The past several weeks have been difficult for the social media behemoth Facebook, with a series of whistleblower revelations demonstrating that the company knew its signature platform was exacerbating all manner of social ills around the globe, from human trafficking to sectarian violence. The tide shows no sign of receding. New revelations this week have … continue reading -> “Five Things Facebook Has to Worry About After Whistleblower Disclosures”
Wildlife officials and environmental groups in Florida are raising an alarm over the unprecedented die-off this year of manatees, the large, slow-moving sea animals that are the southeastern U.S. state’s official marine mammal. The latest figures from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission show that as of October 15, 974 manatees have been found dead, … continue reading -> “Florida Manatees Dying Off in Record Numbers”
U.S. federal law enforcement agencies and Europol announced dozens of arrests to break up a global operation that sold illegal drugs using a shadowy realm of the internet. At a Department of Justice news conference Tuesday in Washington, officials said they arrested 150 people for allegedly selling illicit drugs, including fake prescription opioids and cocaine, … continue reading -> “International Police Operation Cracks Down on Illegal Internet Drug Vendors”
A popular new music app uses artificial intelligence to “democratize” how musicians of all skill levels learn and play music. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has pulled out of the COP26 conference in Glasgow next week after she was advised by doctors to rest, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday, in a blow to the United Nations climate summit. A palace source said the decision to not attend had been taken as a “sensible precaution” and to let … continue reading -> “UK’s Queen Elizabeth Pulls Out of COP26 Following Advice to Rest”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisory committee is meeting Tuesday to consider giving emergency approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. While it is considered rare for younger children to become seriously ill or die from COVID-19, FDA vaccines chief Dr. Peter Marks told the panel Tuesday that … continue reading -> “FDA Panel Considers Pfizer COVID Shot for US Kids”
Coal-rich Australia unveiled a much-delayed 2050 net zero emissions target Tuesday, in a plan that pointedly dodged thorny details or near-term goals ahead of a landmark UN climate summit. Widely seen as a climate laggard, Australia is one of the world’s largest coal and gas exporters. For the last eight years, its conservative government has … continue reading -> “Climate Holdout Australia Sets 2050 Net Zero Emissions Target”
U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Moderna says a clinical trial shows that a low dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children between 6 and 11 years old. The company says it inoculated more than 4,700 children with its two-dose vaccine about 28 days apart, with each shot about half the strength given to adults. Preliminary results show … continue reading -> “Moderna Says its COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for Children Between 6 and 11”
Car rental company Hertz says it will buy 100,000 electric cars from Tesla. Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields said the Model 3 cars could be ready for renters as early as November, The Associated Press reported. Fields said the reason for the move was that electric cars are becoming mainstream, and consumer interest in them … continue reading -> “Rental Car Company Hertz Announces Purchase of 100,000 Teslas “
The U.S. State Department plans to establish a bureau of cyberspace and digital policy in the face of a growing hacking problem, specifically a surge of ransomware attacks on U.S. infrastructure. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said a Senate-confirmed ambassador at large will lead the bureau. Hackers have struck numerous U.S. companies this year. One … continue reading -> “In Face of Hack Attacks, US State Department to Set Up Cyber Bureau”
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told British lawmakers Monday that the social media giant “unquestionably” amplifies online hate. In testimony to a parliamentary committee in London, the former Facebook employee echoed what she told U.S. senators earlier this month. Haugen said the media giant fuels online hate and extremism and does not have any incentive to … continue reading -> “Facebook Whistleblower Presses Case with British Lawmakers “
The battle to stem climate change may be lost as new information indicates the Amazon rain forest is turning from a carbon sink – or area that absorbs CO2 – into a source of carbon dioxide, the World Meteorological Organization warns. The latest edition of the WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports emissions of carbon dioxide, … continue reading -> “Amazon Rain Forest Turning into Carbon Source, UN Agency Warns”
