News

National

Why Google Home Has Hard Time Recognizing The Smash Hit 'Despacito'

4:55pm November 16, 2017

by Aarti Shahani

The Latin Grammy nominated song "Despacito" is a smash hit on YouTube. But if you ask Google's personal assistant to play "Despacito" it can't understand the command. Even though YouTube is part of Google. It's a learning moment about artificial intelligence, how natural language processing works and why machines still struggle with translation and foreign accents.

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Takashi Yanaoka, president of the Musashigaoka Golf Course outside Tokyo, says tee times are booked at about 90 percent here. But it bucks an industry-wide downward trend.

Japan Has Half Of Asia's Golf Courses, But The Game's Popularity There Is Flagging

4:55pm November 16, 2017

by Elise Hu

In the 1980s, Japan built thousands of golf courses and the game became baked into its business culture. Those days are over. Golf participation in Japan has dropped by 40 percent since 1996.

Martha (right), the last known passenger pigeon, died in 1914. Her preserved body is now on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Science

Why Did The Passenger Pigeon Go Extinct? The Answer Might Lie In Their Toes

4:55pm November 16, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Billions of these birds once flew over North America, but the last known passenger pigeon died in 1914. To try to figure out what happened, scientists analyzed DNA from the toes of birds in museums.

A woman shows symptoms of monkeypox in 2008 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Monkeypox On The Rise: How Worried Should We Be?

4:53pm November 16, 2017

by Michaeleen Doucleff

The virus, a cousin of smallpox, is popping up in some African countries — and making headlines in the U.S. But is it really a rising threat?

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., apologized for an alleged sexual assault incident on a 2006 USO tour.

Sen. Al Franken Accused Of Sexual Assault By LA Model And Radio Host

4:05pm November 16, 2017

by Brian Naylor

The Minnesota Democrat put out a statement apologizing for the 2006 incident, in which he is accused of forcibly kissing a woman while on a USO tour and later groping her while she was sleeping.

A Yemeni man receives treatment at a hospital after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Taez, Yemen, on Tuesday.

World News

With 20 Million Yemenis In Need, Aid Groups Say 'Clock Is Ticking' To End Blockade

3:41pm November 16, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Between a massive cholera outbreak, a desperate food shortage and deadly airstrikes, 11 million children need aid — aid that can't get through due to the Saudi-led blockade, three major agencies say.

EPA Moves To Shield Older Semi Truck Engines In 'Gliders' From Emissions Rules

3:37pm November 16, 2017

by Bill Chappell

A new rule would cover "glider vehicles" — made by combining a new truck body with a salvaged diesel engine. The EPA says it sees them differently now than it did under the Obama administration.

Potato Research Institute geneticist Jaroslava Domkářová says that while potatoes are a staple crop in the Czech Republic, the recent blue "specialty varieties" are harder to market.

Czech Republic Creates Tuber For Health-Conscious Purple-Potato Eaters

3:26pm November 16, 2017

by Morgan Childs

"Val Blue" is the first new variety bred at the Potato Research Institute since 2005. And though vibrant, unique types are popular elsewhere, they're still a hard sell in this potato-loving nation.

Health & Safety

Remembering Health Care Economist Uwe Reinhardt

3:24pm November 16, 2017

Reinhardt, who died on Monday, helped shape the debate about health care by advocating for individual mandates and universal health care. Originally broadcast in 2009.

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Protesters take part in the March for Free Internet in Moscow in July. In addition to allegedly interfering with the U.S. election, Russia imposes limits on its own citizens' access to information, the Freedom of the Net report says.

How Disinformation And Distortions On Social Media Affected Elections Worldwide

2:30pm November 16, 2017

by James Doubek

Internet freedom declined again in the past year and "manipulation and disinformation tactics played an important role" in 18 countries' elections — including the U.S., according to an annual report.