Social networking platform Twitter announced Wednesday it will be removing accounts it had deemed suspicious from user’s follower counts, as part of a recent push to promote accuracy on the website. This could reduce the number of “followers” of some of the website’s most popular users, including politicians and celebrities. The website had locked accounts…
read moreA partisan divide over U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh deepened Wednesday, with Republican senators extolling his judicial record while Democrats demanded time to thoroughly vet his writings and opinions on matters ranging from environmental regulation to executive authority. “Judge Kavanaugh is the real deal,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said one day…
read moreThe U.S. is on pace to leapfrog both Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world’s biggest oil producer. The latest data released by the Energy Information Administration shows U.S. output growing again next year to 11.8 million barrels a day. Linda Capuano, who heads the agency, says that would make the U.S. the…
read moreNigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday the country will soon sign up to a $3 trillion African free trade zone. Nigeria is one of Africa’s two largest economies, the other being South Africa. Buhari’s government had refused to join a continental free-trade zone established in March, on the grounds that it wishes to defend…
read moreFacebook will be facing its first fine in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the social media platform allowed the data mining firm to access the private information of millions of users without their consent or knowledge. A British government investigative office, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), fined Facebook 500,000 pounds, or…
read moreChina expressed shock Wednesday at the Trump administration’s decision to prepare 10-percent tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese imports covering thousands of products, the latest move in an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies. China’s commerce ministry called the decision totally unacceptable and vowed to respond. The proposed new U.S. tariffs…
read morePresident Donald Trump has nominated career diplomat David Hale to be the next under secretary of state for political affairs. Hale has been serving as U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan since 2015. Before that he was the ambassador to Lebanon and Jordan. He has also served in Tunisia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Nations. In…
read moreA federal court has charged a former Apple engineer with stealing trade secrets related to a self-driving car and attempting to flee to China. Agents in San Jose, California, arrested Xiaolang Zhang on Saturday, moments before he was to board his flight. Zhang is said to have taken paternity leave in April, traveling to China…
read moreBattle lines began to form Tuesday in Washington for the upcoming Senate confirmation fight over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Republicans have embraced Kavanaugh as a nominee who could shift the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction for a generation. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.…
read moreGrabbing a bicycle from a docking station and riding the streets of Paris used to be one of the city’s many charms, but the once-loved Velib system has fallen into disarray and some new dockless bike-share programs are struggling to survive. After it launched in 2007, Velib quickly became a hit, signing up more than…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee may not have to wait too long for controversial cases if he is confirmed to the job, with disputes involving abortion, immigration, gay rights, voting rights and transgender troops possibly heading toward the justices soon. Republicans are hoping Brett Kavanaugh, the conservative U.S. appeals court judge selected on Monday…
read moreThe United States has decided to impose tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China after efforts to negotiate a solution to a trade dispute failed to reach an agreement, senior administration officials said Tuesday. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the United States would impose tariffs of 10 percent on the additional Chinese…
read moreIn an ideal world, Alex Fearnside would cycle home from work, park his bike in the basement of his apartment complex in Melbourne city center, then jog upstairs through a beautiful courtyard to his flat, stopping only for a quick chat with other residents in the shared dining area. Later, Fearnside and his wife would…
read morePoverty, gender discrimination and digital illiteracy are leaving women behind as the global workforce increasingly uses digital tools and other technologies, experts warned Tuesday. The so-called “digital divide” has traditionally referred to the gap between those who have access to computers and the internet, and those with limited or no access. But technology experts say…
read moreThe Trump administration is advancing a proposal for electric utilities that would supplant President Barack Obama’s principal attempt to curtail U.S. contributions to global warming, with a new rule that’s expected to go easier on the coal industry. The Environmental Protection Agency disclosed Tuesday that it sent the new rule the White House for review.…
read moreA Senate panel voted Tuesday to approve President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead Veterans Affairs, a department beset by political infighting and turmoil over providing health care. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee agreed on voice vote to back Robert Wilkie, currently serving as a Pentagon undersecretary. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont cast a “no”…
read moreAfter hoax messages on WhatsApp fueled deadly mob violence in India, the Facebook-owned messaging platform published full-page advertisements in prominent English and Hindi language newspapers advising users on how to spot misinformation. The advertisements are the first measure taken by the social media company to raise awareness about fake messages, following a warning by the…
read moreSenior citizens – adults 65 and older – will outnumber children in the United States for the first time by 2035, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.As their number increases, the demand for elder care is also growing. For the past 12 years, SenCura has been providing non-medical in-home care for this segment of the…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s nomination of federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court is being met with predictable reaction from both Republicans and Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement immediately after President Trump’s Monday night televised announcement praising Kavanaugh as “an impressive” nominee who is “extremely well qualified” to…
read moreIn this age of the smart machine, robots are increasingly playing roles in different fields, from construction and hospitality to the military and art. When it comes to caregiving for the elderly, which depends mainly on human interaction, it turns out robots can also help. But will they replace humans? Faiza Elmasry went searching for…
read morePresident Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin later this month, in Helsinki. The administration says Trump will use the meeting to hold “Russia accountable for its malign activities,” including interference in the U.S. election in 2016. Moscow’s meddling, and potential collusion with the Trump campaign is still being investigated in…
read moreUber is getting into the scooter-rental business. The ride-hailing company said Monday that it is investing in Lime, a startup based in San Mateo, California. “Our investment and partnership in Lime is another step towards our vision of becoming a one-stop shop for all your transportation needs,” Rachel Holt, an Uber vice president,…
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