Biden Administration Grilled Over $23B in Licenses for Blacklisted Chinese Firms

All, Business, News, Technology
The Biden administration approved more than $23 billion worth of licenses for companies to ship U.S. goods and technology to blacklisted Chinese companies in the first quarter of 2022, a Republican lawmaker said Tuesday. The data comes amid growing pressure on the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden to further expand a broad crackdown on shipments of sensitive U.S. technology to China from Republican lawmakers, who now control the House of Representatives. “Overwhelmingly, [the Commerce Department] continues to grant licenses that allow critical U.S. technology to be sold to our adversaries,” Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said at a hearing on combating the generational challenge of Chinese aggression, as he grilled U.S. officials for allowing the licenses to be approved. “How does…


Mexican President Says Tesla to Build Plant in Mexico

All, Business, News, Technology
Mexico's president announced Tuesday that electric car company Tesla has committed to building a major plant in the industrial hub of Monterrey in northern Mexico. President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador said the promise came in phone calls he had Friday and Monday with Tesla head Elon Musk. It would be Tesla's third plant outside the U.S., after one in Shanghai and one near Berlin. Lopez Obrador had previously ruled out such a plant in the arid northern state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is the capital, because he didn't want water-hungry factories in a region that suffers water shortages. But he said Musk's company had offered commitments to address those concerns, including using recycled water. "There is one commitment that all the water used in the manufacture of electric automobiles…


US: 25 Million Lives Saved by AIDS Program

All, News
The head of a U.S. government program to fight AIDS, Dr. John Nkengasong, says that in its 20 years of existence the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has saved 25 million lives. PEPFAR, set up in 2003 under the administration of former U.S. president George W. Bush, has transformed the trajectory of HIV/AIDS, Nkengasong told reporters Tuesday while visiting South Africa. “Twenty-five million lives have been saved, 5.5 million children have been born free of HIV/AIDS, health systems have been strengthened in a remarkable way,” he said. Nkengasong, who comes from Cameroon, said there was once a “sense of hopelessness” in Africa, the continent worst-hit by HIV/AIDS, but since then countries’ economies have increased and life expectancy has improved. Some 95% of the total $110 billion spent…


Father of Cellphone Sees Dark Side but Also Hope in New Tech

All, Business, News, Technology
Holding the bulky brick cellphone he’s credited with inventing 50 years ago, Martin Cooper thinks about the future. Little did he know when he made the first call on a New York City street from a thick gray prototype that our world — and our information — would come to be encapsulated on a sleek glass sheath where we search, connect, like and buy. He's optimistic that future advances in mobile technology can transform human lives but is also worried about risks smartphones pose to privacy and young people. “My most negative opinion is we don’t have any privacy anymore because everything about us is now recorded someplace and accessible to somebody who has enough intense desire to get it,” the 94-year-old told The Associated Press at MWC, or Mobile…


Death Toll in Equatorial Guinea Marburg Outbreak Rises to 11 

All, News
Two more people in Equatorial Guinea have died of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a cousin of the Ebola virus, bringing the toll of fatalities to 11, the authorities say. "Two days ago, the monitoring system recorded eight notifications, including the deaths of two people with symptoms of the disease," Health Minister Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba said in a statement issued late Tuesday. Work is underway "to strengthen assessment of the spread of the epidemic," said the statement, read on national television. "Forty-eight contact cases have been documented, four of whom have developed symptoms, and three who have been quarantined in hospital," it added. The Marburg virus is a rare but highly dangerous pathogen that causes severe fever, often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure. It is part of the so-called filovirus family…


EU Defends Talks on Big Tech Helping Fund Networks

All, Business, News, Technology
Europe's existing telecom networks aren't up to the job of handling surging amounts of internet data traffic, a top European Union official said Monday, as he defended a consultation on whether Big Tech companies should help pay for upgrades. The telecom industry needs to reconsider its business models as it undergoes a “radical shift” fueled by a new wave of innovation such as immersive, data-hungry technologies like the metaverse, Thierry Breton, the European Commission's official in charge of digital policy, said at a major industry expo in Barcelona called MWC, or Mobile World Congress. Breton's remarks came days after he announced a consultation on whether digital giants should help contribute to the billions needed to build the 27-nation bloc's future communications infrastructure, including next-generation 5G wireless and fiber-optic cable connections,…


