Kampala, Uganda — Ugandan officials are preparing to deploy a trial vaccine as part of efforts to stem an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, a top health official said Sunday. A range of scientists are developing research protocols relating to the planned deployment of more than 2,000 doses of a candidate vaccine against the … continue reading -> “Uganda set to begin Ebola vaccine trial after new outbreak kills nurse”
TOKYO — Japan’s space agency said Sunday it successfully launched a navigation satellite on its new flagship H3 rocket as the country seeks to have a more precise location positioning system of its own. The H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 6 satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went … continue reading -> “Japan launches navigation satellite on new flagship rocket “
LONDON — Britain will become the first country to introduce laws against AI tools used to generate sexual abuse images, the government announced Saturday. The government will make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate sexualized images of children, punishable by up to five years in prison, interior minister Yvette Cooper … continue reading -> “UK to become 1st country to criminalize AI child abuse tools”
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Saturday that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — the world’s leading HIV initiative — was covered by a waiver for life-saving humanitarian assistance during a 90-day pause in foreign aid. Just hours after taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump ordered the pause so foreign … continue reading -> “US says life-saving HIV treatment can continue during aid pause”
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — The Alaska Gold Rush town of Nome faced a bleak winter. It was hundreds of miles from anywhere, cut off by the frozen sea and unrelenting blizzards, and under siege from a contagious disease known as the “strangling angel” for the way it suffocated children. Now, 100 years later, Nome is remembering its … continue reading -> “Mushers, dogs braved Alaska winter to deliver lifesaving serum 100 years ago”
WASHINGTON — Facing intense scrutiny from U.S. senators over his potential profit from vaccine lawsuits while serving as the nation’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that if he is confirmed he will not collect fees from litigation against the drugmakers of a cervical cancer vaccine. Kennedy, who’s President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the … continue reading -> “RFK Jr. vows to stop collecting from vaccine lawsuit if confirmed to Cabinet”
KAMPALA, UGANDA — A day after Uganda’s Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola outbreak in the capital, Kampala, most Ugandans appeared unaware or unconcerned about the outbreak and went about their business normally. But health authorities are warning Ugandans not to take Ebola lightly. For weeks, Uganda has battled an outbreak of mpox, also known … continue reading -> “Uganda health officials warn of Ebola outbreak”
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — When Chinese startup DeepSeek released its AI model this month, it was hailed as a breakthrough, a sign that China’s artificial intelligence companies could compete with their Silicon Valley counterparts using fewer resources. The narrative was clear: DeepSeek had done more with less, finding clever workarounds to U.S. chip restrictions. However, that … continue reading -> “DeepSeek vs. ChatGPT fuels debate over AI building blocks”
WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Thursday approved a new type of pain pill designed to eliminate the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Journavx for short-term pain that often follows surgery or injuries. It’s the first new pharmaceutical … continue reading -> “FDA approves painkiller designed to eliminate risk of addiction”
A male nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola, the first recorded death by the disease in the East African country since an outbreak ended in 2023, health officials said. The 32-year-old nurse worked at Mulago National Specialised Hospital in Kampala, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of Uganda’s health ministry, said Thursday. The nurse died Wednesday … continue reading -> “Ugandan nurse dies of Ebola”
An estimated nine million Nigerians are deaf or have hearing impairments, and many cope with discrimination that limits their access to education and employment. But one initiative is working to change that — empowering deaf people with tech skills to improve their career prospects. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja. Camera: Timothy Obiezu …
WASHINGTON — A key Republican senator on Thursday said he was struggling with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination by President Donald Trump to run the top U.S. health agency, saying he had reservations about the nominee’s “misleading arguments” on vaccines. “Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Republican Senator … continue reading -> “Republican senator airs concerns about supporting RFK Jr to be US health secretary”
