‘Beating’ Human Heart Cells Help Spur Drug Discovery
A British tech company is using donated human heart tissue to replicate the "beating" action of heart muscle to aid preclinical testing of new drugs. Faith Lapidus reports. ...
Live Screening and Q&A – Beyond the Unicorn
Silicon Valley is less than 3% black, with an even smaller numbers of Africans. The race gap is actually much larger than the gender gap, and it’s growing. Join us for a live screening of "Beyond the Unicorn," a VOA documentary about the issue, followed by a Q&A session from Silicon Valley, the capitol of the U.S. technology sector. ...
Trump Expected to Turn Up the Heat on China in Looming Trade War
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected at any time to fire a salvo directly at China in what could escalate into a full-scale trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Trade actions against China, partly in response to the theft and improper transfer of American technology to Chinese companies, are expected to be announced by Trump as soon as Thursday. His schedule includes a midday signing of a memorandum “targeting China’s economic aggression.” On the anticipated eve of the measures, U.S. officials spoke to reporters about their monthslong investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 of Beijing’s trade practices. China has long been considered by many in the international community to have contravened fundamental principles of global trade, despite joining the World Trade Organization in 2001.…
US Congress Races to Pass $1.3 Trillion Spending Bill
U.S. congressional leaders have reached a deal on a $1.3 trillion spending bill as a budget deadline looms. Lawmakers now have until midnight Friday to approve it and prevent the year's third government shutdown. Passage of the massive bipartisan effort seems certain. The bill, which will keep the government funded until the end of September, has President Donald Trump's support, the White House said in a statement released Wednesday. "The president had a discussion with (House) Speaker (Paul) Ryan and (Senate) Leader (Mitch) McConnell, where they talked about their shared priorities secured in the omnibus spending bill," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Deadline late Friday The bill will give Trump a huge budget increase for the military, including a 2.4 percent pay raise for military personnel. It…
EXCLUSIVE: Kaspersky Lab Plans Swiss Data Center to Combat Spying Allegations: Documents
Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab plans to open a data center in Switzerland to address Western government concerns that Russia exploits its anti-virus software to spy on customers, according to internal documents seen by Reuters. Kaspersky is setting up the center in response to actions in the United States, Britain and Lithuania last year to stop using the company’s products, according to the documents, which were confirmed by a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The action is the latest effort by Kaspersky, a global leader in anti-virus software, to parry accusations by the U.S. government and others that the company spies on customers at the behest of Russian intelligence. The U.S. last year ordered civilian government agencies to remove the Kaspersky software from their networks. Kaspersky has strongly rejected the…
Nestle Provides Lifeline for Struggling Kenyan Coffee Farmers
When Nestle executive Stephan Canz attended the German school in Nairobi in the early 1980s, it was surrounded by lush coffee farms. Today, the trees have long since been uprooted and replaced by a shopping mall and upmarket homes, driving a sharp drop in production of Kenya's premium beans. "The coffee has disappeared," said Canz, who co-manages Swiss-based Nestle's partnerships with coffee farmers globally. "You have to go almost to the slopes of Mount Kenya to find coffee." Kenya accounts for just 1 percent of the global crop, but its high-quality arabica beans are sought-after for blending with other varieties. Alarmed by a steep drop in the country's production, Nestle, which buys 10 percent of the world's coffee and has the leading packaged coffee business, is working with farmers to…
French Protests to Cause Widescale Train Disruption on Thursday
French commuters face major train service disruptions on Thursday due to an unexpectedly large walkout by railway workers angry at the government's plans to shake up the state-owned and highly indebted SNCF rail company. Labor unions said last week they would launch rolling strikes in early April, but France's transport minister said many were planning to join a wider day of public service protests on Thursday, reducing rail services by 50 percent. "There will ultimately be serious disruption tomorrow," Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne said. Unions are on a collision course with the government over its plans for the biggest shake-up of SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer) since the nationalization of the railways in the 1930s. Among the government's plans are the trimming of benefits received by SNCF's 260,000…
New Technology Being Developed for Pacemakers
When you are watching a television show and see someone get their heart shocked back into a rhythm, you will see their entire body rise up in the air. That's what happens when a defibrillator is used, because the shock is that powerful. As VOA's Carol Pearson reports, scientists are now working on better, more effective, and less-shocking ways to get a heart to start beating once again. ...
