Facebook Bows to Brazil Judge, Blocks 12 Accounts Worldwide

Facebook announced Saturday that it had obeyed a Brazilian judge’s order for a worldwide block on the accounts of 12 of President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters who are under investigation for allegedly running a fake news network.Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Friday night that the company had failed to fully comply with a previous … continue reading -> “Facebook Bows to Brazil Judge, Blocks 12 Accounts Worldwide”

Connie Culp, First US Partial Face Transplant Recipient, Dies

Connie Culp, the recipient of the first partial face transplant in the U.S., has died at 57, almost a dozen years after the groundbreaking operation.The Cleveland Clinic, where her surgery had been performed in 2008, said Saturday that Culp died Wednesday at the Ohio clinic of complications from an infection unrelated to her transplant.Dr. Frank … continue reading -> “Connie Culp, First US Partial Face Transplant Recipient, Dies”

Astronauts Face Final Leg of SpaceX Test Flight: Coming Home

A pair of NASA astronauts face the final and most important part of their SpaceX test flight: returning to Earth with a rare splashdown.Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken took part in a farewell ceremony Saturday at the International Space Station, several hours ahead of their planned departure on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.  Despite approaching Hurricane … continue reading -> “Astronauts Face Final Leg of SpaceX Test Flight: Coming Home”

Trump Sets Clock Ticking for TikTok

President Donald Trump went to one of his private golf courses Saturday in Virginia after threatening to halt operations in the United States of a popular Chinese-owned video sharing social media app. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” he told reporters Friday on Air Force One traveling with him … continue reading -> “Trump Sets Clock Ticking for TikTok”

Mexico Replaces UK As Country With 3rd Highest COVID Deaths

There are more than 17.6 million worldwide COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins statistics.  The U.S. continues to lead in the number of infections with more than 4.5 million, followed by Brazil with 2.6 million cases, and India with almost 1.7 million.Mexico has replaced Britain as the country with the third largest number of deaths … continue reading -> “Mexico Replaces UK As Country With 3rd Highest COVID Deaths”

Early in Pandemic, Frantic Doctors Traded Tips Across Oceans

Amid the chaos of the pandemic’s early days, doctors who faced the first coronavirus onslaught reached across oceans and language barriers in an unprecedented effort to advise colleagues trying to save lives in the dark.With no playbook to follow and no time to wait for research, YouTube videos describing autopsy findings and X-rays swapped on … continue reading -> “Early in Pandemic, Frantic Doctors Traded Tips Across Oceans”

Trump To Ban TikTok

President Donald Trump says he intends to ban the operation of TikTok in the U.S.Trump said Friday he could take action as soon as Saturday to stop the operation of the popular video-sharing social media app in the U.S.“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” he told reporters traveling … continue reading -> “Trump To Ban TikTok”

US Health Experts: COVID-19 Vaccine Could be Ready by 2021

The United States has passed the marker of 150,000 deaths from COVID-19, as some spots around the country continue to see rising case numbers. The political, economic and public health crises are a source of ongoing concern for lawmakers. But the nation’s top health experts did have some encouraging news Friday, telling a congressional panel … continue reading -> “US Health Experts: COVID-19 Vaccine Could be Ready by 2021”

3 Charged in Massive Twitter Hack, Bitcoin Scam

A British man, a Florida man and a Florida teen hacked the Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls to scam people around globe out of more than $100,000 in bitcoin, authorities said Friday. Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested Friday in Tampa, where the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office will prosecute him as adult. … continue reading -> “3 Charged in Massive Twitter Hack, Bitcoin Scam”

Twitter Bans Account of Former KKK Leader David Duke

Twitter Inc said on Friday it has permanently suspended the account of David Duke, a former leader of the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan, as the social media company tries to curb the spread of hateful content on its website.Duke’s account had been suspended for repeatedly violating Twitter’s policy on hateful content and harmful … continue reading -> “Twitter Bans Account of Former KKK Leader David Duke”

EU Sanctions Russian Intelligence, N.Korean, Chinese Firms over Alleged Cyberattacks

The European Union on Thursday imposed travel and financial sanctions on a department of Russia’s military intelligence service and on firms from North Korea and China over their suspected participation in major cyberattacks across the world.In its first-ever sanctions related to cybercrime, the EU targeted the department for special technologies of the Russian military intelligence … continue reading -> “EU Sanctions Russian Intelligence, N.Korean, Chinese Firms over Alleged Cyberattacks”

WHO Warns Africa Against Easing of Coronavirus Restrictions

The World Health Organization on Thursday warned Africa against easing coronavirus restrictions as the number of infections on the continent has doubled in the past month.WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said at a virtual news conference, “We are concerned that … we will see an increase in cases as we have seen in … continue reading -> “WHO Warns Africa Against Easing of Coronavirus Restrictions”

Amid Pandemic, Big Tech Reports Mixed Earnings

Big Tech companies reported mixed quarterly earnings Thursday, a day after their top executives faced a tough congressional grilling over their market power and alleged monopolistic practices.The staggering economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic was reflected in reports released Thursday from Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet.Apple delivered surprisingly strong numbers with … continue reading -> “Amid Pandemic, Big Tech Reports Mixed Earnings”