Kampala, Uganda — Uganda has confirmed an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the capital Kampala, with the first confirmed patient dying from the disease on Wednesday, the health ministry said on Thursday. The patient, a nurse at the Mulago referral hospital in the capital, had initially sought treatment at various facilities, including Mulago after developing … continue reading -> “Uganda confirms Ebola outbreak in capital Kampala, one dead”
Days after Chinese upstart DeepSeek revealed a breakthrough in cheap AI computing that shook the U.S. technology industry, the chief executives of Microsoft and Meta defended massive spending that they said was key to staying competitive in the new field. DeepSeek’s quick progress has stirred doubts about the lead America has in AI with models … continue reading -> “Microsoft, Meta CEOs defend hefty AI spending after DeepSeek stuns tech world”
A small Chinese company sent shockwaves around the tech world this week with news that it has created a high-performing artificial intelligence system with less computing power and at a lower cost than ones made by U.S. tech giants. Michelle Quinn reports. …
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the nation’s top health official, faced tough questions from senators Wednesday about his views on vaccinations, COVID-19 and the nation’s health care system. A member of one of America’s most famous political families, Kennedy could face a tough road to confirmation. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent … continue reading -> “Trump Health and Human Services nominee defends past statements about vaccines, COVID, health care”
A report issued Wednesday by Google found that hackers from numerous countries, particularly China, Iran and North Korea, have been using the company’s artificial intelligence-enabled Gemini chatbot to supercharge cyberattacks against targets in the United States. The company found — so far, at least — that access to publicly available large language models (LLMs) has … continue reading -> “Generative AI makes Chinese, Iranian hackers more efficient, report says”
WASHINGTON — In a contentious confirmation hearing on his nomination to become the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled to answer questions about how he would reform Medicaid or Medicare, the government health care programs used by millions of disabled, poor and older Americans. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician and … continue reading -> “Kennedy struggles to answer questions at confirmation hearing for top health post “
ISLAMABAD — A senior World Health Organization official cautioned Wednesday that the eradication of polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only countries where the paralytic virus persists, is threatened by the suspension of funding from the United States. In an online news conference, Hanan Balkhy, regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, emphasized the crucial role of … continue reading -> “WHO warns polio progress in Afghanistan, Pakistan at risk due to US funding cut”
Washington — Just one week after its initial release, China’s new artificial intelligence assistant, DeepSeek, has shocked American financial markets, technology companies and consumers, rocking confidence in America’s lead on emerging large-language models. The tool caused a nearly $1 trillion loss in market value for U.S.-based companies with connections to AI. DeepSeek has beat out ChatGPT … continue reading -> “Truth struggles against propaganda and censorship on China’s DeepSeek AI”
Russian disinformation narratives about illicit organ harvesting and biological experiments in Ukraine have no basis in fact. Russia intentionally distorts Ukrainian law intended to support vital medical procedures. …
Conservationists in Kenya are using an artificial intelligence-powered application to monitor forest degradation and launch reforestation. The data collected by the application is also used to project the amount of carbon that can be stored by a growing patch of forest. Juma Majanga reports from Nyeri, Kenya. …
Chinese researchers backed by a Hangzhou-based hedge fund recently released a new version of a large language model (LLM) called DeepSeek-R1 that rivals the capabilities of the most advanced U.S.-built products but reportedly does so with fewer computing resources and at much lower cost. High Flyer, the hedge fund that backs DeepSeek, said that the … continue reading -> “China’s DeepSeek AI rattles Wall Street, but questions remain”
The multibillion-dollar Stargate Project announced by U.S. President Donald Trump will focus on building data centers with the goal of turning the U.S. into a computing power empire, according to experts. Some believe the significant boost in U.S. computational capabilities will widen the gap with China in artificial intelligence. “And this is an industrial buildout … continue reading -> “VOA Mandarin: What is Stargate? Is China catching up in AI?”
LONDON/SINGAPORE — Investors hammered technology stocks on Monday, sending the likes of Nvidia and Oracle plummeting, as the emergence of a low-cost Chinese artificial intelligence model cast doubts on Western companies’ dominance in this sector. Startup DeepSeek last week launched a free assistant it says uses less data at a fraction of the cost of incumbent … continue reading -> “DeepSeek’s ‘Sputnik moment’ prompts investors to sell big AI players “