Peter Peterson, Billionaire and Philanthropist, Dies at 91
Peter G. Peterson, a billionaire and business executive who became one of the most prominent voices to argue for entitlement reform and reducing the U.S. national debt, died of natural causes early Tuesday, his family said. He was 91. Born in the small town of Kearney, Nebraska, to Greek immigrants, Peterson was CEO of two major U.S. companies and co-founded one of the world’s largest private-equity firms. He was a national figure in business by the early 1960s, serving as chairman and CEO of Bell and Howell, one of the largest manufacturers of movie cameras at the time. He left Bell and Howell to work for the Nixon administration in the early 1970s, eventually serving as secretary of commerce from 1972 to 1973. Lehman Brothers He took over as…
Egyptian Court Rules Uber, Careem Illegal; Appeal Expected
An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered authorities to revoke the operating licenses of the Uber and Careem ride-hailing services and block their mobile apps and software. The government and the companies are expected to appeal the administrative court verdict, which would prevent it from being implemented until a higher court weighs in. The administrative court in Cairo ruled that it is illegal to use private vehicles as taxis. Both companies provide smartphone applications that connect passengers with drivers who work as independent contractors. In a brief statement posted on its Facebook account, Careem said it "hasn't been notified officially to stop its operations" and was operating normally. There was no immediate comment from Uber. Uber was founded in 2010 in San Francisco, and operates in more than 600 cities across…
WTO Members Say US Actions Threaten Trade Body’s Credibility
Nearly 50 countries expressed concern on Tuesday about the "serious threat" to the World Trade Organization posed by unilateral trade actions, a pointed reference to U.S. import tariffs that have caused a global outcry. Delivering concluding remarks after a two-day informal meeting of the WTO members in New Delhi, Indian Trade Minister Suresh Prabhu did not refer to the United States by name. He said members expressed deep concern over the "serious threat" posed to the credibility of the WTO, particularly on its principle of "non-discrimination" following the cycle of recent unilateral trade measures. "In some interventions, the need for WTO members taking urgent and coordinated action to address the underlying issues was highlighted," Prabhu said. "It was recognized by almost all the participants that it is the collective responsibility…
EU Tightens Labor Laws Despite Polish, Hungarian Opposition
The European Union said on Tuesday that the right of citizens from poorer member states to work in richer ones on a low salary would be limited to 18 months under a reform of the bloc's labor laws sought by France. The new law, promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron and backed by Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands, among others, would rein in current rules on the so-called posting of workers, which richer EU states say undercut their labor markets. Poorer EU states from Spain to Poland have opposed the change, saying their citizens should be allowed to work in a wealthier state on a lower salary than a worker from the host country under the bloc's competition rules. The deal, which had been tentatively agreed earlier this month, also…
Britain, US Probing Use of Facebook Data by British Voter Profiling Company
Social media giant Facebook faced new investigations Tuesday in both Britain and the United States about the vast troves of information compiled by the company about their users and how that data has been deployed to influence elections by Cambridge Analytica, a British voter profiling business. British information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said she is seeking a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica's London headquarters to see whether Facebook did enough to protect users' personal information about themselves and their friends. Weekend reports said Cambridge Analytica had improperly used information about more than 50 million Facebook users, including $6 million in work to influence Americans to vote for real estate mogul Donald Trump in his successful 2016 run for the U.S. presidency. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is…
Facebook Under Fire for Developer’s Data Mining
The Facebook backlash is intensifying. Congressional leaders, regulators in the United States and Europe and state officials are putting pressure on Facebook to answer questions about fresh allegations over how the social networking giant was manipulated in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Senate Commerce Committee has sent questions to the company about how a data consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, allegedly used 50 million Facebook users’ data to aid political campaigns. British and U.S. lawmakers called for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify. The company is reportedly holding an employee meeting Tuesday to answer questions. Among the tough questions the company faces is why it did not inform the affected users about the issue. On Monday, the firm’s stock dropped nearly seven percent, losing $36…
Crash Marks 1st Death Involving Fully Autonomous Vehicle
