Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

All posts by Aida Akl

Tech Sightings, June 12, 2014

Posted June 12th, 2014 at 2:13 pm (UTC-5)
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Wearable Technology Sets Trend at Mobile Asia Expo San-Francisco-based Fitbit is launching its products in China this month as the popularity of its wearable health technologies continues to surge. South African Entrepreneurs Create Solar-Powered Android Tablet The Millbug Vuya is a solar-powered tablet developed by South African entrepreneurs Sabelo Sibanda and Thulisile Volwana. Using the latest […]

Tech Sightings, June 11, 2014

Posted June 11th, 2014 at 2:12 pm (UTC-5)
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New Technology Aims to Rid World Cup of ‘Ghost Goals’ Soccer’s governing bodies are working to resolve the issue of the “ghost goal” – a situation where it is impossible to tell if an air-borne ball in the goal area actually crosses the goal area. Now, with the help of a German company, FIFA will […]

Tech Sightings, June 10, 2014

Posted June 10th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Facebook, Twitter Brace for World Cup Fever Facebook is offering new features to help its huge soccer fanbase get the most out of the July 12 World Cup games in Brazil. Nearly 40 percent of the social media giant’s 1.28 billion users are football fans. The new features let football aficionados track their favorite players […]

Can Technology Boost Mine Safety?

Posted June 6th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Technological progress has enhanced mine safety significantly in recent years. But tragedies still occur. A recent mine explosion and fire in Turkey killed at least 301 coal miners, while a mine collapse in Chile in 2010 trapped 33 miners underground for a record 69 days. It took a massive rescue effort, sheer determination, ingenuity and […]

Tech Sightings, June 5, 2014

Posted June 5th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Tech Has Key Role to Play in Climate Change Battle Apart from political solutions to climate challenges, technology can help in reducing emissions, for example. Carbon capture and storage allows plants to burn the same amount of coal without the pollutants. Wide-scale implementation, though, might be a major challenge. Next-Gen Tech Featured at Asia’s Computex […]

Tech Sightings, June 4, 2014

Posted June 4th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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China State Media Calls for ‘Severe Punishment’ for Google, Apple, US Tech Firms The People’s Daily said on its microblog that U.S. technology companies like Apple, Google, Yahoo, Cisco, Microsoft, Facebook and others threaten China’s cybersecurity and Chinese Internet users, and they should be severely punished. LinkedIn Draws Fire for Tiananmen Square Censorship LinkedIn is being […]

Tech Sightings, June 3, 2014

Posted June 3rd, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Apple Expands into Health, Home Apple’s 25th annual conference for application developers unveiled plans to expand the company’s products into home and health management with new tools that track health and control household appliances. Internet Balloons in the Sky Can Also Fall Down Filling the sky with Internet balloons sounds like a cool idea that […]

Mobile Apps Empower Victims, Embolden Bullies

Posted May 30th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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The last two blog entries looked at cyberbullying and the dynamics that drive a bully to taunt a victim, sometimes to the brink of depression or suicide. Often, bullies exploit the same technologies their targets use for protection. But technology can provide tools that give kids, their parents and advocates an advantage in the battle against […]

Tech Sightings, May 29, 2014

Posted May 29th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Google Releases Its Diversity Numbers Google says it has been shy about publicizing its employment numbers, but has now decided that it’s time to reverse that decision. And the company admits it is not where it wants to be, given the numbers – women at 30 percent, blacks at 2 percent, Hispanics at 3 percent, […]

Tech Sightings, May 28, 2014

Posted May 28th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Can Twitter End World Hunger? The Global Poverty Project has once again challenged fundraisers to live below the poverty line for five days to mark World Hunger Day. While many charities have tweeted the effort, it remains unclear how social media, which is becoming increasingly pervasive, can help end world hunger. What Fog Can Do […]