The director-general of the World Health Organization said Sunday that unless countries use existing tools in the fight against the pandemic effectively, there will be no end in sight. “The pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it,” Tedros said addressing World Health Summit, a global forum held in Germany. “We have all … continue reading -> “WHO Chief: Barriers to Vaccination Goal are ‘Politics and Profit’”
The U.S. technology giant Microsoft says that the same Russia-backed hackers responsible for the 2020 SolarWinds breach of corporate computer systems is continuing to attack global technology systems, this time targeting cloud service resellers. Microsoft said the group, which it calls Nobelium, is employing a new strategy to take advantage of the direct access resellers … continue reading -> “Microsoft Discloses New Russian Hacking Effort”
In Gaza and Syria, journalists and activists feel Facebook censors their speech, flagging inoffensive Arabic posts as terrorist content. In India and Myanmar, political groups use Facebook to incite violence. All of it frequently slips through the company’s efforts to police its social media platforms because of a shortage of moderators who speak local languages … continue reading -> “Facebook’s Language Gaps Weaken Screening of Hate, Terrorism”
Health care activists in Cameroon are visiting homes, markets and farms this month, encouraging women to get free screenings for breast cancer. The central African state says the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has risen sharply over the past year because many women delayed screenings for fear of COVID-19 infections. The push to … continue reading -> “Cameroon Says COVID Scare Drove Breast Cancer Increase “
Former Facebook data scientist turned whistleblower Frances Haugen plans to answer questions Monday from lawmakers in the United Kingdom who are working on legislation to rein in the power of social media companies. Haugen is set to appear before a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British government’s draft legislation to crack down on harmful online content, … continue reading -> “Whistleblower Haugen to Testify as UK Scrutinizes Facebook”
“Coral reefs are amazing and beautiful, and we must conserve them,” Sam Purkis, chair of the department of marine geosciences at the University of Miami, told VOA. Although coral reefs only cover 0.1% of the ocean floor, they are a lifeline for the planet. With the most biodiverse marine ecosystem on earth, they contain 25% of all marine … continue reading -> “Experts Optimistic Coral Reefs Will Survive”
For the first time in a laboratory, Australian scientists have produced tadpoles more tolerant of climate change. A team from the University of Western Australia has cross-bred frogs from wetter regions with other species from drier areas to make them more resilient. Researchers in Australia want to give nature a helping hand. They have warned that climate … continue reading -> “Australian Scientists Boost Climate Change Adaptability in Frogs”
Millions of people in the United States are gearing up to get COVID-19 booster shots amid ongoing controversy over vaccine mandates. Michelle Quinn reports. Produced by: Mary Cieslak …
British finance minister Rishi Sunak’s budget this week will include an extra $8.1 billion of spending for the health service over the next few years to drive down waiting lists, the finance ministry said on Sunday. The sum comes on top of an $11 billion package announced in September to tackle backlogs built up over the COVID-19 pandemic, … continue reading -> “UK Plans $8 Billion Package to Boost Health Service Capacity”
Researchers at a specialized lab in Italy say understanding climate change effects requires recreating them in a controlled environment. So, they built one. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
Pakistan and Afghanistan, the only two countries where polio still paralyzes children, marked World Polio Day (October 24) Sunday amid excitement and hopes that global eradication of the crippling disease is within reach. The neighboring countries constitute a bloc where the disease has been endemic; but each has detected just one case of wild polio … continue reading -> “Pakistan, Afghanistan Mark Polio Day Amid Optimism for Eradication “
A Financial Times report says COVAX, the global collaboration established to ensure that poor countries have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, has “largely failed.” “Wealthy countries have received over 16 times more COVID-19 vaccines per person than poorer nations that rely on the COVAX program backed by the World Health Organization,” the newspaper reported. Millions of … continue reading -> “Report: Global Vaccine Collaboration is ‘Largely Failed’ “
Very few companies can boast of having their name also used as a verb. Zoom is one of them. The popularity of the videoconferencing platform continues to grow around the world despite continued questions about whether Chinese authorities are monitoring the calls. Since Zoom became a household word last year during the pandemic, internet users … continue reading -> “Zoom Gets More Popular Despite Worries About Links to China”