European space officials on Tuesday postponed the launch of a three-year mission to study planets in other solar systems shortly before it was due to blast off.The European Space Agency announced that the launch from Kourou, French Guiana, of the Characterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) mission would be delayed by at least a day. It had … continue reading -> “Europe Postpones Launch of Planet Mission, Seeks Soyuz Fix”
The use of robots in the U.S. workplace more than doubled from 2009 to 2017, the bulk of them in manufacturing. But the extent of manufacturing job losses in the Midwest was masked by the economic boom of the past 10 years.“A growing economy independent of technology, independent of robotics, has been able to absorb, … continue reading -> “Here are the States Where Robots Rule”
As the 2020 U.S. elections draw closer, ensuring their transparency and protecting them from foreign manipulation has become paramount for American election officials and lawmakers. The aim is to prevent a repeat of Russia’s well-documented cyber meddling in the 2016 vote. Oleksandr Yanevskyy has this report narrated by Anna Rice. …
Amazon accused U.S. President Donald Trump of using “improper pressure” and bias that harmed its chances of winning a lucrative $10 billion contract from the U.S. Department of Defense.Amazon said in a lawsuit unsealed Monday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that it lost the cloud computing contract, which was awarded to rival Microsoft, … continue reading -> “Amazon Blames Trump For Loss of Pentagon Contract”
Amazon says President Donald Trump’s “improper pressure” and behind-the-scenes attacks harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract.The Pentagon awarded the cloud computing contract to Microsoft in October. Amazon argues in a lawsuit unsealed Monday the decision should be revisited because of “substantial and pervasive errors” and Trump’s interference. …
Uber, as part of a long-anticipated safety report, revealed that more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018.That figure includes 235 rapes across the company’s 1.3 billion rides last year. The ride-hailing company noted that drivers and riders were both attacked and that some assaults occurred between riders.The Thursday report, … continue reading -> “Uber Reports More Than 3,000 Sexual Assaults in US in 2018”
What’s wrong with being a plucky hero running from demon monkeys or a glamorous model in dress up games? Players too often get sucked into worlds full of violence and unhealthy body images, according to Jay Shapiro, co-founder of Kenya-based Usiku Games.The Canadian entrepreneur hopes to shake up the games market in Kenya — and … continue reading -> “When Did You Last See an African Video Game Hero? “
An intelligent robot equipped with emotion-sensing voice detectors was headed to the International Space Station after launching from Florida on Thursday, becoming the latest artificial intelligence-powered astronaut workmate in orbit.The Crew Interactive Mobile Companion 2, or CIMON 2, is a spherical droid with microphones, cameras and a slew of software to enable emotion recognition.The droid … continue reading -> “Emotion-sensing Robot Heads to Space Station to Help Astronauts”
Add facial cuts, bruises and fractures to the risks from cellphones and carelessly using them. That’s according to a study published Thursday that found a spike in U.S. emergency room treatment for these mostly minor injuries. The research was led by a facial plastic surgeon whose patients include a woman who … continue reading -> “Phone-in-Cheek: Spike Seen in Cellphone-Linked Face Injuries”
Apple Inc on Thursday said it has bought the first-ever commercial batch of carbon-free aluminum from a joint venture between two of the world’s biggest aluminum suppliers.The metal is being made by Elysis, a Montreal-based joint venture of Alcoa Corp and Rio Tinto announced last year with $144 million in funding from the two companies, … continue reading -> “Apple Buys First-ever Carbon-free Aluminum From Alcoa-Rio Tinto Venture”
U.S. and British law enforcement officials announced charges against two notorious Russian hackers, accusing them of engaging in a decade-long crime spree that resulted in tens of millions of dollars in losses to victims around the world.Maksim Yakubets, 32, and Igor Turashev, 37, were key figures in a Russian hacking group known as “Evil Corp,” … continue reading -> “US, UK Officials Announce Charges Against 2 Russian Hackers”
Chinese telecom giant Huawei has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court to throw out a Trump administration rule that bans phone carriers in rural areas from using money from an $8.5 billion government fund to purchase Huawei’s equipment.The lawsuit says the Federal Communications Commission acted improperly when it imposed the ban last month … continue reading -> “China’s Huawei Sues to Allow Rural Carriers to Buy its Equipment”
Imagine if your car can sense your emotions and play happy music when you are sad. That’s what a team of researchers at Texas A&M University is working on — to look at brain waves that correlate to different human emotions and ultimately teach that to an autonomous vehicle. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details … continue reading -> “Self-Driving Cars Taught to ‘Feel’ Passengers’ Emotions”
