The Trump administration on Thursday proposed greatly narrowing the use of one of the country″s landmark environmental laws, calling for changes that could allow projects ranging from oil pipelines to mines to move forward with far less federal review of their impact on the environment.President Donald Trump was set to …
your ad hereFacebook Again Refuses to Ban Political Ads, Even False Ones
Despite escalating pressure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Facebook reaffirmed its freewheeling policy on political ads Thursday, saying it won’t ban them, won’t fact-check them and won’t limit how they can be targeted to specific groups of people.Instead, Facebook said it will offer users slightly more control over how …
your ad hereChina Blames Pneumonia Outbreak on Newly Discovered Virus
Health officials in China say an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan has been caused by a new strain of the virus that led to the deadly SARS outbreak over a decade ago.State-run Xinhua news agency says a team of scientists identified the new type of coronavirus …
your ad hereChinese Report: New Coronavirus May be Cause of Illnesses
A preliminary investigation into viral pneumonia illnesses sickening dozens of people in and around China has identified the possible cause as a new type of coronavirus, state media said Thursday.Chinese health authorities did not immediately confirm the report from state broadcaster CCTV.Coronaviruses are spread through coughing or sneezing or by …
your ad hereLizzo, Billie Eilish, Aerosmith to Perform at Grammy Awards
Billie Eilish and Lizzo, both nominated for the top four prizes at the Grammy Awards, are slated to perform at the live show later this month.The Recording Academy announced Wednesday that couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton will hit the stage together at the Jan. 26, 2020 event, airing live …
your ad hereScientist Hikes Off-the-grid to Keep Tabs on Active Volcano in Ecuador
Volcanoes can be among earth’s deadliest natural phenomena, challenging researchers tasked with monitoring surface pressure and other conditions to, ultimately, save lives. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports on one scientist who hikes off-the-grid to keep tabs on an active volcano in Ecuador. …
your ad hereHollywood-Backed Quibi Thinks You’ll Pay for its Video Bites
A startup heavily backed by Hollywood is wagering that you’re ready to set aside YouTube and TikTok to watch star-studded short videos on your phone — for a price.The company behind this billion-dollar bet is Quibi, which is preparing to offer movies, shows and other short-form video designed for viewing …
your ad hereBritain’s Prince Harry, Meghan to Step Back as ‘Senior’ Royals
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will step back as senior members of the royal family and spend more time in North America, the couple said in a historic statement Wednesday.”We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while …
your ad hereCalifornia Could Mandate Backup Power at Cell Phone Towers
When the nation’s largest electric utility preemptively shut off power last fall to prevent wildfires in California, customers lost more than just their lights — some lost their phones, too.Data from the Federal Communications Commission shows 874 cellphone towers were offline during an Oct. 27 power shutoff that affected millions of …
your ad hereCardi B’s Pledge to Seek Nigerian Citizenship Sparks Rivalry
Cardi B’s announcement that she wants to seek Nigerian citizenship has set off a Twitter feud between her West African fans in friendly rivals Nigeria and Ghana.The Grammy-winning rapper visited both countries last month on her African tour.Her announcement in a tweet on Friday criticized the U.S. airstrike in Iraq …
your ad hereVirgin Galactic’s Next Spaceship Reaches Milestone
Virgin Galactic’s next passenger spaceship has reached a major construction milestone, the company said Wednesday.All major structural elements have been assembled and the rocket plane is standing on its own landing gear at Mojave Air & Space Port in California, Virgin Galactic said in a statement.Photos of the “Weight on …
your ad hereAustralians Should Brace for Protracted Summer of Catastrophic Fires
The World Meteorological Organization warns Australians should brace for a protracted summer of catastrophic bush fires, blaming climate change for record-breaking heat waves and persistent drought.Australia’s summer fire season usually begins in late January or early February, but got off to an early and catastrophic start in September 2019 in …
your ad hereBanned Sudanese Musicians Celebrate New Year & New Sudan
