Amid long-standing and deepening tensions between Israel and Iran, some prominent Israelis with Persian roots have engaged in little-publicized contacts with Iran’s people and advocated for reviving the historic friendship…
more ...Australia Called ‘Easy’ Target for Hackers
Australian cybersecurity experts are calling for more aggressive government action to protect businesses from ransomware attacks. Experts have warned a “tsunami of cybercrime” has cost the global economy about $743…
more ...Iranian Hackers Target US Military, Defense Companies
Iran appears to be intensifying its effort to exploit U.S. and Western targets in cyberspace, running a campaign aimed at manipulating American military personnel and defense companies on social media.…
more ...Experts Say Genetic Data Collection by Chinese Company Presents Global Policy Challenge
A Chinese gene company is collecting genetic data through prenatal tests from women in more than 50 countries for research on the traits of populations, raising concern that such a…
more ...US Offering up to $10 Million for Information to Combat Overseas Ransomware Attacks
The U.S. government said Thursday it will begin offering up to $10 million for information to identify or locate malicious cyber actors working on behalf of a foreign government that…
more ...$10 Million Rewards Bolster White House Anti-Ransomware Bid
The State Department will offer rewards up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of anyone engaged in foreign state-sanctioned malicious cyber activity against critical U.S. infrastructure —…
more ...India Internet Law Adds to Fears Over Online Speech, Privacy
It began in February with a tweet by pop star Rihanna that sparked widespread condemnation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of massive farmer protests near the capital, souring…
more ...Boris Johnson Promises Measures to Protect Soccer Players from Online Abuse
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Wednesday to enact measures to protect British professional soccer players from online abuse. Punishment for someone found guilty of such abuse could include banishment from…
more ...Internet Restrictions Hold Back Africa’s Economic Growth, Study Finds
A report by a non-profit group says Africa needs to increase internet access to boost its economies, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The advocacy group found that…
more ...Mind Reader Wristband Uses Your Thoughts to Make Devices Work
In the future, keyboards and remote controls may be replaced with a more direct way for humans to interact with machines — hand gestures. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more. Camera: Elizabeth Lee…
more ...Texas Democrats Leave State to Try to Stop GOP Voting Bill
Democrats in the Texas Legislature bolted Monday for Washington, and said they were ready to remain there for weeks in a second revolt against a GOP overhaul of election laws, forcing a…
more ...Tech Giants to Donate COVID Vaccines to Taiwan in China Workaround
Taiwanese tech giants Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced Monday they will each donate five million coronavirus vaccine doses to the government in a deal with a China-based distributor. Taipei…
more ...China Announces New Cybersecurity Industry Strategy
China’s technology ministry Monday announced a three-year action plan to develop the country’s cyber-security industry, which it estimates will be worth more than $38 billion by 2023, according to Reuters. The…
more ...Australia Says Last Troops Withdrawn From Afghanistan
Australia’s defense minister on Sunday confirmed the end of his country’s involvement in the 20-year Afghanistan war, saying the troop withdrawal had taken place “in recent weeks.” Australia announced in April…
more ...California Wildfire Advances as Heat Wave Blankets US West
Firefighters struggled to contain an exploding Northern California wildfire under blazing temperatures as another heat wave hits the U.S. West this weekend, prompting an excessive heat warning for inland and…
more ...Violence and Abuse Wreak Havoc in Central African Republic
A human rights lawyer appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council reported to the body Friday that the war-torn Central African Republic’s civilian population is being battered by both…
more ...Africa Update: Ethiopia, South Africa, Eswatini and Covid
On this Africa edition of Encounter, Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst for Africa and…
more ...At Least 8 Killed in Mogadishu in Suicide Bombing Targeting Government Convoy
A suicide car bomb targeting a government convoy exploded at a busy junction in Somalia’s capital on Saturday, killing at least eight people, an eyewitness told Reuters.The convoy was carrying…
more ...US-Afghanistan
Issues in the News moderator Kim Lewis talks with VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb and VOA executive editor Steve Redisch about concerns over the rapid withdrawal of US forces from…
more ...Hackers Disrupt Iran’s Rail Service with Fake Delay Messages
Iran’s railroad system came under cyberattack Friday, a semi-official news agency reported, with hackers posting fake messages about train delays or cancellations on display boards at stations across the country.…
more ...Biden, Putin Discuss Ransomware Attacks From Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden discussed recent ransomware attacks on the U.S. from Russia in a phone call Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the White House.“President Biden underscored…
more ...Buddhist Digital Amulets Mark Thai Entry Into Crypto Art Craze
Karmic fortune has arrived to the digital art market, with a kaleidoscopic splash of colors and the face of a revered Thai monk offering portable Buddhist good luck charms to…
more ...US Civil Rights Leaders Vow to Keep Up Fight for Voting Rights
U.S. civil rights leaders emerged Thursday from a White House meeting with President Joe Biden vowing a “summer of activism” to battle new voting restrictions enacted in Republican-led states in…
more ...Haitians Appeal for Help to Find ‘Trained Killers’ Who Assassinated President Moise
Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, says “professional killers” speaking Spanish shot and killed Haitian President Jovenal Moise on Wednesday morning. He appealed to the international community for…
more ...Chinese Social Media Giant WeChat Shuts LGBT Accounts
China’s most popular social media service has deleted accounts on LGBT topics run by university students and nongovernment groups, prompting concern the ruling Communist Party is tightening control over gay…
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