One of the world’s largest marine citizen science projects has surveyed its 500th section of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef since the effort began in 2020. This year’s Great Reef Census, which runs from September to December, has revealed severe damage to the coral, while other parts of the 2,300-kilometer World Heritage site are thriving. The … continue reading -> “Great Reef Census Reaches Milestone Surveying Australian Icon”
Russia’s space agency said it is considering a plan to send an empty spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring home three crew members ahead of schedule, after their Soyuz capsule sprang a coolant leak while docked to the orbiting outpost. Roscosmos and NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday they continue … continue reading -> “Russia Mulls Early Return of Space Station Crew After Soyuz Capsule Leak”
A former judge of the Supreme People’s Court, the highest court in China, is calling for the suspension or revocation of cases against some 80 people found guilty of violating “zero-COVID” policy regulations since the advent of omicron, a less deadly variant that began spreading in December 2021. China implemented the zero-COVID policy in January … continue reading -> “Former Judge on China’s Top Court Suggests End to Prosecution of ‘Zero-COVID’ Violators”
Nearly a week after Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk said that the accounts of suspended journalists would be reinstated, at least six remain blocked. Voice of America’s chief national correspondent, Steve Herman, is among them. Twitter suspended the accounts Dec. 15 over posts about another removed account — @Elonjet — which uses public data to … continue reading -> “Whistleblower Files Complaint to Congress Over Twitter Suspending Journalists”
French authorities plan to use an AI-assisted crowd control system to monitor people during the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to a draft law seen by AFP on Thursday. The system is intended to allow the security services to detect disturbances and potential problems more easily, but will not use facial recognition technology, the bill says. … continue reading -> “France Planning AI-Assisted Crowd Control for Paris Olympics”
Between the close of this year’s climate conference in Sharm el Sheikh and the 2023 climate event slated for December 2023 in the UAE, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are all working to position themselves as new electric vehicle powerhouses. Signaling an era where next-generation electric vehicles are made in a region most strongly associated … continue reading -> “Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt Building Factories for Battery Powered Vehicles”
If not Elon, then who? That’s a question many are contemplating since Elon Musk, Twitter’s CEO, said this week he was actively looking for a new leader to run the social media network. Musk’s proclamation comes after more than 10 million respondents said in a Musk-created Twitter poll that he should resign. Musk followed up … continue reading -> “What Kind of Leader Does Twitter Need?”
As farmers in the United States are coping with rising input costs, some are turning to environmentally beneficial methods to curb expenses and make money while sequestering a driver of climate change. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from Glasgow, Illinois. …
The World Health Organization is concerned about a spike in COVID-19 infections in China and is supporting the government to focus its efforts on vaccinating people at the highest risk across the country, the head of the U.N. agency said on Wednesday. Infections have recently spiked in the world’s second-largest economy and projections have suggested … continue reading -> “WHO Expresses Concern About COVID Situation in China “
Elon Musk said Tuesday that he plans on remaining as Twitter’s CEO until he can find someone willing to replace him in the job. Musk’s announcement came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in an unscientific poll the billionaire himself created and promised to abide by. “I will resign as CEO … continue reading -> “Musk Says He’ll Be Twitter CEO Until a Replacement Is Found “
It could be the end of the red dusty line for NASA’s InSight lander, which has fallen silent after four years on Mars. The lander’s power levels have been dwindling for months because of all the dust coating its solar panels. Ground controllers at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory knew the end was near, but NASA … continue reading -> “NASA Mars Lander Insight Falls Silent After 4 Years”
Negotiators reached a historic deal at a U.N. biodiversity conference early Monday that would represent the most significant effort to protect the world’s lands and oceans and provide critical financing to save biodiversity in the developing world. The global framework comes on the day the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is set to end … continue reading -> “Historic Biodiversity Agreement Reached at UN Conference”
