Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday lengthened her stay-at-home order through May 15, while lifting restrictions so some businesses can reopen and the public can participate in outdoor activities like golf and motorized boating during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure immediately replaces one that was scheduled to expire next week. Michigan has had nearly 3,000…
read moreThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration on Thursday, saying industry cannot avoid the Clean Water Act when it pumps wastewater into the ground instead of directly into oceans and rivers.In a 6-3 decision, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the majority. He said putting the polluted water into the ground before it eventually…
read moreAfter last week’s court ruling brought to light potential environmental concerns, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspended a nationwide program meant to approve utility work, despite industry representatives’ warnings it could stop important infrastructure projects.Nationwide Permit 12, a blanket permit used by utility companies to build gas and oil pipelines, powerlines and other infrastructure…
read moreApple Inc. plans to sell Mac computers with its own main processors by next year based on the chip designs currently used in its iPhones and iPads, Bloomberg reported Thursday.The iPhone maker is working on three Mac processors based on the A14 processor in its next iPhone, suggesting the company will transition more of its…
read moreAs the U.S. coronavirus death toll mounts, President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are falling.Toward the end of March, when the death toll was relatively small, Trump’s favorability ratings inched closer to a split, with 50.2% disapproving of his presidency and 46.3% approving, according to a compilation of recent polls by the fivethirtyeight.com website.But since then,…
read moreU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a fundamental reform of the World Health Organization was needed following its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and that the United States, the WHO’s biggest donor, may never restore funding to the U.N. body. As Pompeo launched fresh attacks on the U.N. body on Wednesday, Democrats in…
read moreGoogle said Thursday it would expand its program of verification of advertisers on its platform as part of an effort to weed out fraud and “bad actors.” The internet giant and global leader in digital advertising said it would start by verifying advertisers in phases in the United States and expand the program globally. The move builds…
read moreThe United Kingdom’s economy is crumbling under the strain of the coronavirus lockdown and government borrowing is soaring to the highest levels in peacetime history, increasing pressure on the government to set out an exit strategy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, recuperating at his country residence after being seriously ill with COVID-19, is facing criticism…
read moreJoe Biden’s tenure as Barack Obama’s vice president is complicating his efforts to deepen ties with Latinos who could be critical to winning the White House. For many Latinos, Biden’s embrace of the Obama years is a frightening reminder of when the former president ejected about 3 million people living in the U.S. illegally,…
read moreZoom Video Communications Inc. said Wednesday it was upgrading the encryption features on its video conferencing app to quell safety concerns as its users surged by 50 percent in the past three weeks.Zoom now has over 300 million daily users after adding 100 million in the last 22 days, the company said, even as it…
read moreFar-right computer hackers have published nearly 25,000 email addresses allegedly belonging to several major organizations fighting the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the World Bank.The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activities, has yet to confirm the addresses are genuine but said that the hackers posted…
read moreSwedish activist Greta Thunberg joined calls for a combined effort to tackle coronavirus and the climate crisis, saying the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday was the time to choose a “new way forward.” Dramatic improvements in air and water quality as coronavirus lockdowns have cut pollution have prompted calls for a low-carbon future,…
read moreThe World Meteorological Organization is warning that if the planet keeps warming at its current pace, the average global temperature could increase by 1.5 degrees C in the next 10 years. This rise would worsen extreme weather events, and many of the dangerous effects of climate change might become irreversible, it said. WMO reported Wednesday…
read moreHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi called off a planned Thursday vote that, if passed, would have allowed the U.S. House of Representatives to vote remotely for the first time in its history. In a leadership conference call with members Wednesday, Pelosi announced that instead, a bi-partisan group of House lawmakers would review a proposal that would…
read moreFrance’s parliament votes next week on plans to use a controversial tracing app to help fight the coronavirus, as the country eyes easing its lockdown next month.French Digital Affairs Minister Cedric O says the downloadable app would notify smartphone users when they cross people with COVID-19, helping authorities track and reduce the spread of the…
read moreAs people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily. Smog stopped choking New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, and India’s getting views of sights not visible in decades. Nitrogen dioxide pollution in the northeastern United States is…
read moreChina will pay close attention to clusters of coronavirus infections, especially in hospitals, according to a top level meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. China’s northeastern city of Harbin has had several clusters of infections in local hospitals. The government also called for efforts to increase coronavirus testing capability and produce…
read moreLaboratory and drug development services provider LabCorp said on Wednesday it would expand the availability of its antibody tests for the new coronavirus to more hospitals and healthcare organizations starting next week. The tests, earlier made available mainly to healthcare workers in late March, aim to identify individuals exposed to the virus but without any visible…
read moreSeveral countries around the world, including Germany and South Korea, and a number of U.S. states are easing their coronavirus lockdown restrictions this week. But experts caution that a number of conditions need to be in place before people leave their homes and head back out to churches, shops, restaurants and beaches.Sorry, but your browser…
read moreLeading U.S. doctors’ organizations are urging the Trump administration to collect data to show who is dying from COVID-19. Data collected so far shows that the coronavirus is killing African-Americans at an alarmingly higher rate than it’s killing white people. More from VOA’s Carol Pearson. …
read moreA U.S. House of Representatives committee is meeting Wednesday to discuss a resolution proposing lawmakers be allowed to designate another member to cast their vote, and to allow committees to meet remotely. The proposed measure would allow for more flexibility in conducting House business in the case of a pandemic like the coronavirus outbreak that has…
read moreChina’s alleged underreporting and misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan is becoming a heated topic in the U.S. presidential election. VOA’s Brian Padden reports that both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, have launched dueling campaign ads accusing each other of being soft on China’s handling of the pandemic. …
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