Who Are Detainees Released in US Prisoner Swap With Iran?

Giant Wooden Trolls Enchant the Pacific Northwest ...

21/09/2023

As Washington and Tehran implemented a prisoner exchange Monday, new details emerged about the status of three of the five Iranians who were granted clemency by Washington and remained on U.S. soil as the prisoner transfers got underway. VOA has learned that of the three Iranians remaining in the United States, a U.S. Justice Departme [Read more]

US House Republicans Set to Hold First Biden Impeachment Hearing Next Week...

21/09/2023

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to hold their first hearing next week in the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden. But with a very slim majority in the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, it appears unlikely Republicans will be able to pass the articles of impeachment needed to trigger a trial of the [Read more]

Fed Keeps Rates Unchanged, Signals Another Hike Later This Year...

21/09/2023

The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the second time in its past three meetings, a sign that it's moderating its fight against inflation as price pressures have eased. But Fed officials also signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year. Consumer inflation has dropped from a year-over-yea [Read more]

Biden Administration Announces $600M to Produce COVID Tests, Will Reopen Website to Order Them ...

21/09/2023

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household — aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases that has typically come during colder [Read more]

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Voa news - Health

Sponsor an Ocean? Tiny Island Nation of Niue Has Novel Plan to Protect Pacific ...

21/09/2023

The tiny Pacific island nation of Niue has come up with a novel plan to protect its vast and pristine territorial waters — it will get sponsors to pay. Under the plan, which was being launched by Niue's Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi on Tuesday in New York, individuals or companies can pay $148 to protect 1 square kilometer (about 250 [Read more]

Musk's Neuralink to Start Human Trial of Brain Implant ...

21/09/2023

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday it has received approval from an independent review board to begin recruitment for the first human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients. Those with paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may qualify [Read more]

UN Chief Underscores Little Time Left to Avert Climate Crisis...

21/09/2023

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned a climate summit of world leaders on Wednesday there is not much time left to avert an environmental catastrophe. “We must make up for time lost to foot-dragging, arm-twisting and the naked greed of entrenched interests raking in billions from fossil fuels,' Guterres told world leaders at [Read more]

Biden Administration Announces $600M to Produce COVID Tests, Will Reopen Website to Order Them ...

21/09/2023

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household — aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases that has typically come during colder [Read more]

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Voa news - Politics

Prosecutors Seeking New Indictment for Hunter Biden ...

21/09/2023

Federal prosecutors plan to seek a grand jury indictment of President Joe Biden's son Hunter before the end of the month, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The filing came in a gun possession case in which Hunter Biden was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user, though prosecutors did not name exactly which char [Read more]

Can 14th Amendment Keep Trump From Seeking a Second Term? ...

21/09/2023

A new lawsuit to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 Colorado primary ballot has revived a legal and political debate over an obscure provision of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, a progressive watchdog, filed the lawsuit on behalf of six [Read more]

US House's Bipartisan Measures Target Iran Over Woman's Death, Missile Program ...

21/09/2023

The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved measures Tuesday targeting Iran for its human rights record and placing restrictions on the country's ability to import or export its expanding arsenal of weapons. The measures would impose a series of sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, president and other individuals as Washington seeks to furthe [Read more]

Vietnam, US Upgrade Partnership; Activists Critique Silence on Human Rights ...

21/09/2023

Hanoi and Washington have announced an upgrade in bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the top designation in Vietnam's diplomatic hierarchy. A U.S. strategy of noninterference into Vietnam's domestic politics has been crucial to Hanoi agreeing to the deal, experts say, but activists and rights groups are frustrated by [Read more]

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Voa news - Tech

Britain Invites China to Its Global AI Summit...

21/09/2023

Britain has invited China to its global artificial intelligence summit in November, with foreign minister James Cleverly saying the risks of the technology could not be contained if one of its leading players was absent. "We cannot keep the UK public safe from the risks of AI if we exclude one of the leading nations in AI tech," Cleverl [Read more]

Google Plans to Incorporate Its Bard Chatbot Into Its Apps...

21/09/2023

Google announced Tuesday that its Bard chatbot would be integrated into Gmail, YouTube and other applications in a push to broaden Alphabet's user experience. Google has spent years refining its generative AI without immediate plans to release a chatbot, until OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT late last year and partnered with Microsoft to popula [Read more]

Report: Increase in Chinese-Language Malware Could 'Challenge' Russian Dominance of Cybercrime ...

21/09/2023

For decades, Russian and eastern European hackers have dominated the cybercrime underworld. These days they may face a challenge from a new contender: China. Researchers at cybersecurity firm Proofpoint say they have detected an increase in the spread of Chinese language malware through email campaigns since early 2023, signaling a [Read more]

German Proposal for Huawei Curbs Triggers Telecom Operator Backlash...

21/09/2023

Germany's interior ministry has proposed forcing telecommunications operators to curb their use of equipment made by China's Huawei and ZTE, a government official said Wednesday, sparking warnings of likely disruption and possible legal action. The interior ministry wants to impose the changes to 5G networks after a review highlighted G [Read more]

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Voa news - Finance

MCC Awards Kenya $60 Million to Help Improve Urban Transport ...

21/09/2023

Kenyan President William Ruto has signed a $60 million dollar grant agreement with the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session in New York. The grant will help improve urban transport in Nairobi by concentrating on four projects, making the Kenya program the largest of its kind within MC [Read more]

Report: Africa Steering Geopolitical Challenges with Resilience, Economic Opportunities...

21/09/2023

A leading global risk consultancy says that despite the impacts of the war in Ukraine, global inflation, climate and security challenges, Africa continues to find resilience. A new report by Control Risks and its economics consulting partner, Oxford Economics Africa, finds that as global tensions create disruptions, they are also providin [Read more]

China Eases Visa Requirements to Revive Tourism...

21/09/2023

After a strict COVID-19 lockdown that shattered its tourism industry between 2020 and 2022, China is trying to revive the market by making it easier for foreigners to visit the country. Under a new set of visa application requirements announced this week, applicants only must report one year of travel history instead of five years, as p [Read more]

Fed Keeps Rates Unchanged, Signals Another Hike Later This Year...

21/09/2023

The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the second time in its past three meetings, a sign that it's moderating its fight against inflation as price pressures have eased. But Fed officials also signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year. Consumer inflation has dropped from a year-over-yea [Read more]

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