Malicious software called “ransomware” has forced British hospitals to turn away patients and affected Spanish companies such as Telefonica as part of a global outbreak that has affected tens of thousands of computers. How does it work? WannaCry — also …
Postpartum hemorrhaging is the leading cause of maternal deaths. An estimated 127,000 women bleed to death after giving birth. But there are hopeful signs that a widely available drug could save a third of those who hemorrhage after birth. VOA’s …
Most technology experts agree that self-driving cars will soon finish the testing phase and enter the commercial market, probably as taxis and delivery vehicles. But some of them wonder if the cars’ artificial brains will be able to cope with …
An aggressive wave of cyberattacks hit companies and public institutions around the globe Friday, causing international havoc and bringing many services to a standstill. Computers were locked up and users’ files held for ransom when dozens of countries were hit …
A global cyber attack on Friday affected British hospitals, government agencies and companies in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets, security software maker Avast said. Hacking tools widely believed by researchers to have been developed by …
An aggressive wave of cyberattacks has hit companies and public institutions around the globe, causing international havoc and bringing many services to a standstill. The cyberextortion attempt appeared to use stolen software developed by a U.S. spy agency. One of …
Among the first executive actions at the White House this year, President Donald Trump reinstated a law that bans any U.S. aid to international organizations that support the practice of abortion. Trump’s memorandum on the “Mexico City policy” reversed one …
A global cyberattack on Friday renewed concerns about whether the U.S. National Security Agency and other countries’ intelligence services too often horde software vulnerabilities for offensive purposes, rather than quickly alerting technology companies to such flaws. Hacking tools believed to …
Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has criticized the new Trump administration’s directives on school lunches during her first high-profile public appearance since leaving the White House. Obama, who led a nationwide effort to reduce childhood obesity while first lady, …
The killing of five U.N. peacekeepers in the Central African Republic this month points to the continued insecurity in the southeastern part of the country. That violence has had an impact on public health with the southeast reporting a rate …
From the United States and Canada to small islands in Europe and the Caribbean, Chinese are spending billions on new passports and visas to move their families away from their homeland. China’s middle and upper classes are demanding better schools, …
In a move that is likely to give a boost to China’s Belt and Road Forum, the United States has announced that it will participate in meetings on the initiative beginning this weekend in Beijing. The decision to attend is …
Like thousands of other small-business entrepreneurs in India, Charanjit Yadav saw his sales of generator sets and batteries plummet in the weeks after the government’s surprising move to scrap 86 percent of the country’s currency last November. Six months on, …
Apple says it will give $200 million to Corning Inc. so it can invest in a Kentucky plant that makes glass screens for iPhones and iPads. The California-based company says the money will come from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund. It …
An exoplanet located 437 light years away could shed light on the different ways planets form around their stars. HAT-P-26b, which astronomers call a “warm Neptune,” has a “primitive” atmosphere made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Its atmosphere is …
U.S. consumers bought more cars and hardware, and stepped up online purchases in April, after two months of sluggish sales. Friday’s report from the Commerce Department says retail sales rose four-tenths of a percentage point in April, and sales were …
A person has tested positive for the Ebola virus in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo. A spokesman for the World Health Organization says officials declared an Ebola outbreak in Bas-Uele province after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the …
A handful of New Yorkers have gathered at New York University to practice conversing in Arabic. Their two conversation partners have joined via Skype, video images projected side-by-side on a TV monitor. The scene would be nothing out of the …
After several large-scale incidents at nuclear power plants around the globe, public pressure in some countries led to abandoning the technology. But manufacturers say the new generation reactors are much safer, and their use will dramatically lower the air pollution …
A sweeping trade agreement, ranging from banking to beef, has been reached between Washington and Beijing, the U.S. Commerce Department announced on Thursday. “It was pretty much a Herculean accomplishment to get this done,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. …
Kongkaew Vonusak smiles when he recalls the arrival of Chinese investors in his tranquil village in northern Laos in 2014. With them came easy money, he said. The Chinese offered villagers up to $720 per hectare to rent their land, …
A Dutch entrepreneur has come up with an invention he says will allow him to start cleaning up a massive floating garbage patch in the Pacific two years ahead of schedule. “To catch the plastic, act like plastic,” Boyan Slat …
Ideas were flying at a brainstorming session to create a slogan for a group of North Carolina Democrats when Catherine Cloud blurted out a phrase that made a colleague’s eyes light up: “Because this is America.” The words were quickly …
The head of the U.S. Small Business Administration urged American businessmen and entrepreneurs to enter the global market, telling the United Nations on Thursday that just 1 percent of small businesses are currently exporting overseas. Linda McMahon said the nearly …