Al Jaffee, Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and ageless wise guy who delighted millions of kids with the sneaky fun of the Fold-In and the snark of “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,” has died. He was 102. Jaffee died Monday in Manhattan from multiple organ failure, according to his granddaughter, Fani …
your ad hereNews Presenter Generated with AI Appears in Kuwait
A Kuwaiti media outlet has unveiled a virtual news presenter generated using artificial intelligence, with plans for it to read online bulletins. “Fedha” appeared on the Twitter account of the Kuwait News website Saturday as an image of a woman, her light-colored hair uncovered, wearing a black jacket and white …
your ad hereSenegal: Critically Endangered Dolphin Threatened by Illegal Fishing Nets
An international team of scientists is rushing to save West Africa’s Atlantic humpback dolphin, which environmental groups say has been pushed to the brink of extinction. In 1987, Senegal banned nylon monofilament fishing nets that threaten dolphins and other marine life, but critics say the government has failed to enforce …
your ad hereMuslim Businessmen Volunteer to Feed DC Homeless
The instruction to feed the hungry is a common philosophy among most major world religions. Muslims are no exception, especially while the observe the fasting month of Ramadan. VOA’s Irfan Ihsan reports. Alam Burhanan and Ronan Zakaria contributed. …
your ad hereIowa Won’t Pay for Rape Victims’ Abortions or Contraceptives
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has paused its practice of paying for emergency contraception — and in rare cases, abortions — for victims of sexual assault, a move that drew criticism from some victim advocates. Federal regulations and state law require Iowa to pay many of the expenses for sexual …
your ad hereWHO Warns Climate Change Causing Surge in Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Climate change, deforestation, and urbanization are some of the major risk factors behind the increasing number of outbreaks of viruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya around the world, warns a study by the World Health Organization. The study says the incidence of infections caused by these mosquito-borne illnesses, which …
your ad hereIn India, Revision of History in School Texts Stirs Controversy
A group of historians from India’s leading universities have slammed recent revisions to school textbooks that include removing or trimming references to Islamic rule in the subcontinent and to the anger among some Hindu extremists at independence leader Mahatma Gandhi’s pursuit of Hindu-Muslim unity. Education authorities have said the history, …
your ad hereShow Stopper: Singalong Fans Ejected, ‘Bodyguard’ Halted
A British performance of “The Bodyguard” musical ended in unrequited love for some audience members who couldn’t refrain from singing along to the anthemic finale. The show at the Palace Theatre in Manchester screeched to a halt Friday when two unruly patrons were ejected for joining the lead in singing …
your ad hereJon Rahm Rallies to Win the Masters
Jon Rahm turned the longest day into his sweetest victory, starting Sunday with a four-shot deficit in the morning chill and finishing in fading sunlight as the fourth Spaniard to become a Masters champion. Rahm closed with a 3-under 69 to pull away from mistake-prone Brooks Koepka. He won by …
your ad hereThird Whale in a Month Beaches Itself, Dies in Bali
A 17-meter-long said Sunday, making it the third whale that beached itself on the Indonesian island in just a little over a week. The male sperm whale was found stranded on Yeh Leh beach in west Bali’s Jembrana district Saturday afternoon. “We are currently trying to pull the carcass to …
your ad hereReports: Tesla Plans Shanghai Factory for Power Storage
Electric car maker Tesla Inc. plans to build a factory in Shanghai to produce power-storage devices for sale worldwide, state media reported Sunday. Plans call for annual production of 10,000 Megapack units, according to the Xinhua News Agency and state television. They said the company made the announcement at a …
your ad hereActivist Puts Spotlight on Potential Dangers of Skin-Whitening Products
Qamar Ali Haji has been using skin-lightening products for four years. Initially she liked the change in her appearance but now the exposure to the chemicals in the products is taking a toll. She says she regrets it. “I can’t sit too long in the school, I cannot bear the …
your ad hereMayor in Australia Ready to Sue over Alleged AI Chatbot Defamation
A mayor in Australia’s Victoria state said Friday he may sue the artificial intelligence writing tool ChatGPT after it falsely claimed he’d served time in prison for bribery. Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Brian Hood was incorrectly identified as the guilty party in a corruption case in the early 2000s. Brian …