A fatal pedestrian crash involving a self-driving Uber SUV in a Phoenix suburb could have far-reaching consequences for the new technology as automakers and other companies race to be the first with cars that operate on their own. The crash Sunday night in Tempe was the first death involving a full autonomous test vehicle. The Volvo was in self-driving mode with a human backup driver at the wheel when it struck 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg as she was walking a bicycle outside the lines of a crosswalk in Tempe, police said. Uber immediately suspended all road-testing of such autos in the Phoenix area, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto. The ride-sharing company has been testing self-driving vehicles for months as it competes with other technology companies and automakers like Ford and…
New York Councilman Investigating Kushner Real Estate Company
A New York City councilman and a tenants' rights group said they will investigate allegations that the real estate company formerly controlled by Jared Kushner, a presidential adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, falsified building permits. In allegations first uncovered by The Associated Press, the Kushner Companies is accused of submitting false statements between 2013 and 2016, stating it had no rent-controlled apartments in buildings it owned when it actually had hundreds. Rent-controlled apartments come under tighter oversight from city officials when there is construction work or renovations in buildings. The councilman and tenants' rights group charged the Kushner Companies of lying about rent-control in order to harass and force out tenants paying low rents so it can move in those who would pay more. They also blame city officials…
Colombia Proposes IMF Assistance for Venezuelan Refugees
Colombia proposed on Monday that the International Monetary Fund provide assistance to help several hundred thousand Venezuelan refugees who have fled an economic and political crisis to neighboring countries, officials at the G20 summit said. The proposal was discussed at a meeting on Venezuela by leading finance ministers from the Western Hemisphere, the European Union and Japan, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. "The consensus is that the situation is extremely negative and we must by any means possible try to influence a solution to the problem and a change in Venezuela's situation, mainly from the humanitarian point of view," Brazilian Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told reporters. The fund, to be decided by the IMF next month, would only be used outside Venezuela and not by socialist President Nicolas Maduro's…
Trump Bans US Use of Venezuelan Cryptocurrency
The Trump administration on Monday banned all use by Americans of Venezuelan cryptocurrency, saying that its introduction is intended to skirt U.S. sanctions. In a separate move, the administration also slapped sanctions on four current and former senior Venezuelan officials accused of corruption and mismanagement. In an executive order that took effect immediately upon its issuance, President Donald Trump declared illegal all U.S. transactions related to Venezuelan digital currencies, coins or tokens. The prohibition applies to all people and companies subject to U.S. jurisdiction. The move follows the introduction last month of a Venezuelan cryptocurrency known as the "petro," for which the government says it has received investment commitments of $5 billion. In the executive order, Trump said it was an "attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions" imposed for…
Self-Driving Car Hits and Kills Pedestrian Outside of Phoenix
A self-driving car has hit and killed a woman in the southwestern United States in what is believed to be the first fatal pedestrian crash involving the new technology. Police said Monday a self-driving sport utility vehicle owned by the ride sharing company Uber struck 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, who was walking outside of a crosswalk in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe. She later died in a hospital from her injuries. Uber said it had suspended its autonomous vehicle program across the United States and Canada following the accident. Police say the vehicle was in autonomous mode, but had an operator behind the wheel, when the accident took place. Testing of self-driving cars by various companies has been going on for months in the Phoenix area, as well as…
Indonesia to Effectively Continue Fuel Subsidy
Indonesian president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed ministers to keep fuel prices stable over the next two years, said Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan, which would, in effect, continue a controversial fuel subsidy scheme that analysts say has negatively impacted growth and the environment. The Ministry said it would increase the per-liter subsidy for diesel and regular petrol from 500 Indonesian rupiah (about $0.35) to 700-1000 rupiah ($0.49-$0.70) while keeping pump prices unchanged. The measure indicates how protectionist measures have been hard to shake for the initially reform-minded Jokowi, who made several inroads against subsidies in 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile, the rupiah continues to sink in the global market, due in part to Indonesia's widening current-account deficit. On Monday, Credit Suisse said "the rupiah is among the most vulnerable emerging market currencies…
German Band Works in Concert With "Robotic" Instruments to Create Music Mix
