NAIROBI, KENYA — Some companies are coming up with creative ways of making electric vehicles a more realistic option in power-challenged areas of Africa. Countries in Africa have been slow adopters of battery-powered vehicles because finding reliable sources of electricity is a challenge in many places. The Center for Strategic and …
your ad hereCryptocurrency promoters on X amplify China-aligned disinformation
Washington — A China-linked disinformation operation is using so-called “Spamouflage” networks to ramp up Beijing’s propaganda aimed at social media users in the West who regularly promote cryptocurrency-related content on X. Spamouflage accounts are bots pretending to be authentic users that promote narratives that align with Beijing’s talking points issues, …
your ad hereUS farmers weigh tariffs, farm bill as Election Day nears
U.S. farmers are facing economic headwinds as they head to the polls this election year. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from Illinois …
your ad hereSaudi energy minister commits to crude capacity levels and climate targets
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia is “committed” to maintaining crude capacity at 12.3 million barrels per day, Energy Minister Prince Abulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, he said the world’s largest oil exporter would maintain its crude targets while also pursuing its …
your ad hereSaudi ‘Davos in the desert’ opens with region on war footing
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Global business leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a glitzy investor forum as conflict shakes the region and skepticism mounts over the Gulf kingdom’s most ambitious development projects. The Future Investment Initiative (FII) debuted in 2017 as a showcase for de facto ruler Crown …
your ad hereSmall modular reactors could give developing countries access to nuclear energy
Experts say small modular reactors, called SMRs, are bringing affordable nuclear energy to less wealthy countries. But what are SMRs and why are proponents so excited about them? VOA reporter Henry Wilkins explains …
your ad hereBioeconomy offers path to mitigating climate change, enhancing food production
Nairobi — Bioeconomy is the production, use, and conservation of biological resources to produce goods that sustain communities. A new report says the promotion of bioeconomy as a way to deal with climate change holds promise for rural areas in Africa and elsewhere. As the world grapples with how to cope …
your ad hereIn suburban Miami, Kmart’s last ‘Blue Light Specials’ flicker
MIAMI, FLORIDA — The last Kmart on the U.S. mainland sits at the west end of a busy suburban Miami shopping center, quiet and largely ignored. All around it are thriving chain stores attracting steady streams of customers in sectors where the former box-store chain was once a major player: Marshalls, …
your ad hereIMF raises concerns about effects of Sudan conflict on neighbors
WASHINGTON — The war in Sudan is likely to cause heavy economic damage in neighboring countries, the IMF’s deputy director for Africa, Catherine Pattillo, told AFP. “What is going on there for the people in Sudan is just so heart wrenching and devastating. For all of the neighboring countries, too,” she …
your ad hereUnion’s rejection of Boeing offer threatens jobs at aerospace suppliers
Striking workers’ rejection of planemaker Boeing’s BA.N latest contract offer has created a fresh threat to operations at aerospace suppliers such as family-run Independent Forge. If the strike by more than 33,000 U.S. Boeing workers persists another month, the Orange County, California supplier might need to cut its operations …
your ad hereIran’s aviation woes compounded by latest EU sanctions
Iranian photographer Tannaz was on her way to Tehran’s airport when European sanctions on flag carrier Iran Air forced her to return home, unable to make it to work in Paris. It was within hours of the European Union announcing measures last week against prominent Iranian officials and entities, including …
your ad hereUS military, intelligence agencies ordered to embrace AI
washington — The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies have new marching orders — to more quickly embrace and deploy artificial intelligence as a matter of national security. U.S. President Joe Biden signed the directive, part of a new national security memorandum, on Thursday. The goal is to make sure the United …
your ad hereAI decodes oinks and grunts to keep pigs happy in Danish study
VIPPEROD, Denmark — European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of interpreting pig sounds, aiming to create a tool that can help farmers improve animal welfare. The algorithm could potentially alert farmers to negative emotions in pigs, thereby improving their well-being, according to Elodie Mandel-Briefer, a behavioral biologist at …