US Ambassador: China Should Be Candid About COVID Origins

All, News
The U.S. ambassador to China says Beijing needs to be more forthcoming about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, a day after reports that the U.S. Energy Department concluded the outbreak likely began because of a Chinese laboratory leak. Nicholas Burns told a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event by video link Monday that China needs to "be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the COVID-19 crisis." Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in December 2019. His comments come a day after U.S. media reported that the Energy Department determined the pandemic likely arose from a laboratory leak in Wuhan. The department made its judgment in a classified intelligence report provided to the White…


US Cybersecurity Official Calls Out Tech Companies for ‘Unsafe’ Software

All, Business, News, Technology
A top U.S. cybersecurity official launched a warning shot at major technology companies, accusing them of "normalizing" the release of flawed and unsafe products while allowing the blame for safety issues, security breaches and cyberattacks to fall on their customers. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly called Monday for new rules and legislation to hold technology and software companies accountable for selling products that she says are released despite known vulnerabilities. While massive hacking campaigns by China and other adversaries, including Russia, Iran and North Korea, are a major problem, "cyber intrusions are a symptom rather than a cause," Easterly told an audience at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "The cause, simply put, is unsafe technology products," she said. "The risk introduced to all of us by…


Child Immunization Vaccine Shortage Hits Ghana  

All, News
The Ghana Health Service says a shortage of routine vaccines for children blamed for a measles outbreak that infected 120 will be resolved within weeks. Health officials said the shortage of vaccines against polio, hepatitis B, and measles was caused by the depreciation of Ghana's currency, the cedi. The Pediatric Society of Ghana warned childhood diseases could quickly spread if the vaccines were not soon made available.  For months, nursing mothers have been complaining of shortage of vaccines meant for babies from birth to at least 18 months. The situation became worse in February after major health facilities in 10 out of the 16 administrative regions of Ghana kept turning nursing mothers away due to erratic supply. Vivian Helemi said her baby girl missed one of the key vaccinations last…


Phone Firms Promise ‘Tsunami of Innovation’ at Barcelona Meeting

All, News
The big beasts of the telecom industry kicked off their most important annual get-together in Barcelona on Monday, promising to lead a "tsunami of innovation", as they try to shrug off a major slump across the technology sector. Some 80,000 delegates are expected at the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC), which is back to near full strength following years of pandemic-related disruption. Industrial titans like Huawei, Nokia and Samsung are set to showcase their latest innovations, flanked by smartphone makers like Oppo and Xiaomi and network operators like Orange, Verizon and China Mobile. "We are at the doors of a new change of era driven by the intersection of Telco, Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Web3," said Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, boss of Spanish operator Telefonica and current chairman of industry body…


‘An Absurdity’: Experts Slam WHO’s Excusal of Misconduct

All, News
Two experts appointed by the World Health Organization to investigate allegations that some of its staffers sexually abused women during an Ebola outbreak in Congo have dismissed the U.N. agency’s own efforts to excuse its handling of such misconduct as “an absurdity.” Some of the victimized women say — nearly four years later — they are still waiting for WHO to fire those responsible or be offered any financial compensation. In October 2020, Aichatou Mindaoudou and Julienne Lusenge were named by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to head a panel investigating reports that some WHO staffers sexually abused or exploited women in a conflict-ridden region of Congo during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak. Their review found there were at least 83 perpetrators of abuse who worked for WHO and partners, including…


Twitter Lays Off 10% of Current Workforce – NYT

All, Business, News, Technology
Twitter Inc has laid off at least 200 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, the New York Times reported late on Sunday, in its latest round of job cuts since Elon Musk took over the micro-blogging site last October.  The layoffs on Saturday night impacted product managers, data scientists and engineers who worked on machine learning and site reliability, which helps keep Twitter's various features online, the NYT report said, citing people familiar with the matter.  Twitter did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.  The company has a headcount of about 2,300 active employees, according to Musk last month.  The latest job cuts follow a mass layoff in early November, when Twitter laid off about 3,700 employees in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, who had acquired the company…


