According to the World Health Organization, 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Many of them rely on wells and streams, making testing the water for bacterial contamination of crucial importance. However, cheap and reliable testing …
North Korea shipped coal to Russia last year which was then delivered to South Korea and Japan in a likely violation of U.N. sanctions, three Western European intelligence sources said. The U.N. Security Council banned North Korean exports of coal …
Grocery shopping went a little nuts in France when a supermarket chain deeply discounted jars of Nutella. Aficionados of the chocolate hazelnut spread jostled and fought each other when the Intermarché supermarkets offered the treat at a 70 percent discount. …
Melinda Gates has launched a high-level international commission to spark new thinking on how developing countries can best harness new technologies to reduce poverty. The wife of Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates spoke at the launch of the commission …
U.S. President Donald Trump has questioned whether peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians will ever resume. Trump made the remarks in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he …
U.S. and Mexican unions will formally complain to the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday that Mexico continues to violate NAFTA’s weak labor standards, a move that they hope will persuade U.S. negotiators to push for stronger rules. The AFL-CIO told …
Puerto Rico’s governor submitted a revised fiscal plan overnight Thursday that estimates the U.S. Caribbean territory’s economy will shrink by 11 percent and its population drop by nearly 8 percent next year. The proposal doesn’t set aside any money to …
The young woman, new to the grind of Chinese factory life, knew the man who called himself Kalen only by the photo on his chat profile. It showed him with a pressed smile holding a paper cup in a swank …
A top economic adviser and trusted aid of Chinese leader Xi Jinping has promised that reforms are coming to China this year and adds that some could even “exceed expectations.” Speaking at a forum on the Chinese Economy at the …
An estimated 5 million people around the world are bitten by venomous snakes each year, and more than 100,000 victims die. In many cases the key to survival is anti-venom, but getting the right treatment can depend on knowing what …
Scientists and NASA officials who spearheaded development of a space-based missile defense system in the 1980s are urging its revival to counter emerging nuclear threats from North Korea and other rogue states. False alarms over a North Korean missile attack …
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the U.S is “not concerned” about the value of the dollar in the short-term. At a press briefing at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, Mnuchin said the short-term value of the dollar is …
Donald Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos on Thursday, the first serving U.S. president to attend since Bill Clinton in 2000. Analysts say many delegates are braced for a clash of competing …
A federal jury in Wisconsin on Wednesday convicted a Chinese wind turbine company of stealing trade secrets, which nearly destroyed a U.S. manufacturer. China’s Sinovel Wind Group does business in the United States. “The theft of ideas and ingenuity is …
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation in an accident involving a Tesla car that may have been operating under its semi-autonomous Autopilot system. The board sent two investigators to Culver City, California, to learn whether the …
Apple’s next major update of its mobile software will include an option that will enable owners of older iPhones to turn off a feature that slows the device to prevent aging batteries from shutting down. The free upgrade announced Wednesday …
The International Telecommunication Union reports hundreds of millions of people in the world’s poorest countries now have access to the Internet and mobile devices. It is increasingly difficult to function in this modern digital world without access to the Internet, …
The high cost of living makes finding affordable child care a challenge in Silicon Valley. Three moms have founded the online platform “Roovillage” to help ease the burden. VOA’s Calla Yu reports from San Mateo, California. …
Virtual reality allows the user to enter a different world through sight and sound. Several researchers and companies are adding a third element to the virtual experience: the sense of touch. Researchers in haptics, meaning the feeling of touch, are …
Virtual reality allows the user to enter a different world through sight and sound. Now, researchers are adding a sense of touch to the experience, making the virtual world seem even more real. The ability to feel an object in …
The United States Food and Drug Administration will be talking about alternatives to cigarette smoking as it deliberates whether to approve a new product offered by tobacco companies that delivers nicotine to the user without burning tobacco. The American Lung …
The American Lung Association says fewer Americans smoke cigarettes now than before tobacco control policies were put in place. In its annual report, the ALA says smoking rates among adults and teens are at historic lows. On average, just over …
The Trump administration is set to announce a raft of trade decisions over the next months, ranging from curbs on foreign imports of steel and aluminum to steps to clamp down on China’s alleged theft of intellectual property. U.S. President …
Seven years ago, a computer beat two human quizmasters on a Jeopardy challenge. Ever since, the tech industry has been training its machines even harder to make them better at amassing knowledge and answering questions. And it’s worked, at least …