your ad hereChina space plan highlights commitment to space exploration, analysts say
Chinese officials recently released a 25-year space exploration plan that details five major scientific themes and 17 priority areas for scientific breakthroughs with one goal: to make China a world leader in space by 2050 and a key competitor with the U.S. in space, for decades to come. Last week, …
your ad hereChinese official urges Apple to continue ‘deepening’ presence in China
A top Chinese official has urged tech giant Apple to deepen its presence and investment in innovation in the world’s second largest economy at a time when supply chains and companies are shifting production and operations away from China. As U.S.-China geopolitical tensions simmer and tech competition between Beijing and …
your ad hereBoeing reports $6 billion quarterly loss ahead of vote by union workers who have crippled production
EVERETT, Wash. — Boeing reported a loss of more than $6 billion in the third quarter and immediately turned its attention to union workers who will vote Wednesday whether to accept a company contract offer or continue their crippling strike, which has dragged on for nearly six weeks. New CEO …
your ad hereEthiopia begins selling stakes in state-owned company
Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunications company has started selling shares to the public, in a move aimed at establishing a new national stock market and giving Ethiopians a stake in the company, one of the country’s largest and most profitable. Ethio Telecom will be the first company listed on the new Ethiopian …
your ad hereIMF’s economic view: A brighter outlook for US but still-tepid global growth
Washington — The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday upgraded its economic outlook for the United States this year, while lowering its expectations for growth in Europe and China. It left its forecast for global growth unchanged at a relatively lackluster 3.2% for 2024. The IMF expects the U.S. economy — the …
your ad hereLower-priced new cars are gaining popularity, and not just for cash-poor buyers
Detroit — Had she wanted to, Michelle Chumley could have afforded a pricey new SUV loaded with options. But when it came time to replace her Chevrolet Blazer SUV, for which she’d paid about $40,000 three years ago, Chumley chose something smaller. And less costly. With her purchase of a …
your ad hereUS exporters race to ship soybeans as looming election stokes tariff worries
Chicagp — U.S. soybean export premiums are at their highest in 14 months, as grain merchants race to ship out a record-large U.S. harvest ahead of the U.S. presidential election and fears of renewed trade tensions with top importer China, traders and analysts said. Nearly 2.5 million metric tons of U.S. …
your ad here‘Garbage in, garbage out’: AI fails to debunk disinformation, study finds
Washington — When it comes to combating disinformation ahead of the U.S. presidential elections, artificial intelligence and chatbots are failing, a media research group has found. The latest audit by the research group NewsGuard found that generative AI tools struggle to effectively respond to false narratives. In its latest audit of …
your ad hereMicrosoft to allow autonomous AI agent development starting next month
Microsoft will allow customers to build autonomous artificial intelligence agents starting in November, the software giant said on Monday, in its latest move to tap the booming technology. The company is positioning autonomous agents — programs which require little human intervention unlike chatbots — as “apps for an AI-driven world,” capable of …
your ad hereShould minimum wage be lower for workers who get tipped? Two states are set to decide
Mel Nichols, a 37-year-old bartender in Phoenix, Arizona, takes home anywhere from $30 to $50 an hour with tips included. But the uncertainty of how much she’s going to make on a daily basis is a constant source of stress. “For every good day, there’s three bad days,” said Nichols, …
your ad hereTiny Caribbean island of Anguilla turns AI boom into digital gold mine
The artificial intelligence boom has benefited chatbot makers, computer scientists and Nvidia investors. It’s also providing an unusual windfall for Anguilla, a tiny island in the Caribbean. ChatGPT’s debut nearly two years ago heralded the dawn of the AI age and kicked off a digital gold rush as companies scrambled …
your ad hereBroke Argentine province counters austerity cuts with new currency
LA RIOJA, Argentina — They look like cash, fit into wallets like cash and the governor promises they’ll be treated like cash. But these brightly colored banknotes aren’t pesos, the depreciating national currency of Argentina, or U.S. dollars, everyone’s money of choice here. They are chachos, a new emergency tender invented …
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