People hospitalized for flu should be tested for bird flu within 24 hours, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday, in an expansion of the agency’s efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans. The advisory is intended to prevent delays in identifying human cases of avian …
your ad hereDavid Lynch, filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive,’ dies at 78
LOS ANGELES — David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks,” has died just days before his 79th birthday. His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death …
your ad hereWHO appeals for $1.5 billion to tackle ‘unprecedented’ global health crisis
GENEVA — The World Health Organization appealed Thursday for $1.5 billion for emergency operations this year, warning that conflict, climate change, epidemics and displacement had converged to create an “unprecedented global health crisis.” The U.N. health agency estimated that health crises would leave 305 million people in need of urgent humanitarian …
your ad hereWho will drive Trump’s AI and crypto policies?
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he wants the United States to be the world leader in artificial intelligence and crypto currency. To that end, he has tapped a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor to be the AI and crypto czar. Michelle Quinn has the story. …
your ad hereBezos’ Blue Origin reaches orbit in first New Glenn launch, misses booster landing
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Blue Origin’s giant New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida early Thursday morning on its first mission to space, an inaugural step into Earth’s orbit for Jeff Bezos’ space company as it aims to rival SpaceX in the satellite launch business. Thirty stories tall with a reusable …
your ad hereBollywood star Saif Ali Khan out of danger after stabbing at Mumbai home
MUMBAI — Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed repeatedly by an intruder at his home in Mumbai on Thursday, but doctors treating him said he was out of danger after surgery. Khan, 54, was “on the path to complete recovery” after receiving stab wounds on his spine, neck and hand, …
your ad hereUS imposes export controls on biotech equipment over AI security concerns
On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it would implement new export controls on certain biotechnology equipment, citing national security concerns relating to artificial intelligence and data science. The Commerce Department warned that China could use the biotech equipment’s technology to bolster its military capabilities and help design new …
your ad hereUS ‘TikTok Refugees’ migrate to another Chinese app as ban looms
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — As TikTok’s Sunday deadline to divest or face a U.S. ban approaches, hundreds of thousands of American users of the popular social media video app say they are migrating to another Chinese social media app, Xiaohongshu, or RedNote. Dubbing themselves “TikTok Refugees,” some say they are making the …
your ad herePakistan welcomes World Bank’s $20 billion lending pledge
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that the World Bank has pledged to lend $20 billion over the next decade, commencing in 2026 under its Country Partnership Framework, to help address the impoverished country’s acute development challenges. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif applauded what he described as the lender’s “first-ever” pledge of …
your ad hereWHO says suspected outbreak of Marburg disease kills 8 in remote part of Tanzania
ARUSHA, Tanzania — The World Health Organization said Wednesday an outbreak of suspected Marburg disease has killed eight people in a remote part of northern Tanzania. “We are aware of 9 cases so far, including 8 people who have died,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “We would …
your ad hereUS, Japanese companies send landers on moon missions
Two moon landers built by private U.S. and Japanese companies are on their way to the moon after lifting off early Wednesday on a shared ride aboard a SpaceX rocket. The launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the latest in a public-private program that put a spacecraft …
your ad hereWhy did US exclude India from unrestricted access to AI chips?
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden signed on Tuesday an executive order to boost development of artificial intelligence infrastructure in America. A day earlier, his administration announced sweeping measures to block access to the most advanced semiconductors by China and other adversaries. But the U.S. left India, its strategic partner in …
your ad hereUS SEC sues Elon Musk over late disclosure of Twitter stake
Elon Musk was sued on Tuesday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused the world’s richest person of waiting too long to disclose in 2022 he had amassed a large stake in Twitter, the social media company he later bought. In a complaint filed in Washington, the SEC …
your ad hereUS finalizes rules banning Chinese, Russian smart cars
The White House says it has finalized rules that crack down on Chinese and Russian automobile technology effectively banning all personal smart cars from the two countries from entering the U.S. market. In a White House fact sheet detailing the decision, the Biden administration Tuesday said that while connected vehicles …
your ad hereTrump says he will create an ‘External Revenue Service’ agency to collect tariff income
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to create a new agency called the External Revenue Service to collect tariffs and other revenues from foreign nations. “We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying,” Trump said Tuesday on his …
your ad hereKenyan company turns glass waste into artisanal products
A Kenyan company is using the age-old art of glass blowing to recycle waste into sculptures, goblets, beads and more. Juma Majanga reports from Kajiado, Kenya. …
your ad hereDespite international concerns, doctors say China flu-like virus is no COVID-19
China says HMPV infections in the northern part of the country are declining. News of increased respiratory illnesses in China kindled international concerns about another potential pandemic. But, as VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, medical experts say HMPV is nothing like COVID-19. VOA Mandarin contributed to this report. …
your ad hereBiden issues executive order for building AI data centers on federal land
— U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Tuesday directing the development of artificial intelligence data centers on six federal land sites, with a special focus on powering them with clean energy and upholding high labor standards. Biden said in a statement that the United States is the world leader …
your ad hereUK’s antitrust regulator to investigate Google’s search services
LONDON — Britain’s antitrust regulator said on Tuesday it would investigate Google’s search services using its new powers to see how they impact consumers and businesses, including advertisers, news publishers and rival search engines. The Competition and Markets Authority, which has gained new powers to examine big tech, said search was …
your ad hereJeff Bezos’ space company tries to launch rocket after last-minute postponement
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Blue Origin will try again to launch its massive new rocket as early as Tuesday after calling off the debut launch because of ice buildup in critical plumbing. The 98-meter New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn Monday with a prototype satellite. But ice …
your ad hereLasers help archaeologists study ancient tattoos on Peruvian mummies
WASHINGTON — For more than 5,000 years, humans have adorned themselves with tattoos. In a new study, researchers used lasers to uncover highly intricate designs of ancient tattoos on mummies from Peru. The preserved skin of the mummies and the black tattoo ink used show a stark contrast — revealing fine …
your ad hereElon Musk says third patient got Neuralink brain implant
Elon Musk said a third person has received an implant from his brain-computer interface company Neuralink, one of many groups working to connect the nervous system to machines. “We’ve got … three humans with Neuralinks and all are working well,” he said during a recent wide-ranging interview at a Las …
your ad hereChina’s EV sales surge in 2024; foreign automakers struggle in shifting market
A new industry report released Monday shows China made big strides last year toward an EV-driven future, as domestic sales of all types of electric vehicles rose by 40% in 2024. Sales of gasoline powered cars tumbled, including foreign imports. In 2024, a total of 31.4 million total vehicles were …
your ad hereUS designates extreme right-wing ‘Terrorgram’ network as terrorist group
WASHINGTON — The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on an extreme right-wing online network, designating the “Terrorgram” collective a terrorist group and accusing it of promoting violent white supremacy. The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it had designated the group, which primarily operates on the Telegram social media …
your ad hereWho is Trump’s pick to go after ‘Big Tech’?
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Trade Commission has vowed to continue the agency’s drive to break up Big Tech monopolies while adding a new focus: free speech. VOA’s Matt Dibble has the story. …
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