Launch of Space Station Crew Postponed

All, Business, News, Technology
NASA and SpaceX postponed a planned Monday launch of a four-member crew to the International Space Station due to a ground systems issue.  The decision came less than three minutes before the spacecraft was due to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  A backup launch date had already been set for early Tuesday.  The four-person crew includes two Americans, one Russian and one astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.  NASA said their planned six-month mission includes a range of scientific experiments including studying how materials burn in microgravity, collecting microbial samples from outside the space station and “tissue chip research on heart, brain, and cartilage functions.”  ...


SpaceX Preps Launch of Next ISS Crew for NASA

All, News
Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX was set to launch early Monday the International Space Station's next long-duration team into orbit, with an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates and a Russian cosmonaut joining two NASA crewmates for the flight. The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour, was set for liftoff at 1:45 a.m. EST (0645 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The four-member crew should reach the International Space Station (ISS) about 25 hours later, Tuesday morning, to begin a six-month mission in microgravity aboard the orbiting laboratory some 250 miles (420 km) above Earth. Designated Crew 6, the mission marks the sixth long-term ISS team that NASA has flown aboard SpaceX since…


Mexican States in Hot Competition Over Possible Tesla Plant

All, Business, News, Technology
Mexico is undergoing a fevered competition among states to win a potential Tesla facility in jostling reminiscent of what happens among U.S. cities and states vying to win investments from tech companies. Mexican governors have gone to extremes, like putting up billboards, creating special car lanes or creating mock-ups of Tesla ads for their states. And there's no guarantee Tesla will build a full-fledged factory. Nothing is announced, and the frenzy is based mainly on Mexican officials saying Tesla boss Elon Musk will have a phone call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The northern industrial state of Nuevo Leon seemed to have an early edge in the race. It painted the Tesla logo on a lane at the Laredo-Colombia border crossing into Texas last summer and is erecting…


Mobile Tech Fair to Show Off New Phones, AI, Metaverse

All, Business, News, Technology
The latest folding-screen smartphones, immersive metaverse experiences, AI-powered chatbot avatars and other eye-catching technology are set to wow visitors at the annual MWC wireless trade fair that kicks off Monday. The four-day show, held in a vast Barcelona conference center, is the world's biggest and most influential meeting for the mobile tech industry. The range of technology set to go on display illustrates how the show, also known as Mobile World Congress, has evolved from a forum for mobile phone standards into a showcase for new wireless tech. Organizers are expecting as many as 80,000 visitors from as many as 200 countries and territories as the event resumes at full strength after several years of pandemic disruptions. Here's a look at what to expect: Metaverse There was a lot of…


Spain: Patient Does Not Have Marburg Disease

All, News
A man in Spain who was suspected of having the deadly Marburg disease tested negative Saturday and does not have the virus, the health ministry said. Health authorities in Valencia earlier said they had detected the country's first suspected case of the infectious disease that has led to the quarantining of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea. The 34-year-old man, who had recently been in Equatorial Guinea, had been given the all-clear but would be tested again in the coming weeks, officials said. He had been transferred from a private hospital to an isolation unit at the Hospital La Fe in Valencia while tests were being conducted, the Valencian regional health authorities said. Three health staff who are treating the man were also isolated as a precautionary measure, authorities…


Spain Detects First Suspected Case of Marburg Disease

All, News
Spain has identified its first suspected case of Marburg disease.  The Spanish patient is a 34-year-old man who had recently traveled to the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea.  He was in a private hospital but has been transferred to an isolation unit at Hospital La Fe in Valencia for further tests, regional medical officials said. Marburg virus disease, or MVD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever which affects both people and non-human primates … Primates [including people] can become infected with Marburg virus, and may develop serious disease with high mortality.”  Spanish health officials said Saturday that more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea have recently been quarantined because of Marburg disease.   Earlier this month, two suspected cases of…