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down from their roles within the parent company, Alphabet.Sundar Pichai, who has been leading Google as CEO for more than four years, will stay in his role and also become CEO of Alphabet.Page was Alphabet’s CEO, while Brin was its president. Both have been noticeably absent … continue reading -> “Google Co-Founders Step Down as Execs of Parent Alphabet”
Imagine if your car can sense your emotions and play happy music when you are sad. That’s what a team of researchers at Texas A&M University is working on — to look at brain waves that correlate to different human emotions and ultimately teach that to an autonomous vehicle. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details … continue reading -> “Teaching a Self-Driving Car to Know if its Passengers are Happy or Nervous”
The U.N.’s trade and development agency estimates that Europe, led by the Netherlands, leads the world in readiness for online shopping.UNCTAD’s annual business-to-consumer e-commerce index ranked the United States again in the teens, at 13th — largely because of its relatively low share of people using the internet compared to other developed countries.Russia ranked 40th … continue reading -> “UN Agency: Europe Leads in Readiness for Online Shopping”
Four workers fired from Google last week are planning to file a federal labor complaint against the company, claiming it unfairly retaliated against them for organizing workers around social causes.The former employees said Tuesday they are preparing to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board this week. All four were fired … continue reading -> “Workers Fired From Google Plan Federal Labor Complaint”
Twitter is updating its global privacy policy to give users more information about what data advertisers might receive and is launching a site to provide clarity on its data protection efforts, the company said on Monday.The changes, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020, will comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).The California … continue reading -> “Twitter Makes Global Changes to Comply with Privacy Laws”
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed legislation requiring all smartphones, computers and smart TV sets sold in the country to come pre-installed with Russian software.The law, which will come into force on July 1 next year, has been met with resistance by some electronics retailers, who say the legislation was adopted without consulting them.The … continue reading -> “Putin Signs Law Making Russian Apps Mandatory on Smartphones, Computers”
EU antitrust regulators are investigating Google’s collection of data, the European Commission told Reuters Saturday, suggesting the world’s most popular internet search engine remains in its sights despite record fines in recent years.Competition enforcers on both sides of the Atlantic are now looking into how dominant tech companies use and monetize data.The EU executive said … continue reading -> “EU Antitrust Regulators Investigating Google’s Data Collection”
Apple says it will reevaluate how it identifies “disputed borders” after receiving criticism for displaying Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia on maps and weather apps for Russian users. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told Reuters on Friday that the U.S. technology giant was “taking a deeper look at how we handle disputed borders.” … continue reading -> “Apple to Reevaluate Policy on Mapping ‘Disputed Borders’ After Crimea Outcry “
Facebook said Saturday it had issued a correction notice on a user’s post at the request of the Singapore government, but called for a measured approach to the implementation of a new “fake news” law in the city-state.“Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post has false information,” said … continue reading -> “Facebook Places Label on User’s Post Under Singapore ‘Fake News’ Law”
Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey has wrapped up of a trip to Africa by pledging to reside on the continent next year for up to six months. Dorsey tweeted this week: “Africa will define the future (especially the bitcoin one!). Not sure where yet, but I’ll be living here for 3-6 months mid 2020.”The CEO of … continue reading -> “Twitter CEO Pledges to Live in Africa for Several Months in 2020”
Social media app TikTok apologized to a user Thursday for removing a video that criticized China’s treatment of Muslims, blaming a “human moderation error” and saying the images had been restored within less than an hour.The controversy over the video, viewed 1.6 million times, comes as TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, faces an inquiry by a … continue reading -> “TikTok Apologizes for Removing Video on Muslims in China”
Mobile device makers are constantly reinventing their products to keep consumers coming back, and paying, for more. The race to outdo each other has resulted in new form factors like foldable and dual screens. Not to be left out, Microsoft recently unveiled its take on the trend. VOA’s Tina Trinh examines whether the new look … continue reading -> “Two Better Than One: Upcoming Mobile Devices Have Dual Screens”