University of Pennsylvania researchers say that for the first time they have linked social media use to increases in depression and loneliness. The idea that social media is anything but social when it comes to mental health has been talked about for years, but not many studies have managed to actually link the two. To…
read moreRobots have been put to work assembling cars in factories, answering questions at conventions and hotel lobbies, moving packages in warehouses, and more. Now, a team at the University of Southern California is studying how well robots work with autistic children, to offer personalized support and learning. Faith Lapidus reports. …
read moreWhile most of the votes have been counted from Tuesday’s U.S. congressional midterm elections, four major races remain undecided in key states. A recount may be in the offing in Florida for both the Senate and governor’s races where Republicans currently have narrow leads. And the governor’s race in Georgia and a Senate race in…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he doesn’t “know” his newly appointed acting U.S. attorney general just two days after he appointed him as the nation’s top enforcement officer. Speaking with reporters outside the White House, the president said, “I don’t know Matt Whitaker,” but also said the 49-year-old former U.S. attorney from Iowa is…
read moreUnofficial vote tallies in Florida’s elections were due by midday Saturday, which could prompt recounts in the hotly contested races for governor and U.S. Senate. At stake was the tight and acrimonious U.S. Senate race between Republican Gov. Rick Scott and incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. The governor’s race between former Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis…
read moreThe moment Air Force One touched down Friday at Orly airport, U.S. President Donald Trump blasted a caustic message for his host, terming French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a European military “very insulting.” In the touchdown tweet, Trump suggested Europe first pay “its fair share” of NATO before contemplating a Europe-wide force. As he…
read moreThe Belgium-based SWIFT financial messaging service will be disconnecting some Iranian banks this weekend, said SWIFT chief executive Gottfried Leibbrandt at an event in Paris on Friday. Earlier this week, SWIFT had already stated that it would be suspending some unspecified Iranian banks’ access to its messaging system in the interest of the stability and…
read moreIndia-based motorcycle brand Royal Enfield expects sales in its new North American business to almost triple this year and is aiming to dominate the market for middleweight bikes into which Harley-Davidson Inc has just shifted in a bid to revive sales. Enfield, originally a classic UK brand but manufactured by India’s Eicher Motors Ltd in…
read moreProtesters gathered from New York to Los Angeles Thursday to warn the White House not to interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. As Mike O’Sullivan reports, the rallies followed the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions one day earlier. …
read moreIn less than two months, Democrats will take control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is the favorite to assume the party’s leadership role as Speaker of the House, has signaled her willingness to work with President Trump and Senate Republicans. But as VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from…
read moreThe White House has revoked the press credentials of a reporter who engaged Wednesday in a testy exchange with President Donald Trump. It’s the latest development in Trump’s rocky relationship with the press, and many journalists fear it sets an undemocratic precedent, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports. …
read moreDespite numerous areas of potential conflict, a politically divided and ideologically polarized U.S. Congress may find limited areas of cooperation between the two chambers and President Donald Trump beginning in January, according to political observers. “Divided government is common in American politics — we have it more than we have a united government,” political analyst…
read moreVietnam’s new carrier Bamboo Airways expects to finally get an aviation license next week and start flying within weeks, the chairman of its parent firm said on Thursday. The airline had to delay its maiden flight on Oct. 10 because it didn’t receive a license in time. “Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the…
read moreGoogle is promising to be more forceful and open about its handling of sexual misconduct cases, a week after high-paid engineers and others walked out in protest over its male-dominated culture. CEO Sundar Pichai spelled out the concessions in an email sent Thursday to Google employees. The note of contrition came a week after the…
read moreMatthew Whitaker, appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump as the acting attorney general and now overseeing the investigation of Trump’s 2016 campaign links to Russia, has often echoed the president’s verbal attacks on the probe. The 49-year-old Whitaker joined the Justice Department last year as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions after often…
read moreThe White House has suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Donald Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring Wednesday after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up…
read moreTesla said Thursday that its new board chair replacing Elon Musk will be Robyn Denholm of Australia’s Telstra. The appointment to the full-time position takes effect immediately though Denholm will leave Telstra, Australia’s biggest telecoms company, after a six-month notice period. Denholm already is on Tesla’s board. Musk agreed to vacate his post…
read moreAmong the winners in America’s bitter midterm elections were dozens of military veterans, whose “mission first” mindset could help in a deeply divided Congress where the notion of bipartisanship has all but disappeared. At least 16 “freshmen” veterans were elected for the first time to serve in the House of Representatives, the largest influx of…
read moreElection experts have long warned about the nation’s aging fleet of voting equipment. This week’s elections underscored just how badly upgrades are needed. Across the country, reports poured in Tuesday amid heavy voter turnout of equipment failing or malfunctioning, triggering frustration among voters and long lines at polling places. Scanners used to record ballots broke…
read moreStocks rallied Wednesday as investors were relieved to see that the U.S. midterm elections went largely as they expected they would. Big-name technology and consumer and health care companies soared as the S&P 500 index closed at its highest level in four weeks. Democrats won control of the House of Representatives while Republicans kept a…
read moreAt a combative, lengthy news conference Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated himself for achieving what he termed a “tremendous success” in the previous day’s midterm elections. “History will see what a good job we did in getting people over the finish line,” Trump said, noting that nine of the 11 candidates for whom he…
read moreBullied herself online, Britain’s Princess Beatrice is determined to ensure other girls are equipped to deal with internet abuse and get the best from the digital world. Beatrice — who as the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and his former wife, the Duchess of York, is eighth in line to the British throne — said her bullying, about her weight and…
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