Uber Says Delhi’s Plans to Allow Only Electric Bike Taxis Will Impact Millions

All, News
Uber Technologies Inc. said on Friday plans by the local government in India's Delhi city to only allow electric vehicles to function as bike taxis would risk "finishing off the sector" and impact the mobility needs of millions. Delhi's plans, part of a new policy to regulate vehicles used by ride-hailing companies like Uber and rival Ola, are being finalized and will be rolled out soon, the Economic Times reported earlier this week. Reuters could not immediately confirm those plans. If implemented, this would mark an aggressive step towards the country's ambitions to ramp up the transition to vehicles that run on clean energy to reduce oil imports and curb pollution. Uber, in a blogpost, said any such move would put at risk the livelihood of over 100,000 drivers in…


White House Braces for Ruling on Abortion Pill’s Fate

All, News
The Biden administration is preparing for a worst-case scenario if a conservative federal judge rules in favor of a lawsuit seeking to restrict access to one of the two drugs typically used to induce a medicated abortion. Two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, can be taken by women at home and are used for just over half of U.S. abortions. But that could be quickly changed by a lawsuit filed by an anti-abortion group in Texas that claims the Food and Drug Administration wrongly approved mifepristone for use more than 23 years ago. The case is before a federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump. A ruling in favor of the abortion opponents could immediately shut down the sale of the drug, but women would still have access to medicated…


Google Tests Blocking News Content for Some Canadians

All, Business, News, Technology
Google is blocking some Canadian users from viewing news content in what the company said is a test run of a potential response to a Canadian government's online news bill. Bill C-18, the Online News Act, would require digital giants such as Google and Meta, which owns Facebook, to negotiate deals that would compensate Canadian media companies for republishing their content on their platforms. The company said it is temporarily limiting access to news content for under 4% of its Canadian users as it assesses possible responses to the bill. The change applies to its ubiquitous search engine as well as the Discover feature on Android devices, which carries news and sports stories. All types of news content are being affected by the test, which will run for about five…


US Agency Proposes California Spotted Owl Protection

All, News
Federal wildlife officials on Wednesday announced a proposal to classify one of two dwindling California spotted owl populations as endangered after a lawsuit by conservation groups required the government to reassess a Trump administration decision not to protect the brown and white birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that California spotted owls that have their habitats in coastal and Southern California be protected under the Endangered Species Act. That population "does not have a strong ability to withstand normal variations in environmental conditions, persist through catastrophic events, or adapt to new environmental conditions throughout its range," which led the agency to propose listing it as endangered, wildlife officials said. The other California spotted owl population, which lives in Sierra Nevada forests in California and western Nevada, would be…


UN Report: Women Are Dying in Greater Numbers During Pregnancy or Childbirth

All, News
A new report by four leading United Nations agencies and the World Bank estimates every two minutes, one woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, mostly from preventable causes. The report, “Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2020,” was produced by WHO, UNICEF, and the UNFPA, along with the World Bank Group and UNDESA/Population Division. Health officials say the data presented in the report should be a wakeup call for world leaders to take action to end maternal deaths by investing in health care systems and closing the widening social and economic inequities that contribute to these deaths. “While pregnancy should be a time of immense hope and a positive experience for all women, it is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for millions around the world,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,…


Zimbabweans Flooding Zambian Hospitals for Medical Care

All, News
Zimbabweans living on the border with Zambia are increasingly taking advantage of their neighbor's superior health care. But Zambian officials say they are also draining resources as nearly one-third of patients in some clinics and hospitals are Zimbabweans. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Lusaka, Zambia. VOA footage by Blessing Chigwenhembe. ...


Kenyan App Users Pay for Health Care With Personal Data

All, News
To address the relatively high cost of health care in Africa, a Kenyan mobile application lets users pay for medical services by selling their personal data through blockchain technology. Officials say Snark Health's Hippocratic Coins have attracted more than 300 doctors and 4,000 users.  Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi, Kenya. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo. ...