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 Wheels” achievement show the craft…
read moreA 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 in short bursts on mobile…
read moreA historically diverse Virginia General Assembly convened Wednesday, led for the first time in more than two decades by Democrats who promised to enact a litany of changes.The House quickly elected Eileen Filler-Corn at the new speaker, the first woman to serve in that role. She is also the first Jewish speaker.“A new torch is…
read moreWhen 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 people. That included more than…
read moreRemarks by President Donald Trump on Iran, released by the White House:As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Good morning. I’m pleased to inform you: The American people should be extremely grateful and happy no Americans were harmed in last night’s…
read moreThe 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 the states of Queensland and…
read moreA state appeals court will stay out of a closely watched Wisconsin case over the purging of up to 209,000 registered voters in the battleground state. In a ruling Tuesday, the District 4 appeals court in Madison said it won’t take the case until the state Supreme Court decides whether it will handle…
read moreIran’s missile attack on two American bases in Iraq in response the the U.S. strike that killed its top general is the culmination of nearly two years of steadily rising tensions since President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.The two countries are now engaged in their most serious confrontation since…
read moreWearable 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 brainFrench startup Urgotech has developed…
read moreWearable devices no longer just count your steps, companies have now developed wearables that can do much, much more. …
read moreThe 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 inspect the handful of chocolate…
read moreStacey Abrams has a new book coming out next summer that will focus on her signature cause, voting rights. Henry Holt and Company announced Tuesday that “Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America” is scheduled for June 2020. Based on research and her run for Georgia governor in 2018,…
read moreThe head of the Democratic National Convention promised Tuesday that the event in Milwaukee this summer to choose the party’s presidential nominee will be focused more on substance than spectacle as part of a strategy to be more successful in key states such as Wisconsin. Democrats failed in 2016 to communicate as effectively as they…
read moreThe 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, has invited more women to…
read moreDemocratic presidential contender Joe Biden described President Donald Trump as “dangerously incompetent” Tuesday for the targeted killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. Biden and his Democratic rivals have been heavily critical of the president’s decision and have warned about the consequences. More from VOA National correspondent Jim Malone. …
read moreA 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. …
read moreRising tensions between Washington and Tehran are testing whether Joe Biden can capitalize on his decades of foreign policy experience as he seeks to challenge a president he derides as “dangerous” and “erratic.”Biden is expected to deliver lengthy remarks Tuesday in New York about President Donald Trump’s decision to approve an airstrike that killed Iranian…
read moreFacebook 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 to the average person, and…
read moreWhat 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 at a time when places…
read moreHong 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 the mainland Chinese city of…
read moreSex 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 grouped in the health and…
read moreU.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 and provider time spent on…
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