ALGIERS, Algeria — In a square near the center of Algiers, currency traders carry wads of euros, pounds and dollars, hoping to exchange them to those worried about the plummeting value of the Algerian dinar. This black market for foreign currencies is among the signs of the economic woes plaguing Algeria. …
your ad herePrivate US Spaceflight Company’s Moonshot Underway
Can the United States make a return to the surface of the moon? NASA and a private U.S. spaceflight company hope so. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
your ad hereUS Justice Department Says It Disrupted Russian Intelligence Hacking Network
Washington — The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it disrupted a Russian intelligence hacking network. “For the second time in two months, we’ve disrupted state-sponsored hackers from launching cyber-attacks behind the cover of compromised U.S. routers,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. The Justice Department said …
your ad hereJapan Unexpectedly Slips into Recession
TOKYO — Japan unexpectedly slipped into a recession at the end of last year, losing its title as the world’s third-biggest economy to Germany and raising doubts about when the central bank would begin to exit its decade-long ultra-loose monetary policy. Some analysts are warning of another contraction in the current …
your ad hereChina’s VPN Usage Nearly Doubles Amid Internet Censorship
WASHINGTON — Last year, VPN usage in China nearly doubled, according to data from IT education news outlet Techopedia, this despite the country’s strict regime of internet controls of everything from overseas websites to online games. China’s “Great Firewall” is one of the world’s most comprehensive internet censorship regimes, preventing citizens …
your ad hereBiden is on TikTok Despite Security Concerns
In an effort to connect to younger voters, the Biden campaign has joined TikTok. But while many users have welcomed the move, security experts and even legislators have expressed disapproval amid long-standing privacy concerns surrounding the use of the Chinese-owned app. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has details from Washington. (Produced …
your ad hereMicrosoft Says It Caught Hackers From China, Russia and Iran Using Its AI Tools
State Production Unit Making Cheaper Labs for Schools in Kenya
A Kenyan government agency is helping students from low-income families access laboratories for science classes. The producer is making solar-powered mobile laboratories that are cheaper than building permanent facilities. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo …
your ad hereSilicon Valley Startup Discovers Huge Copper Deposits
A California-based company backed by tech billionaires says it has discovered major copper deposits in Zambia using artificial intelligence. The discovery comes as demand for the metal is especially high for the global transition to cleaner energy sources. Kathy Short reports from Lusaka, Zambia. (Camera and produced by: Richard Kille) …
your ad hereZimbabwe Will Attempt to Establish Gold-Backed Currency
Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government said Monday it is introducing a gold-backed currency to replace the country’s nearly worthless dollar, which most businesses have shunned, preferring the U.S. dollar or South African rand. Minister for Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube told reporters in an online press conference that Zimbabwe was …
your ad hereUS Inflation Slows as Price Pressures Ease Gradually
WASHINGTON — Annual inflation in the United States cooled last month yet remained elevated in the latest sign that the pandemic-fueled price surge is gradually and fitfully coming under control. Tuesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 0.3% from December to January, up from a …
your ad hereJapan Postpones Next-Gen Rocket Launch Due to Weather
Biden Campaign Joins TikTok, Despite Security Concerns
washington — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign Monday defended its new TikTok account as a vital way to boost its appeal with young voters, even as his administration continued to raise security concerns about whether the popular social media app might be sharing user data with China’s communist government. The campaign’s …
your ad hereConsumers Have Fewer Choices as Brands Prune Their Offerings
NEW YORK — How much choice is too much? Apparently for Coca-Cola, it’s about 400 different types of drinks. That’s why the beverage company recently decided to discontinue half of them, shedding brands like Tab, Zico coconut water, Diet Coke Fiesty Cherry and Odwalla juices but still leaving about 200 others …
your ad hereYellen to Visit Pittsburgh, Detroit to Tout Biden’s Economic Wins
WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan this week as part of an election-year push aimed at showcasing what she calls “the strongest economic comeback of our lifetimes.” Yellen will visit Pittsburgh on Feb. 13 and Detroit on Feb. 14 for …
your ad hereIMF Chief: Mideast Growth to Slow in 2024 on Oil Cuts, Gaza
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The International Monetary Fund said on Sunday Middle East economies were lagging below growth projections due to oil production cuts and the Israel-Gaza conflict, even as the global economic outlook remained resilient. Despite uncertainties, “the global economy has been surprisingly resilient,” IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva …
your ad hereCuba Charges 30 Over Massive Chicken Heist
HAVANA — Cuba has charged 30 people with stealing 133 tons of chicken and selling them on the street in a rare major heist at a time of food shortages in the communist-run nation. Thieves took the meat, in 1,660 white boxes, from a state facility in the capital, Havana, and …
your ad hereOnline University Provides Tuition-Free Education to Students Worldwide
The University of the People, a tuition-free online university, was founded in 2009 and accredited in 2014. The game-changing goal of the U.S. nonprofit is to make education accessible to some 140,000 students from 200 countries. Maxim Adams has the story. Video: Dana Preobrazhenskaya. …
your ad hereKenyan Farmers Embrace Chinese-Engineered Grass for Fodder
Having enough feed for livestock is critical to the food security of many African countries. Some farmers are considering adopting a Chinese-engineered grass called Juncao, advertised as high-yielding and fast-maturing. Some scientists advise caution. Francis Ontomwa has more from Kajiado, Kenya. Video: Amos Wangwa. …
your ad hereWill Immigrants Save US Economy as Baby Boomers Retire in Droves?
About 10,000 people born between 1946 and 1964 leave the workforce each day …
your ad hereNorth Korea Welcomes Russian Tourists, Likely First To Visit Since the Pandemic
Media Watchdog Finds ChatGPT Spreads More Disinformation in Chinese
A test of ChatGPT’s capabilities to create false information finds the chatbot spreads more disinformation in Chinese, says media watchdog NewsGuard. VOA’s Robin Guess has more. VOA footage by Michael Eckels, Roy Kim. …
your ad hereAI Deepfakes Pose Threat to Elections Worldwide
Four billion people worldwide have voted or are scheduled to do so in national elections through 2024. While the candidates and issues differ in each country, one common concern is the use of generative artificial intelligence in disinformation campaigns. VOA’s Valdya Baraputri has the story. …
your ad hereUS, China Officials Meet to Discuss Economy, Trade, Production
Oversight Board Urges Meta to Rethink Policy on Manipulated Media
NEW YORK — An oversight board is criticizing Facebook owner Meta’s policies regarding manipulated media as “incoherent” and insufficient to address the flood of online disinformation that already has begun to target elections across the globe this year. The quasi-independent board on Monday said its review of an altered video of …
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