Month: August 2022

Month: August 2022

VOA Interview NASA Astronaut Victor Glover
08/31/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

VOA’s Kane Farabaugh spoke with NASA Astronaut Victor Glover ahead of Monday’s scheduled Artemis launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. While the launch was postponed, NASA’s quest to return to the moon and eventually send humans to Mars remains a priority for the U.S. space agency. …

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Musk Cites Whistleblower as New Reason to Exit Twitter Deal
08/30/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Elon Musk and Twitter lobbed salvos at each other Tuesday in the latest round of legal filings over the billionaire Tesla CEO’s efforts to rescind his offer to buy the social media platform.  Musk filed more paperwork to terminate his agreement to buy Twitter, this time based on information in a whistleblower complaint filed by

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Excitement Over Cryptocurrency Tinged With Fear
08/30/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has fallen dramatically in recent months. Still, many investors are excited about the future of digital currencies despite the risks. VOA’s Michelle Quinn reports from San Francisco. …

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Elon Musk Subpoenas Twitter Whistleblower Ahead of Trial
08/29/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Elon Musk’s legal team is demanding to hear from Twitter’s whistleblowing former security chief, who could help bolster Musk’s case for backing out of a $44 billion deal to buy the social media company.  Former Twitter executive Peiter Zatko — also known by his hacker handle “Mudge” — received a subpoena Saturday from Musk’s team,

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US Navy Turns to Driverless Ships for Indo-Pacific Strategy
08/29/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

As the U.S. military continues to consider China’s military strength in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Navy is turning to driverless ships to multiply its forces. VOA’s Jessica Stone takes us along for a closer look at this military innovation. Camera: Keith Lane …

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NASA Moon Rocket on Track for Launch Despite Lightning Hits 
08/28/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

NASA’s new moon rocket remained on track to blast off on a crucial test flight Monday, despite a series of lightning strikes at the launch pad. The 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket is the most powerful ever built by NASA. It’s poised to send an empty crew capsule into lunar orbit, a half-century after

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Experts Worry Digital Footprints Will Incriminate US Patients Seeking Abortions
08/26/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of protections for abortion rights has intensified scrutiny of the personal data that technology firms collect. Apple, Facebook and Google typically comply with legal requests for user data. For women who live in states where most abortions are now illegal, their smartphones and devices could be used against them. Tina

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California Phasing Out Gas Vehicles in Climate Change Fight 
08/26/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

California set itself on a path Thursday to end the era of gas-powered cars, with air regulators adopting the world’s most stringent rules for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles. The move by the California Air Resources Board to have all new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs be electric or hydrogen by 2035 is likely to reshape

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For First Time, Facebook, Twitter Take Down Pro-US Influence Operation
08/26/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

This summer, for the first time, Facebook and Twitter removed a network of fake user accounts promoting pro-Western policy positions to foreign audiences and critical of Russia, China and Iran, according to a new report. The accounts, which violated the companies’ terms of service, “used deceptive tactics to promote pro-Western narratives in the Middle East

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Ukrainian Company Repairs Broken Drones to Help Military
08/23/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are playing a huge part in the war in Ukraine. But keeping them in the air can be challenging. One Ukrainian company is doing just that and more. Kateryna Markova has the story. Camera – Viktor Petrovych. …

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‘Silicon Lifeline’: Report Reveals Western Technology Guiding Russia’s Weapons in Ukraine
08/19/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Microelectronics produced in the United States and allied countries are crucial components of Russian weapons systems used in the Ukraine invasion, according to a report by Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. The RUSI report, Silicon Lifeline: Western Electronics as the Heart of Russia’s War Machine, says more than 450 foreign-made components have been found in

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US Boosting Domestic Solar Industry, Reducing Reliance on China
08/18/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China’s global dominance in the solar industry is a supply chain and national security risk, according to some industry observers, and one of the reasons that the United States has been trying to boost domestic solar manufacturing capacity. U.S. President Joe Biden Tuesday signed into law the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax incentives

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India’s Vast Rural Areas Plug into Digital Economy  
08/17/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

In the past year, there has seen a dramatic transformation in the way customers pay for their purchases in Banuri, a village in the Himachal Pradesh state of North India. Whether at a small grocery store or a street cart, instead of handing over cash, they use a simple system that involves scanning a code

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India’s Vast Rural Areas Plug into Digital Economy
08/17/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

In India, an initiative to bring internet access across the country has helped millions plug into new digital technologies. One of them is a payments system that is transforming the way business is being done in the vast rural areas of the country. Anjana Pasricha has a report. …

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Ukraine Cyber Chief Visits ‘Black Hat’ Hacker Meeting in Las Vegas
08/12/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Ukraine’s top cyber official addressed a room full of security experts at a hackers convention following a two-day trip from Kyiv to a casino in Las Vegas. During his unannounced visit, Victor Zhora, deputy head of Ukraine’s State Special Communications Service, told the so-called Black Hat convention Wednesday that the number of cyber incidents that

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Facebook Use Plunges Among US Teens, Survey Finds
08/11/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. teens have left Facebook in droves over the past seven years, preferring to spend time at video-sharing venues YouTube and TikTok, according to a Pew Research Center survey data out Wednesday. TikTok has “emerged as a top social media platform for U.S. teens” while Google-run YouTube “stands out as the most common platform used

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Race for Semiconductors Influences Taiwan Conflict 
08/10/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China has blocked many of Taiwan’s exports in retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on August 2, but certain goods including semiconductors and high-tech products have been spared because of China’s reliance on those products from Taiwan, experts say. “It is unlikely that Beijing will take serious trade actions against electronic

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Biden Signs Semiconductor Bill Boosting US Competitiveness
08/09/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost U.S. competitiveness against China by allocating billions of dollars toward domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research. “The United States must lead the world in the production of these advanced chips. This law will do exactly that,” Biden said in remarks

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Australia to Permit Offshore Wind Farms 
08/08/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Offshore wind farms are to be permitted for the first time in Australia. The Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has declared part of the Victoria coast an offshore wind zone and a 60-day community consultation process will soon begin. The Australian government has designated the country’s first offshore wind zone, which gives developers permission to

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Biden Celebrates Semiconductor Legislation to Boost US Competitiveness Against China
08/03/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

President Joe Biden virtually joined Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Tuesday to celebrate the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost U.S. competitiveness against China by allocating billions of dollars toward domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research. “This bill makes it clear the world’s leading innovation will happen in America. We will both invent in

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Biden Celebrates Semiconductor Legislation to Boost US Competitiveness Against China
08/03/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

US President Joe Biden virtually joined Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday to celebrate the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost US competitiveness against China by allocating billions of dollars toward domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …

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Kenyan Ministers Say Government Not Banning Facebook
08/01/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Kenyan ministers said the government has no intention of banning Facebook despite a watchdog last week accusing the social media platform of failing to stop hate speech ahead of Aug. 9 elections. Kenya’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) last week gave Facebook one week to comply with regulations against ethnic hate speech or risk

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