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, April 1, 2014

Posted April 1st, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Women, Impeded By Social Norms, Still Don’t Get IT Non-profit organization Catalyst says only 14.6 percent of executive officer positions in Fortune 500 companies last year were held by women. This number hasn’t budged much in four years; and the same is true at startup companies and social media firms. But the problem might actually […]

Can Wireless Electricity Power the World?

Posted March 28th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Remember the last time you wanted to recharge your cellphone only to discover that you forgot the electric cord somewhere else? And if you are hopelessly dependent on your cellphone and there is no replacement charger in sight, then you have a problem. It doesn’t have to be that way, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology […]

Tech Sightings, March 27, 2014

Posted March 27th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Tomorrow’s Cargo Ships Will Use Augmented Reality to Sail the Seas The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Rolls-Royce says operating ships by remote control is already a possibility; and there are plans to deploy the first remotely-operated ship as early as next year. NASA Crowdsources New Spacesuit Design As of Wednesday morning, More […]

Tech Sightings, March 26, 2013

Posted March 26th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Most US Workplaces Today Still Lag in Gender Equality A study conducted by Cornell University had researchers submit more than 1,000 fake resumes to real job openings. The resumes had identical credentials, but varied on gender and whether or not the candidate had children. The fake male candidates with children were found the most hireable, […]

Tech Sightings, March 25, 2014

Posted March 25th, 2014 at 2:47 pm (UTC-5)
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UN Highlights Value of Biogas from Wastewater The UN’s latest World Water Development Report released for World Water Day highlights biogas generation from wastewater as a promising technology to provide energy in developing countries, particularly in warm climates in Asia and Africa. Twitter Ban Sparks ‘Arms Race’ With Tech Savvy Turks Turks are exploring more […]

Income Governs Internet, Mobile Use in Developing World

Posted March 21st, 2014 at 2:07 pm (UTC-5)
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Young, educated people around the world are more likely to embrace Internet and mobile technology. If you missed our recent post, the young and educated go online at higher rates than other age groups and people without a college degree. They are more likely to engage in social media interactions and more likely to own […]

Tech Sightings, March 20, 2014

Posted March 20th, 2014 at 2:21 pm (UTC-5)
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How a 3-D Printed Arm Gave Hope to Boy Maimed in Sudan Bomb Blast In Sudan’s Nuba mountains, Dr. Tom Catena is treating thousands of people who lost limbs in the country’s bloody conflict. Many of his patients are children. One is a 12-year-old boy who lost his arms in an aerial attack. While surgery […]

Tech Sightings, March 19, 2014

Posted March 19th, 2014 at 2:20 pm (UTC-5)
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New Research Claims Microsoft’s Bing Censors More Heavily Within China Than Baidu GreatFire, a Chinese Web monitoring service, has again raised objections that Microsoft’s Bing heavily censors within China, even more than domestic search engine Baidu. Bing came under fire last month for censoring China-related information worldwide. Internet Currency Helps Kenya Build Water Wells A […]

Tech Sightings, March 18, 2014

Posted March 18th, 2014 at 2:18 pm (UTC-5)
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The African Version of Amazon Will Emerge From Nigeria Not to be outdone by Amazon, African companies in East Africa are also experimenting with a drone initiative that uses large cargo robots in a race around Mount Kenya to deliver and collect payloads. That initiative faces many challenges, though, and the future “African Amazons” are […]

Fight to End Violence Against Women Goes High-Tech

Posted March 14th, 2014 at 2:04 pm (UTC-5)
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In an ideal 21st century world, there would be no violence – against women or any other group. The naive assumption would be that social strides would match technological progress going into a more enlightened future. But in this imperfect world, where violence against women remains a real, global phenomenon, technology is coming to the […]