Cryptocurrency purchases in rubles are at a record high following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, raising questions about whether the likes of bitcoin can help Moscow get around sanctions. Why is…
more ...Do Sanctions Work?
From Afghanistan to Cuba, more than 20 countries around the world are under U.S. economic, financial and political sanctions that, according to some experts, are unprecedented in severity and scope. …
more ...31 Countries to Release 60 Million Barrels of Oil to Stabilize Market
The 31 members of the International Energy Agency said Tuesday they’d release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves to bolster the world’s oil markets in the wake…
more ...Airspace Closures After Ukraine Invasion Stretch Global Supply Chains
Global supply chains, already hit hard by the pandemic, are facing further disruption and cost inflation as airspace closures after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affect the air freight industry. Transport…
more ...Ukraine Crisis: Will African Oil Producers Take Advantage of Increasing Oil Prices?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions that followed, has pushed the price of oil to over $100 per barrel, the highest level in eight years. But, it’s also opened…
more ...Ruble Plummets as Sanctions Bite, Sending Russians to Banks
Ordinary Russians faced the prospect of higher prices and crimped foreign travel as Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine sent the ruble plummeting, leading uneasy people to line up…
more ...Britain Widens Russian ‘Dirty Money’ Crackdown With New Law
Britain will intensify a crackdown on what Prime Minister Boris Johnson called “dirty money” by introducing the government’s Economic Crime Bill to parliament on Monday, a step brought forward in…
more ...BP Exiting Stake in Russian Oil and Gas Company Rosneft
BP said Sunday it is exiting its share in Rosneft, a state-controlled Russian oil and gas company, in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. BP has held a 19.75% stake…
more ...EU Closes its Airspace to Russian Planes
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union will close its airspace to Russian airlines and private jets due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ban was decided…
more ...Momentum Grows to Cut Russia From SWIFT Global Banking System
The U.S. is revisiting cutting Russia from the global bank-to-bank payment system known as SWIFT, as the next step in a series of escalating sanctions punishing Moscow for the unprovoked…
more ...Key US Inflation Gauge Hit 6.1% in January, Highest Since 1982
An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.1% in January compared with a year ago, the latest evidence that Americans are enduring sharp price increases…
more ...Thailand at ‘Crossroads’ as COVID-19 Surges Amid Tourism, Economy Rebound
Thailand’s economy has seen growth in its recovery amid the global pandemic, but rising COVID-19 cases concern health experts. Heavily reliant on international tourism to boost its economy, Thailand dropped…
more ...Millions in Nigeria Struggle for Affordable Housing Amid Real Estate Boom
Nigeria’s real estate market has been expanding rapidly, but so has the number of people in need of housing in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria’s Central Bank says the country…
more ...Shares Dive, Oil Soars After Russian Action in Ukraine
Stocks plunged and oil prices surged by more than $5 per barrel Thursday after President Vladimir Putin launched military action in Ukraine, prompting Washington and Europe to vow sanctions on…
more ...China Expands Influence in Central America
With a library here, a power station there, China is using aid and investment to increase its presence in Central America, posing a challenge to the United States’ 2-century-old diplomatic…
more ...US Offshore Wind Rights Auction Generates Record Bids
The use of wind to generate electricity for the United States was thrust forward Wednesday with the largest-ever offering by the federal government of offshore development rights. Bidding for the…
more ...US Truckers Plan Pandemic Protest, Inspired by Canadian Counterparts
Taking a cue from demonstrations that paralyzed Canada’s capital city for weeks, U.S. truckers on Wednesday plan to embark on a 2,500-mile (4,000-km) cross-country drive toward Washington D.C. to protest…
more ...US Announces Steps to Bolster Critical Mineral Supply Chain
The Biden administration announced actions taken by the federal government and private industry that it says will bolster the supply chain for rare earths and other critical minerals used in…
more ...Ghanaian Entrepreneur Builds Affordable Houses from Recycled Plastics
Ghana’s rapid urbanization is producing more waste while fueling a boom in luxury housing that the average Ghanaian cannot afford. One entrepreneur may have the answer to both problems –…
more ...Leak Gives Details on Over 30,000 Credit Suisse Bank Clients
A German newspaper and other media on Sunday said a leak of data from Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second-biggest bank, reveals details of the accounts of more than 30,000 clients —…
more ...Ethiopia Turns on Turbines at Giant Nile Hydropower Plant
Ethiopia began producing electricity on Sunday from its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a multi-billion-dollar hydropower plant on the River Nile that neighbors Sudan and Egypt have worried will cause…
more ...UNICEF Announces Aid for Afghan Teachers
UNICEF announced Sunday an emergency cash support effort for all public education teachers in Afghanistan for January and February, saying the move will allow continued access to education for all…
more ...Firefighters Struggle to Douse Fire on Luxury Cars Vessel
Firefighters are struggling to put out a fire that broke out on Wednesday on a vessel carrying thousands of luxury cars, which is adrift off the coast of Portugal’s Azores…
more ...US Indo-Pacific Strategy Short on Trade Incentives, Experts Say
A major initiative to strengthen and cement America’s ties with Asia and counterbalance China’s expanding influence lacks robust trade incentives that are viewed as politically perilous in the United States,…
more ...India Seals Trade Pact With UAE as It Pursues Free Trade Deals
India and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement Friday that the two countries expect will increase bilateral trade to $100 billion in five years. It is the first of…
more ...Electric Vehicles Take Center Stage at 2022 Chicago Auto Show
One of the key highlights of the 2022 Chicago Auto Show is the display of new, all-electric vehicles coming to dealer showrooms soon. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from the…
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