NASA Rover En Route to Mars to Look for Signs of Life

The U.S. has launched its next-generation Mars rover in search of potential signs of life on the red planet.NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance, launched at 11:50 GMT Thursday from Cape Canaveral in the southeastern state of Florida.The robotic explorer was propelled into space by an Atlas 5 rocket operated by the United Launch Alliance, a joint … continue reading -> “NASA Rover En Route to Mars to Look for Signs of Life”

NASA Rover Continues Quest to Find Evidence of Life on Mars

NASA aims its new rover to an ancient Martian river delta searching for evidence of past life.  A French astronaut is scheduled to become the first European astronaut aboard a SpaceX capsule destined for the International Space Station. And Virgin Galactic unveils a new spaceship. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space. …

US Launches Next-Generation Rover to Mars

The U.S. has launched its next-generation Mars rover in search of potential signs of life on the red planet.NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance, launched at 11:50 GMT Thursday from Cape Canaveral in the southeastern state of Florida.The robotic explorer was propelled into space by an Atlas 5 rocket operated by the United Launch Alliance, a joint … continue reading -> “US Launches Next-Generation Rover to Mars”

NASA’s Next-Generation Mars Rover Launches Thursday Morning

NASA’s next-generation Mars rover Perseverance is set for liftoff from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on Thursday on a mission to search for traces of potential past life on Earth’s planetary neighbor.The U.S. space agency’s $2.4 billion mission is scheduled for launch at 7:50 a.m. ET and is expected to reach Mars in February.LIVE NOW: The #CountdownToMars … continue reading -> “NASA’s Next-Generation Mars Rover Launches Thursday Morning”

COVID Vaccines Enter Final Tests 

Two coronavirus vaccines entered the final phase of testing this week. There are now five shots in the pipeline. Scientists expect to know by the end of the year if any of them are safe and effective. VOA’s Steve Baragona has this update. …

2020’s Final Mars Mission Poised for Blastoff from Florida

The summer’s third and final mission to Mars — featuring NASA’s most elaborate life-hunting rover — is on the verge of liftoff.The rover Perseverance will follow China’s rover-orbiter combo and a United Arab Emirates orbiter, both launched last week. It will take the spacecraft seven months to reach Mars after traveling 300 million miles.Once on … continue reading -> “2020’s Final Mars Mission Poised for Blastoff from Florida”

Scientists Discover Ancient Microbial Life 5 Kilometers Below Sea Level

Living microbes, possibly millions of years old, have been discovered more than five kilometers beneath the  Pacific Ocean’s surface, in an area believed to have been devoid of life.In a study published Tuesday, Japanese and American scientists described what they found in sediment samples taken from a flat, wide area 3.7 kilometers to 5.7 kilometers … continue reading -> “Scientists Discover Ancient Microbial Life 5 Kilometers Below Sea Level”

US Treasury to Recommend Options to Trump About Tik Tok

The Chinese-owned app TikTok is under a security review by the U.S. government, which will make a recommendation on the matter to President Donald Trump next week, according to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.Trump said Wednesday, “we are thinking about making a decision” about TikTok.The video-sharing social media app, is extremely popular in both the US. … continue reading -> “US Treasury to Recommend Options to Trump About Tik Tok”

VOA-TEK: COVID-19 – How Did We Get Here?

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has the world in its grip. Not since the Spanish flue outbreak of 1918 has a disease spread across the world so far and so fast. But how did we get here, and what have we learned? This is the story behind the virus called SARS-CoV-2 that has left … continue reading -> “VOA-TEK: COVID-19 – How Did We Get Here?”

Loss of Smell, Taste During COVID Infection Only Temporary, Scientists Say

One of the most frustrating symptoms of COVID-19 coronavirus is the loss of the sense of smell and scientists now say they think they understand why it happens. The experts writing in the journal Science Advances said the coronavirus infiltrates the cells that provide major structural support to sensory neurons — the neurons that detect odors and send those messages to the brain. Since the sense of smell is linked to the sense of taste, the coronavirus also affects the … continue reading -> “Loss of Smell, Taste During COVID Infection Only Temporary, Scientists Say”

Chinese Hackers Targeted Vatican, NY Times Reports

The New York Times Wednesday said the Vatican’s computer networks have been breached by Chinese hackers since May, in an apparent espionage effort before the start of sensitive talks between the Roman Catholic Church and Communist China. The Times says the attack, discovered by private U.S.-based cybersecurity and monitoring firm Recorded Future, appears to be the first time hackers … continue reading -> “Chinese Hackers Targeted Vatican, NY Times Reports”

Congress to Question Tech CEOs About Market Dominance

They control the digital spaces where many around the world spend their time, shop, work, and talk to friends and family.  Together, the companies’ combined annual sales are roughly the same as the gross domestic product of Saudi Arabia, as Axios notes.Now the CEOs of four top U.S. technology companies — Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google – are set to answer questions Wednesday in … continue reading -> “Congress to Question Tech CEOs About Market Dominance”