Facebook toughened its livestreaming policies Wednesday as it prepared to huddle with world leaders and other tech CEOs in Paris to find ways to keep social media from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast terror attacks. Facebook’s move came hours before its executives would face the …
your ad hereAlabama Law Bans Nearly All Abortions
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law Wednesday a near-total ban on abortions in her state. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,” the …
your ad hereTrade War Sowing Seeds of Doubt With US Farmers
The typical routines of life on a family farm carry a heavier burden these days for Pam Johnson. “First thing I do is make a pot of coffee,” she told VOA in an interview in one of the cavernous sheds that contain her green and yellow John Deere farming equipment. …
your ad hereSan Francisco Bans Police Use of Face Recognition Technology
San Francisco supervisors voted Tuesday to ban the use of facial recognition software by police and other city departments, becoming the first U.S. city to outlaw a rapidly developing technology that has alarmed privacy and civil liberties advocates. The ban is part of broader legislation that requires city departments to …
your ad hereTrade War Sowing Seeds of Doubt in US Farmers
The ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China is having an impact on most farmers across the country. Their corn and soybean crops are subject to tariffs and increasing competition from other suppliers. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, U.S. farmers aren’t just concerned about their bottom lines this …
your ad hereExplorer Dives to Deepest Depths, Takes Time to Take it in
Taking the hours-long journey to what is believed to be the deepest point mankind has visited in any ocean was a complicated one, and for Victor Vescovo, it meant being constantly alert as he monitored his state-of-the-art vessel. But when he reached 10,928 meters into the Challenger Deep in the …
your ad hereStocks Rise, Claw Back Chunk of Monday’s Trade-War Plunge
Stocks climbed on Tuesday and clawed back a chunk of their losses from Monday’s rout, the latest whipsaw move as investors weigh just how badly the escalating U.S.-China trade war will hurt the economy. The day’s rally was nearly a mirror image of Monday’s plunge, when the S&P 500 had …
your ad hereCreating New Batteries from Dead Ones
Researchers at Rice University have discovered an eco-friendly way to recycle lithium-ion batteries, the kind that power nearly every electronic device today. Their findings could keep more batteries out of landfills and even create new batteries from dead ones. Tina Trinh reports. …
your ad hereThe ISS Gets A New Generation of Astronaut Helpers
Even though you hear a lot about human beings moving into space permanently, there are really only three humans in space at any give time. They are on the International Space Station and they are very, very busy. But they just got some robotic help from NASA. VOA’s Kevin Enochs …
your ad hereActor Tim Conway of ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ Dies at 85
Emmy-winning actor Tim Conway, who brought an endearing, free-wheeling goofiness to skits on “The Carol Burnett Show” that cracked up his cast mates as well as the audience, died Tuesday at the age of 85, his publicist said. Publicist Howard Bragman said Conway died in the Los Angeles area on …
your ad hereFormer Manager Charged with Abuse of Marvel’s Stan Lee
A former business manager of Stan Lee has been charged in California with five counts of elder abuse involving the late Marvel Comics mastermind. A request for a restraining order filed last year by Lee’s daughter alleged Keya Morgan was manipulating the mentally declining Lee, preventing him from seeing family …
your ad hereUber Drivers Are Contractors, Not Employees, US Labor Agency Says
A U.S. labor agency has concluded that ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc’s drivers are independent contractors and not its employees, which could prevent them from joining unions. The National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel, in a memo released on Tuesday, said Uber drivers set their hours, own their cars and …
your ad hereNew Woody Allen Movie to Open in France in September
Woody Allen’s latest film, which has been put on ice in the U.S. over decades-old sex abuse allegations against the director, will be released in France this year, a distributor said Tuesday. “A Rainy Day in New York” starring Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez and Jude Law will hit …
your ad hereWall Street Rebounds as US-China Trade Rhetoric Cools
Technology stocks led the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq higher on Tuesday, with U.S. stocks reclaiming ground lost to Monday’s steep sell-off as investors took heart from a tonal shift in ongoing U.S. trade negotiations with China. All three major U.S. indexes were in the black, recovering some ground from …
your ad hereMichigan Legislature to Vote to Ban Abortion Procedure
Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature planned to vote Tuesday to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure, pushing ahead with legislation that would likely be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The bills would prohibit physicians from performing a “dismemberment abortion,” the non-medical term for dilation and evacuation used by anti-abortion advocates, …
your ad hereGoogle Opens German Center to Improve Data Privacy
Google opened a privacy focused engineering center in Munich, Germany, on Tuesday, its latest move to beef up its data protection credentials as tech companies’ face growing scrutiny of their data collection practices. CEO Sundar Pichai said the Silicon Valley tech giant is expanding its operations in the southern German …
your ad hereWhatsApp to Refer Security Breach to US Authorities
Facebook’s WhatsApp said on Tuesday a security breach on its messaging app had signs of coming from a private company working on surveillance and it had referred the incident to the U.S. Department of Justice. WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging tools, is used by 1.5 billion people monthly …
your ad hereEco-Conscious Artists Highlight of Prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show
More than one million plant and animal species are likely to become extinct due to human activity, according to a new report by the United Nations. That threat to Mother Earth and other climate change concerns inspired folks at Washington’s recent Smithsonian Craft Show — one of the most prestigious …
your ad hereTrump Seeks Extra $1.6 Billion in NASA Spending Under Goal of Returning to Moon
The Trump administration asked Congress on Monday to increase NASA spending next year by an extra $1.6 billion to accommodate the accelerated goal of returning Americans to the surface of the moon by 2024. The increased funding request, announced by President Donald Trump on Twitter, comes nearly two months after …
your ad hereUS Supreme Court Approves Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that an antitrust lawsuit against Apple can proceed. Consumers are suing the company, alleging Apple overcharges when downloading iPhone applications at the company’s App Store. Conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh joined with the four liberal judges in the 5-4 decision, agreeing with the plaintiffs that …
your ad hereTrash Found Littering Ocean Floor in Deepest-Ever Sub Dive
On the deepest dive ever made by a human inside a submarine, a Texas investor and explorer found something he could have found in the gutter of nearly any street in the world: trash. Victor Vescovo, a retired naval officer, said he made the unsettling discovery as he descended nearly …
your ad hereWithout Heart Disease, Daily Aspirin May Be Too Risky
For people without heart disease, taking a daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes may increase the risk of severe brain bleeding to the point where it outweighs any potential benefit, a research review suggests. U.S. doctors have long advised adults who haven’t had a heart attack or stroke …
your ad hereTrump Says US Tariffs on Chinese Goods ‘Fill US Coffers’
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said U.S. tariffs on China bring billions of dollars into U.S. coffers. He said China’s retaliatory tariffs can have no effect on the U.S. economy. The escalation of the U.S.-China trade war sent stock markets tumbling on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average …
your ad hereEco-Conscious Artists Highlights of Prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show
More than one million plant and animal species are likely to become extinct due to human activity, according to a new report by the United Nations. That threat to Mother Earth has inspired one of the most prestigious craft shows in America to highlight — and reward — artists who …
your ad hereDeepening US-Chinese Trade War Sparks Unease on Capitol Hill
As Washington and Beijing impose ever-higher tariffs, prompting financial markets to falter, U.S. lawmakers are expressing hope for a swift but comprehensive resolution of America’s deepening trade disputes with China. Unease prevailed on Capitol Hill after China retaliated against a new round of American tariffs by hiking duties on U.S.-made …
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