U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday regarding social media platforms, after Twitter tagged a pair of his tweets with a fact-check warning.Sources close to the White House say the president’s executive order would require the Federal Communication Commission to clarify a section of the Communications Decency Act that largely exempts online … continue reading -> “Trump to Sign Executive Order Aimed at Reining in Twitter”
The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, recently called for mental health treatment to be given to millions of people around the world who are suffering from psychological distress triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not just about those who are sick – but for all of us, the fear of what might happen if … continue reading -> “This Shared Fear Unites Us During Pandemic”
NASA postponed Wednesday’s scheduled launch of a Space X rocket ship, the first manned commercial space flight in history.NASA canceled the launch 16 minutes before takeoff because of the threat of lightning near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA will try again Saturday to send the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.The launch … continue reading -> “NASA Postpones 1st Commercial Space Flight”
The launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts on a history-making flight into orbit was called off with 16 minutes to go in the countdown Wednesday because of thunderclouds and the danger of lightning. Liftoff was rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.The commercially designed, built and owned spacecraft was set to blast off in the … continue reading -> “Historic SpaceX Launch Postponed Because of Stormy Weather”
“Do as I say, but not as I do” was the message many British saw in the behavior of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s key aide, who traveled hundreds of miles with coronavirus symptoms during the country’s lockdown. While Dominic Cummings has faced calls for his firing but support from his boss over his journey from … continue reading -> “Hypocrisy Gone Viral? Officials Set Bad COVID-19 Examples”
French lawmakers were set to vote Wednesday on whether to endorse a contact-tracing app designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus amid sharp debate over privacy concerns. If approved, France’s StopCovid app will be made available to users on a voluntary basis starting Monday. The government committed to honoring the result of the non-binding … continue reading -> “France’s Virus Tracing App Ready to Go, Parliament to Vote”
Vietnam’s financial hub is setting aside land to develop what locals call a new “Silicon Valley,” a reference to the area of California where a lot of new technology is developed, but with not-so-California characteristics, such as state planning and a lack of venture capital. The Home Affairs Department of Ho Chi Minh City filed a plan this month to … continue reading -> “Why Vietnam’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Won’t Be Like California’s”
When NASA’s Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, few thought it would take more than eight years for U.S. astronauts to launch back into orbit from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But as VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, hopes ride high on a new “space race” of privately developed launch systems ushering in a new era of U.S. … continue reading -> “NASA Launch Marks New Era in Space Travel”
NASA and SpaceX are set to launch a crewed mission Wednesday to the International Space Station from U.S. soil for the first time since 2011. Two NASA astronauts will be on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in what is the final part of the testing phase of NASA’s work with private companies to return to launching Americans into … continue reading -> “NASA, SpaceX Set to Launch First Crewed Mission”
Amazon.com Inc is in advanced talks to buy self-driving startup Zoox Inc, in a move that would expand the e-commerce giant’s reach in autonomous-vehicle technology, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.The deal will value Zoox at less than the $3.2 billion it achieved in a funding round in 2018, the Journal reported, citing people … continue reading -> “WSJ: Amazon in Advanced Talks to Buy Self-Driving Startup Zoox”
Even by using the tools at his disposal at the Adler Planetarium situated along the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Director of Astronomy Geza Gyuk acknowledges there is a limit to what he can see and do in understanding the cosmos.“We’ve got a 24-inch telescope in the back of the Adler. It’s not a … continue reading -> “SpaceX Launch Marks New Era in Space Travel”
A U.S. judge has dealt another blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to increase domestic oil and gas output from public lands, saying officials failed to protect habitat for a declining bird species when it issued energy leases on hundreds of square miles. Judge Brian Morris said the Interior Department did not do enough to encourage … continue reading -> “Judge Strikes Down US Energy Leasing Rules in Bird Habitat”
