TEHRAN, IRAN — Iran’s top council responsible for safeguarding the internet voted Tuesday to lift a ban on the popular messaging application WhatsApp, which has been subject to restrictions for over two years, state media reported. “The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was removed by unanimous vote of the members …
your ad hereBig banks, business groups sue US Federal Reserve over annual ‘stress tests’
Major banks and business groups sued the Federal Reserve on Tuesday, alleging the U.S. central bank’s annual “stress tests” of Wall Street firms violate the law. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, claims the Fed’s practice of determining how big banks perform against hypothetical economic turmoil, …
your ad hereVOA Mandarin: Trump’s new AI policy seeks to loosen regulations, support innovation, defeat China
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence security, setting the stage for deregulation for AI companies by nominating pro-business, pro-startups Silicon Valley leaders. The nomination of Jacob Helberg, an outspoken China critic, for a key State Department post indicates Trump’s intention …
your ad hereNissan, Honda announce plans to merge, creating world’s No. 3 automaker
TOKYO — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger, forming world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan …
your ad hereAlbanian PM says TikTok ban was not ‘rushed reaction to a single incident’
Tirana, Albania — Albania’s prime minister said Sunday the ban on TikTok his government announced a day earlier was “not a rushed reaction to a single incident.” Edi Rama said Saturday the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular video service of inciting violence and bullying, especially …
your ad hereTrump taps ex-Treasury official Miran as chair of Council of Economic Advisers
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Stephen Miran, a Treasury Department adviser in his first administration, would be the chair of his Council of Economic Advisers. The council advises the president on economic policy and is composed of three members, including the chair. The council assists in the …
your ad hereAlbania to shut down TikTok for 1 year, says platform promotes violence among children
TIRANA, ALBANIA — Albania’s prime minister said Saturday the government will shut down the video service TikTok for one year, blaming it for inciting violence and bullying, especially among children. Albanian authorities held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents following the stabbing death of a teenager in mid-November by another teen …
your ad hereTrump wants US to dominate AI as industry weighs benefits, risks
Generative artificial intelligence companies are racing to build on the popularity of programs like ChatGPT, but AI regulation has not kept pace with the technology. Now, an incoming administration could favor U.S. domination over risk mitigation. Tina Trinh reports. …
your ad hereRising butter prices give European consumers and bakers a bad taste
PARIS — Pastry chef Arnaud Delmontel rolls out dough for croissants and pains au chocolat that later emerge golden and fragrant from the oven in his Paris patisserie. The price for the butter so essential to the pastries has shot up in recent months, by 25% since September alone, Delmontel says. …
your ad hereUS slow to react to pervasive Chinese hacking, experts say
As new potential threats from Chinese hackers were identified this week, the federal government issued one of its strongest warnings to date about the need for Americans — and in particular government officials and other “highly targeted” individuals — to secure their communications against eavesdropping and interception. The warning came …
your ad hereAmazon workers strike at seven US facilities ahead of Christmas rush
Amazon.com workers at seven U.S. facilities walked off the job early on Thursday during the holiday shopping rush, aiming to pressure the retailer into contract talks with their union. Warehouse workers in cities including New York, Atlanta and San Francisco are taking part in the “largest” strike against Amazon, said …
your ad hereBluesky could become target of foreign disinformation, experts warn
washington — Experts on cybersecurity and online foreign influence campaigns are urging social media company Bluesky, whose app has exploded in popularity in recent weeks, to step up moderation to counter potential state-sponsored influence efforts. Over the past month, Bluesky, a microblogging platform with its roots in Twitter, has seen one …
your ad hereThailand joins other Asia nations in battle against cheap Chinese imports
Bangkok — For many countries in Southeast Asia, Chinese investment and tourism are key to their economies. However, cheap low-quality Chinese products that are flooding markets across the region are also raising concerns about how they are undercutting local businesses, experts say. That is forcing countries like Thailand to find ways …
your ad hereUS Federal Reserve cuts key loan rate by quarter-point
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday by a quarter-point — its third cut this year — but also signaled that it expects to reduce rates more slowly next year than it previously envisioned, largely because of still-elevated inflation. The Fed’s 19 policymakers projected that they would …
your ad hereUS cyber watchdog seeks switch to encrypted apps following ‘Salt Typhoon’ hacks
WASHINGTON — The U.S. cybersecurity watchdog CISA is telling senior American government officials and politicians to immediately switch to end-to-end encrypted messaging following intrusions at major American telecoms blamed on Chinese hackers. In written guidance released on Wednesday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said “individuals who are in senior government …
your ad hereTop US Senate Republican urges Supreme Court to reject TikTok appeal
WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell on Wednesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a bid by TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance to block a law intended to force the sale of the short-video app by January 19 or face a ban on national security grounds. The …
your ad hereKenyan president strongly defends animal vaccination program
NAIROBI, KENYA — Kenya’s president said Tuesday that a mass livestock vaccination campaign will continue despite fears of some herders and farmers that the inoculations will somehow hurt their animals. Kenyan President William Ruto lashed out at those objecting to a Ministry of Agriculture livestock vaccination program, which the ministry says …
your ad hereSenators urge US House to pass Kids Online Safety Act
A bipartisan effort to protect children from the harms of social media is running out of time in this session of the U.S. Congress. If passed, the Kids Online Safety Act would institute safeguards for minors’ personal data online. But free speech advocates and some Republicans are concerned the bill …
your ad hereVOA Kurdish: Syrian currency increased; prices remain high
After the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the value of the Syrian currency increased against the U.S. dollar, but the price of goods remains high. Residents say that traders are exploiting this situation and that official monitoring institutions are not properly preventing this. Click here to see the …
your ad hereG20 watchdog urges governments to address non-bank financial risks
ZURICH — The Financial Stability Board (FSB) on Wednesday pitched recommendations for governments to reduce risks around hedge funds, insurers and other non-bank financial intermediaries, which now account for almost half of global financial assets. The sector of non-bank financial intermediation has grown by around 130% between 2009 and 2023, making …
your ad hereNissan, Honda confirm talks on closer collaboration but say there’s been no decision on a merger
BANGKOK — Japanese automakers Nissan Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday that they are discussing closer collaboration but denied reports they have decided on a merger. Nissan’s share price soared more than 22% in Tokyo after reports citing unnamed sources said it might merge with Honda to form the …
your ad hereCongo files criminal complaints against Apple in Europe over conflict minerals
Paris — The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech firm of using conflict minerals in its supply chain, lawyers for the Congolese government told Reuters. Congo is a major source of tin, tantalum and tungsten, so-called 3T minerals used …
your ad hereEU investigates TikTok over Romanian presidential election
LONDON — European Union regulators said Tuesday they’re investigating whether TikTok breached the bloc’s digital rulebook by failing to deal with risks to Romania’s presidential election, which has been thrown into turmoil over allegations of electoral violations and Russian meddling. The European Commission is escalating its scrutiny of the popular video-sharing …
your ad hereLabor organization: International migrants play crucial role in global economy
GENEVA — Migrants play a crucial role in the global economy by filling essential jobs in foreign countries and sending much-needed remittances to their home countries, according to a report released Monday by the International Labour Organization. The report’s release comes as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of …
your ad hereFirst salmon in century reach Oregon’s Klamath Basin after dam removal
On the U.S. West Coast, conservationists for the world’s largest dam-removal project are both celebrating initial successes and encountering short-term obstacles. VOA’s Matt Dibble has our story from the Klamath River on the border between California and Oregon. …
your ad here