German band Joasihno strikes a chord in a unique way as it takes its show on the road. Currently touring in Canada, the two-man band works in concert with a "robotic" element that can play several instruments at the same time. "Actually we call it psychedelic robot orchestra," said Cico Beck, one of the creators of the band. "It’s a combination of acoustic instruments but also very trashy robot instruments," he added. Once hooked up to wires and set up, instruments that include a xylophone, drum and cymbal play on their own. Another contraption, a horizontal, self-revolving wooden stick, stands atop a microphone stand. The stick contains long strings tied on each end with a wooden ping pong-sized-ball attached. As the stick rotates, the balls hit a block on the…
German Band Works in Concert With ‘Robotic’ Instruments to Create Music Mix
German band Joasihno strikes a chord in a unique way as it takes its show on the road. Currently touring in Canada, the two-man band works in concert with a "robotic" element that can play several instruments at the same time. "Actually we call it psychedelic robot orchestra," said Cico Beck, one of the creators of the band. "It’s a combination of acoustic instruments but also very trashy robot instruments," he added. Once hooked up to wires and set up, instruments that include a xylophone, drum and cymbal play on their own. Another contraption, a horizontal, self-revolving wooden stick, stands atop a microphone stand. The stick contains long strings tied on each end with a wooden ping pong-sized-ball attached. As the stick rotates, the balls hit a block on the…
Robot Orchestra Creates Otherworldly, Psychedelic Music at SXSW
The annual music festival and tech conference, South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas just ended. The event brings together tech startups and musicians from around the globe to network and showcase their work. The types of music played at the festival are as diverse as the musicians there. One band from Germany called Joasihno performed at the festival. The group includes two guys and robots as band members. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. ...
Facebook’s Zuckerberg Comes Under Fire From UK, US Lawmakers
Lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic criticized Facebook and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, after reports surfaced that another company, Cambridge Analytica, improperly harvested information from 50 million Facebook users. A British lawmaker accused Facebook on Sunday of misleading officials by downplaying the risk of users' data being shared without their consent. Conservative legislator Damian Collins, who heads the British Parliament's media committee, said he would ask Zuckerberg or another Facebook executive to appear before his panel, which is investigating disinformation and "fake news." Collins said Facebook has "consistently understated" the risk of data leaks and gave misleading answers to the committee. "Someone has to take responsibility for this," he said. "It's time for Mark Zuckerberg to stop hiding behind his Facebook page." Collins also accused the head of…
US Investigates Deaths in Hyundai-Kia Cars When Air Bags Failed
Air bags in some Hyundai and Kia cars failed to inflate in crashes and four people are dead. Now the U.S. government’s road safety agency wants to know why. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it’s investigating problems that affect an estimated 425,000 cars made by the Korean automakers. The agency also is looking into whether the same problem could happen in vehicles made by other companies. In documents posted on its website Saturday , the safety agency says the probe covers 2011 Hyundai Sonata midsize cars and 2012 and 2013 Kia Forte compacts. The agency says it has reports of six front-end crashes with significant damage to the cars. Four people died and six were injured. Electrical circuits The problem has been traced to electrical circuit shorts in…
Women ‘Weed Warriors’ Leading the Way in US Pot Revolution
The pot revolution is alive and well in the state of Colorado where recreational cannabis has been legal since 2014. While the full impact of legal marijuana in Colorado has yet to be determined, what is clear is that cannabis has become a giant moneymaker for the state. And as Paula Vargas reports from Denver, women entrepreneurs — weed warriors, as some have called them — are leading the way. ...
Lawmakers Say Britain Should Consider Longer EU Exit Process if Needed
Britain should consider a limited extension to its exit process from the European Union if needed to ensure details of its future relationship with the bloc are agreed, a committee of lawmakers said in a report. Prime Minister Theresa May formally notified the EU of Britain's intention to leave by triggering Article 50 of the membership treaty on March 29, 2017, setting the clock ticking on a two-year exit process. Britain has said it wants to have the basis of a trade deal set out with the EU by October, but the Exiting the EU Committee said in a report published Sunday that deadline would be tight. "In the short time that remains, it is difficult to see how it will be possible to negotiate a full, bespoke trade and market access agreement, along with a range of other agreements, including…
Annual Energy Conference Showcases New Technologies
At this week's three-day Energy Innovation Summit, organized annually by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA-e for short, experts, entrepreneurs, investors and government officials shared ideas, research results and experiences about challenges facing the generation, transformation, distribution and storage of all forms of energy. VOA's George Putic gives an overview. ...