Sudanese musicians who were banned by ousted president Omar al-Bashir’s government have returned to the country to play at a series of New Year concerts — in a move seen as symbolic of the changes that have taken place in the country. The Sudanese artists, some of whom were living in …
your ad hereCES Presents Wearable Tech That Can Help Prevent and Predict Health Problems
Wearable devices no longer just count steps. From startups to long established brands, companies are now developing wearables that can help improve one’s health, and prevent and predict problems before they occur.Technology in wearable devices is a growing category at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.Training the …
your ad hereWearable Tech Aims to Prevent and Predict Health Problems
Wearable devices no longer just count your steps, companies have now developed wearables that can do much, much more. …
your ad hereSpace-Baked Cookies, ‘Mighty’ Mice Back on Earth via SpaceX
The first batch of space-baked cookies is back on Earth, along with muscle-bound “mighty” mice and other space station experiments.SpaceX provided the ride home Tuesday, a month after its Dragon capsule arrived at the International Space Station. The capsule parachuted into the Pacific, returning 3,800 pounds of gear.Researchers want to …
your ad hereInvitation to Ivanka Trump Draws Backlash at Big Tech Show
The nation’s largest consumer electronics show on Tuesday hosts Ivanka Trump as a keynote speaker — a choice that drew scorn from many women in technology.The annual CES tech gathering in Las Vegas has long taken criticism over diversity issues. In recent years, the show’s organizer, the Consumer Technology Association, …
your ad hereA New Phone Just for Kids: No Internet Access, No App Store
A new cellular network just for kids? The company behind it, Gabb Wireless, promises their phones help protect kids from the dangers of smartphones. Deana Mitchell dials in. …
your ad hereFacebook Bans Deepfakes in Fight Against Online Manipulation
Facebook says it is banning “deepfake” videos, the false but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools, as it steps up efforts to fight online manipulation.The social network said late Monday that it’s beefing up its policies to remove videos edited or synthesized in ways that aren’t apparent …
your ad hereMalaysia’s Rise, From Buckets and Hanging Toilets, to Universal Sanitation
What can Malaysia teach Southeast Asia about water resources? A new study shows that Malaysia has been able to spread access to toilets and safe sanitation to nearly 100% of the partial island nation. After some trial and error, its experience offers some lessons for others around the world, particularly …
your ad hereHong Kong Will add Mystery Illness to Reportable Diseases
Hong Kong’s health chief said Tuesday that a respiratory illness whose cause remains unknown will be added to an official list of diseases that medical practitioners are required to report to the government.The disease — an unidentified form of viral pneumonia — has sent 59 people to the hospital in …
your ad hereSex Tech From Female-Led Startups at CES Gadget Show
Sex tech will grace the CES gadget show in Las Vegas this week after organizers endured scorn for revoking an innovation award to a sex device company led by a female founder. CES will allow space for sex tech companies as a one-year trial. The companies will be …
your ad here‘Joker’ Tops Nominations for British Academy Film Awards
The film “Joker” has topped the nominations for the British Academy film awards announced Tuesday. The movie about the origins of the comic book villain received 11 BAFTA nominations including best film, best actor for Joaquin Phoenix, and best director. Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic “The Irishman” …
your ad hereWeinstein Jury Selection to Start in NY; New Charges in LA
Potential jurors in Harvey Weinstein’s New York sexual assault trial are expected to fill a courtroom Tuesday as the former movie titan’s legal problems deepen with new charges in Los Angeles.In New York, jury selection is set to start Tuesday and could take weeks as prosecutors, Weinstein’s lawyers and the …
your ad hereMore Than Third of US Healthcare Costs Go to Bureaucracy
U.S. insurers and providers spent more than $800 billion in 2017 on administration, or nearly $2,500 per person — more than four times the per-capita administrative costs in Canada’s single-payer system, a new study finds.Over one third of all healthcare costs in the U.S. were due to insurance company overhead …
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