your ad hereTelemedicine Still Going Strong as US COVID Fears Fade
During the coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine became a virtual phenomenon. As people remained in their homes during the pandemic, they began chatting with their doctors over the phone or video platforms on subjects such as chronic disease management, ongoing medical support, mental health issues and specialty care. To reach their patients, …
your ad hereSenegal Harvests Experimental Homegrown Wheat
With the whir of a mower under a clear blue sky, Senegalese researchers have begun harvesting a crop of experimental homegrown wheat, the latest step in a yearslong effort to reduce reliance on imports. The second-most consumed cereal after rice, wheat is an important staple in the bread-loving West African …
your ad hereUS States Consider Ban on Cosmetics With ‘Forever Chemicals’
A growing number of state legislatures are considering bans on cosmetics and other consumer products that contain a group of synthetic, potentially harmful chemicals known as PFAS. In Vermont, the state Senate gave final approval this week to legislation that would prohibit manufacturers and suppliers from selling or distributing any …
your ad hereYear From Now, Shadow From Total Solar Eclipse to Cut Across North America
Dust off your eclipse glasses: It’s only a year until a total solar eclipse sweeps across North America. On April 8, 2024, the moon will cast its shadow across a stretch of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plunging millions of people into midday darkness. It’s been less than six years …
your ad hereStudy Says Warming Likely to Push More Hurricanes Toward US Coasts
Changes in air patterns as the world warms will likely push more and nastier hurricanes up against the United States’ East and Gulf coasts, especially in Florida, a new study said. While other studies have projected how human-caused climate change will probably alter the frequency, strength and moisture of tropical …
your ad hereIndia Asks States to Ramp Up Testing as COVID Cases Climb
India’s federal government asked states to identify emergency hotspots and ramp up testing for COVID-19 after the country recorded its highest daily case count since September, a Reuters tally showed on Friday. There were 6,050 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the federal Health Ministry said on …
your ad hereZimbabwe’s Health Care Workers Condemn Plan to Criminalize Foreign Recruiters
Health care workers in Zimbabwe have condemned the government’s plan to criminalize their recruitment to work in other countries as part of efforts to reduce a medical brain drain. Zimbabwe’s vice president and health minister, Constantino Chiwenga, said the country will introduce a law to make it illegal for foreign nations to …
your ad hereSamsung Cutting Memory Chip Production as Profit Slides
Samsung Electronics said Friday it is cutting the production of its computer memory chips in an apparent effort to reduce inventory as it forecasted another quarter of sluggish profit. The South Korean technology giant, in a regulatory filing, said it has been reducing the production of certain memory products by …
your ad hereCOVID-19 Weighs Heavily on This Year’s World Health Day
Celebrations marking World Health Day are taking place in the shadow of the coronavirus that has sickened more than 762 million people around the world and killed more than 6.8 million. “For the past three years, [the World Health Organization] has coordinated the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the …
your ad here‘We Need to Know’: WHO Says China Has More on COVID Origin
The World Health Organization said Thursday that it was sure China had far more data that could shed light on the origins of COVID-19, demanding that Beijing immediately share all relevant information. “Without full access to the information that China has … all hypotheses are on the table,” WHO chief …
your ad hereArtemis Crew Looking Forward to Restarting NASA’s Moon Program
The last time humans were on the moon was in 1972. Now NASA is preparing to set foot back on the moon in 2025, if all goes as scheduled. VOA’s Alexander Kruglyakov spoke with the crew that will take part in the first of those missions: a planned flight around …
your ad hereFBI Targets Users in Crackdown on Darknet Marketplaces
Darknet users, beware: If you frequent criminal marketplaces in the internet’s underbelly, think again. Chances are you’re in the FBI’s crosshairs. The FBI is cracking down on sites that peddle everything from guns to stolen personal data, and it is not only going after the sites’ administrators but also their …
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