable’ Measles Cases Continue to Climb
The U.S. has counted more measles cases in the first two months of this year than in all of 2017, and part of the rising threat is misinformation that makes some parents balk at a crucial vaccine, federal health officials told Congress Wednesday. Yet the vaccine is hugely effective and …
your ad hereCongo Ebola Center Set on Fire After Armed Attack
Armed assailants attacked an Ebola treatment center in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, setting off a fire and becoming embroiled in an extended gun battle with security forces, health officials said. The identity and motive of the assailants were unclear. Aid workers have faced mistrust in some areas …
your ad hereWalmart Is Eliminating Greeters, Worrying Disabled Workers
As Walmart moves to phase out its familiar blue-vested “greeters” at 1,000 stores nationwide, disabled workers who fill many of those jobs say they’re being ill-treated by a chain that styles itself as community-minded and inclusive. Walmart told greeters around the country last week that their positions would be eliminated …
your ad hereWorld Bank: Women Have Just 75 Percent of Men’s Legal Rights
Women around the world are granted only three-quarters of the legal rights enjoyed by men, often preventing them from getting jobs or opening businesses, the World Bank said in study published Wednesday. “If women have equal opportunities to reach their full potential, the world would not only be fairer, it …
your ad hereOn World Polar Bear Day Climatologists Sound the Alarm
Wednesday marked World Polar Bear Day – an annual opportunity for conservationists to shed light on the status of the largest and most carnivorous member of the bear family. As VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports, climate change is threatening polar bear habitat and the very future of the species in the …
your ad hereTikTok Fined in US for Illegally Gathering Children’s Data
The fast-growing, Chinese-owned video sharing network TikTok agreed to pay a $5.7 million fine to U.S. authorities to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children, officials said Wednesday. The Federal Trade Commission said the penalty for the social network, which had been known as Musical.ly, was the largest …
your ad hereFed to Stop Shrinking Portfolio This Year, Powell Says
The Federal Reserve will stop shrinking its $4 trillion balance sheet later this year, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday, ending a process that investors say works at cross-purposes with the Fed’s current pause on interest rate hikes. “We’ve worked out, I think, the framework of a plan that we hope to be able to …
your ad hereMeet Elon Tusk: Tesla Chief Changes Twitter Display Name
Silicon Valley billionaire Elon Musk changed his Twitter display name to “Elon Tusk” in another late-night flurry of tweets on Wednesday, which also promised news from his electric carmaker Tesla Inc later this week. In a series of tweets to his 25 million followers following charges from the U.S. Securities …
your ad hereMalawi Vaccinates Young Girls Against Cervical Cancer
Malawi officials say the country has the world’s highest rate of cervical cancer, but only two oncologists serving the nation of 17 million people. In an effort to reduce cervical cancer deaths, the government has rolled out a massive vaccine campaign against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which can cause cervical …
your ad hereMichael Jackson Brothers Say Accusers’ Film Neglects Facts
The family of Michael Jackson had a feeling the years-old child molestation allegations against the pop superstar would resurface at some point. So they say they weren’t entirely surprised to learn that a forthcoming HBO documentary would feature two of his accusers. “I thought, ‘Oh here we go again,’” Jackson’s …
your ad hereBoeing Unveils Unmanned Combat Jet Developed in Australia
Boeing on Wednesday unveiled an unmanned, fighter-like jet developed in Australia and designed to fly alongside crewed aircraft in combat for a fraction of the cost. The U.S. manufacturer hopes to sell the multi-role aircraft, which is 38 feet long (11.6 meters) and has a 2,000 nautical mile (3,704-kilometer) range, …
your ad hereBrazil’s Senate Confirms Campos Neto as Central Bank Chief
Brazil’s Senate confirmed Roberto Campos Neto as central bank governor on Tuesday, after he stressed that controlling inflation and reining in public spending were critical to supporting economic growth. Much work must still be done to secure Brazil’s economic recovery, Campos Neto told the Senate’s economic committee at his confirmation …
your ad hereParkinson’s Drug Trial Offers Glimmer of Hope for Brain Cells
An experimental drug could offer hope for restoring damaged brain cells in Parkinson’s patients, scientists said on Wednesday, although they cautioned that a clinical trial was not able to prove the treatment slowed or halted the neurodegenerative disease. The trial involved delivery of a protein therapy directly into the brains …
your ad hereDining Out? This App Will Help You Find a Quiet Restaurant
When it comes to dining out, the noisiness of a restaurant can ruin an otherwise good meal. But a crowdsourcing app is helping diners choose where to eat based on noise levels. Tina Trinh reports. …
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