Online sales boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those in some parts of Africa, where industry analysts say online trade is expected to grow by over half in the next…
more ...US Congress Moves Toward $52 Billion in Subsidies for Semiconductor Firms
The Senate this week took a key step toward passing a bill meant to provide $52 billion in subsidies to the semiconductor industry in the United States, part of an…
more ...Brussels Calls on EU Member States to Slash Natural Gas Use
With tensions growing over the war in Ukraine and Russia’s energy cuts, the European Union’s executive arm is calling on member nations to cut natural gas consumption by 15% between…
more ...Yellen Calls Out China Trade Practices in South Korea Visit
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. and South Korea should deepen their trade ties to avoid working with countries that use their market positions to unfair advantage — calling…
more ...China Urges Banks to Extend Loans for Real Estate Projects Amid Mortgage Boycott
Chinese regulators Sunday urged banks to extend loans to qualified real estate projects and meet developers financing needs where reasonable, in their latest effort to ease concerns triggered by a…
more ...Thailand Sets 2028 Target to Finish High-Speed Rail Link with China
Thailand’s recent pledge to finish a long-delayed high-speed rail line linking it to China through Laos within six years is reigniting doubts about the country’s commitment and whether the $12…
more ...Long Lines Are Back at US Food Banks as Inflation Hits High
Long lines are back at food banks around the U.S. as working Americans overwhelmed by inflation turn to handouts to help feed their families. With gas prices soaring along with…
more ...China’s Economy Shrinks 2.6% During Virus Shutdowns
China’s economy contracted in the three months ending in June compared with the previous quarter after Shanghai and other cities shut down to fight coronavirus outbreaks, but the government said…
more ...Yellen Pushes Plan to Cap Price of Russian Oil on Global Markets
The United States is pressing to implement a plan meant to force Russia to sell oil at artificially low prices on the global market, in order to deprive the Kremlin…
more ...Development Bank Agrees to Help Zimbabwe Clear $13.5 Billion Debt
The African Development Bank (AfDB) agreed this week to help Zimbabwe clear its $13.5 billion debt during a visit by the Abidjan-based lender’s president. The AfDB has also started releasing…
more ...Twitter Suffers Widespread Outage
Twitter appeared to be working again after a widespread outage earlier Thursday. The site Downdetector.com, which logs service outages, reported it was the first such outage since February and impacted…
more ...Panasonic Selects Kansas for Vehicle Battery Mega-Factory
Japan’s Panasonic Corp. selected Kansas as the location for a multibillion-dollar mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries for Tesla and other carmakers, Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday. The decision comes…
more ...US, Allies Aim to Cap Russian Oil Prices to Hinder Invasion
With thousands of sanctions already imposed on Russia to flatten its economy, the U.S. and its allies are working on new measures to starve the Russian war machine while also…
more ...Governments Weigh Benefits, Climate Threat of Crypto Mining
Cryptocurrencies use an enormous amount of energy, and as the industry grows rapidly, so do concerns about its impact on the climate. Matt Dibble has the story. …
more ...US Consumer Prices Surged 9.1% in June
U.S. consumer prices are still surging, up 9.1% in June compared to a year ago, the government reported Wednesday, the fastest increase in four decades. The Bureau of Labor Statistics…
more ...Twitter Sues to Force Musk to Complete His $44B Acquisition
Twitter sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday to force him to complete the $44 billion acquisition of the social media company. Musk and Twitter have been bracing for a…
more ...Cameroon Orders Investment in Wheat Production to Quell Protests Sparked by Shortages
Cameroon President Paul Biya says the government will increase funding to grow more wheat after protests over wheat shortages and price spikes sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Before Russia’s…
more ...COVID Pandemic Still Shaking Up US Housing Market
Industry experts say post-pandemic trends are still driving the U.S. real estate market. Home prices are up nearly 30% compared with two years ago, according to Zillow, a U.S.-based real…
more ...NASA to Release Images from Most Powerful Space Telescope
The U.S. space agency is set to release the full set of the first full-color images from the James Webb Space Telescope on Tuesday, a day after sharing a full-color…
more ...Frustrated by Gun Deaths, Entrepreneurs Turn to Technology
As the U.S. reels from a surge of recent mass shootings, some technologists are focusing on how to prevent casualties. VOA’s Julie Taboh spoke with a couple of entrepreneurs who…
more ...Looming Musk-Twitter Legal Battle Hammers Company Shares
Shares of Twitter slid more than 6% in the first day of trading after billionaire Elon Musk said that he was abandoning his $44 billion bid for the company and…
more ...Average US Gasoline Price Falls 19 Cents to $4.86 per Gallon
The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline plunged 19 cents over the past two weeks to $4.86 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that…
more ...Report: Uber Lobbied, Used ‘Stealth’ Tech to Block Scrutiny
As Uber aggressively pushed into markets around the world, the ride-sharing service lobbied political leaders to relax labor and taxi laws, used a “kill switch” to thwart regulators and law…
more ...Explainer: Why Sri Lanka’s Economy Collapsed and What’s Next
Sri Lanka’s prime minister said late last month that the island nation’s debt-laden economy had “collapsed” as it runs out of money to pay for food and fuel. Short of…
more ...Millions of Canadians Lose Mobile, Internet Services
Millions of Canadians found out Friday what it is like to live without access to the internet and mobile phone service. Rogers Communications, the country’s largest mobile and internet provider,…
more ...US Job Growth Remains Strong Despite Recession Warnings
While inflation remains high and economic forecasters are warning of a possible recession, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday reported job growth in the United States remains strong, with…
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