Scientists have uncovered new clues about a curious fossil site in Nevada, a graveyard for dozens of giant marine reptiles. Instead of the site of a massive die-off as suspected, it might have been an ancient maternity ward where the creatures came to give birth. The site is famous for its fossils from giant ichthyosaurs … continue reading -> “Mystery Nevada Fossil Site Could Be Ancient Maternity Ward”
Elon Musk had an eventful year, capping 2022 with a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, a takeover that almost didn’t happen. The controversial CEO has brought changes and disruptions, layoffs and resignations that put Twitter’s fate into question. VOA’s Tina Trinh has more. …
More than half of 17.5 million users who responded to a poll that asked whether billionaire Elon Musk should step down as head of Twitter voted yes when the poll closed on Monday. There was no immediate announcement from Twitter, or Musk, about whether that would happen, though he said that he would abide by … continue reading -> “Twitter Poll Closes, Users Vote in Favor of Musk Exit as CEO “
Twitter users will no longer be able to link to certain rival social media websites, including what the company described Sunday as “prohibited platforms” Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon. It’s the latest move by Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk to crack down on certain speech after he shut down a Twitter account last week that was … continue reading -> “Twitter Bans Linking to Facebook, Instagram, Other Rivals”
Hollywood Cat is no longer. The Los Angeles area’s most famous mountain lion, an aged wild male feline sighted around the city’s Griffith Park, was euthanized Saturday, wildlife officials said. For years, it was known to prowl around the hillside “Hollywood” sign visible around much of Los Angeles, a fitting setting for a celebrity cat. … continue reading -> “Beloved ‘Hollywood Cat’ Mountain Lion Euthanized in Los Angeles “
A prominent video game creator who helped lead Facebook’s expansion into virtual reality has resigned from the social networking service’s corporate parent after becoming disillusioned with the way the technology is being managed. John Carmack cut his ties with Meta Platforms, a holding company created last year by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, in a Friday … continue reading -> “Frustrated Virtual Reality Pioneer Leaves Facebook’s Parent”
Uganda on Saturday lifted a two-month lockdown on two districts at the epicenter of the country’s Ebola epidemic, amid cautious hope that the outbreak could end soon. Since authorities declared an Ebola outbreak Sept. 20, the East African nation has registered 142 confirmed cases and 56 deaths, with the disease spreading to the capital, Kampala. … continue reading -> “Uganda Lifts Lockdown in Ebola Epicenter”
Taiwan’s government said on Saturday it would fine Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, for an unauthorized investment in a Chinese chip maker even after the Taiwanese firm said it would be selling the stake. Taiwan has turned a wary eye on China’s ambition to boost its semiconductor industry and is tightening legislation to … continue reading -> “Taiwan to Fine Foxconn for Unauthorized China Investment”
Negotiators at a United Nations biodiversity conference Saturday have still not resolved most of the key issues around protecting the world’s nature by 2030 and providing tens of billions of dollars to developing countries to fund those efforts. The United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is set to wrap up Monday in Montreal and delegates … continue reading -> “Biodiversity Talks in Final Days With Many Issues Unresolved”
he World Health Organization warns billions of people who lack access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are at risk of deadly infectious diseases. The finding appears in the WHO and U.N.-Water’s Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) report issued this week. Data collected from 121 countries show billions of people … continue reading -> “Action Urged to Ensure Safe Water, Sanitation Globally”
The World Health Organization says climate change is behind an unprecedented surge in the number of cholera outbreaks around the world this year. At least 30 countries have reported outbreaks of the deadly disease this year, about a third higher than normally seen. Philippe Barboza, WHO’s team leader for cholera and epidemic diarrheal diseases, said … continue reading -> “Climate Change Fuels Unprecedented Cholera Increase”
China is spending $143 billion to combat U.S. moves to cut off its supply of semiconductor technology. The funds will be used to provide financial subsidies and incentives to help China’s chipmakers develop and acquire semiconductor technology to withstand the U.S. move. This is one of three measures, analysts say, taken by Beijing to protect … continue reading -> “China Trying to Fight Back US Ban on Its Chip Industry”
VOA chief national correspondent Steve Herman was among several journalists to be suspended from Twitter late Thursday. Followers of the former White House bureau chief’s Twitter account were greeted with a blank screen and message saying, “Account suspended.” Accounts for journalists from CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as some … continue reading -> “VOA Journalist Among Media Suspended on Twitter”