Officials with the U.S. space agency say the weather is looking favorable for the scheduled launch Wednesday of the first manned space craft from U.S. soil in nine years. During a briefing from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said the forecast is currently at 60% favorable for launch, an improvement from Monday … continue reading -> “NASA Says Wednesday Launch Is a ‘Go’ at Kennedy Space Center”
Italy’s new contact tracing app for the coronavirus is about to be launched in a number of pilot regions. It will be available to everyone in the country on a voluntary basis and will guarantee the privacy of users, officials who commissioned its development say. Italians will be able to download the contact tracing … continue reading -> “Italy’s New COVID-19 App Tracks Contacts and Protects Privacy”
Merck & Co Inc, which has largely kept to the sidelines of the race for COVID-19 treatments, said it was buying Austrian vaccine maker Themis Bioscience and would collaborate with research nonprofit IAVI to develop two separate vaccines. It also announced a partnership with privately held Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop an experimental oral antiviral … continue reading -> “Merck Leaps Into COVID-19 Development Fray with Vaccine, Drug Deals”
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit failed Monday on its first attempt to launch a test satellite into space aboard a rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath … continue reading -> “Branson’s Virgin Orbit Fails on First Rocket Launch Attempt”
Countries should levy an “orbit congestion charge” on satellite operators to tackle the growing concentration of space junk cluttering the skies, researchers said on Monday, but with some doubting the practicalities of such a fee. From dead satellites to bits of rockets, the amount of debris orbiting the planet is already so great that space agencies … continue reading -> “Could a Space Congestion Charge Clear Up Junk-ridden Skies? “
The World Health Organization said Monday that it will temporarily drop hydroxychloroquine — the malaria drug U.S. President Trump says he is taking — from its global study into experimental COVID-19 treatments, saying that its experts need to review all available evidence to date. In a press briefing, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that … continue reading -> “UN Trial for Virus Therapies Pauses Testing on Trump’s Drug”
When President Donald Trump doesn’t like the message, he shoots the messenger. So it was this past week when he took very personally a scientific study that should give pause to anyone thinking of following Trump’s lead and ingesting a potentially risky drug for the coronavirus. He branded the study’s researchers, financed in part by … continue reading -> “AP Fact Check: Faulty Trump Claims on Virus Drug, Vote Fraud”
Cyberattacks have been flying fast and furious around the world during these days of global uncertainty because of the coronavirus. Countries accuse each other of engaging in cyber warfare, and each of the accused also claims to be a cyber victim. International organizations dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic have also been targeted. Linda Gradstein reports … continue reading -> “Cyberattacks Spike Amid Coronavirus Pandemic”
Several snow leopards, including a mother and her cub, have been spotted near the Kazakh city of Almaty wandering through a usually popular hiking destination that is now mostly off limits due to the coronavirus lockdown. There are only around 150 snow leopards left in Kazakhstan, out of a global population of less than … continue reading -> “Rare Snow Leopards Spotted Near Kazakh City Amid COVID Lockdown”
A New England teenager is collecting old devices to connect loved ones to patients quarantined in hospital rooms. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us this good news story from New England. …
The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Teslas and a sleek rocketship — all of it white with black trim. The color coordinating is thanks to Elon Musk, the driving force behind both SpaceX and Tesla, and a big fan of flash and science fiction. NASA astronauts Doug … continue reading -> “SpaceX’s 1st Astronaut Launch Breaking New Ground for Style “
The newest branch of the U.S. military began a mostly-classified mission in public view while Japan launched a rocket to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, astronauts scheduled to make history next week reported for duty. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi transports us through This Week in Space. …
Nearly 80 million children under age 1 are at higher risk of preventable diseases such as measles, cholera and polio because of the disruption of routine vaccination programs, according to a report released Friday by the World Health Organization and other global organizations. Immunization campaigns have been disrupted in half of the 129 countries surveyed … continue reading -> “WHO, Other Groups Say COVID-19 Restrictions Put Vaccine Programs at Risk “