US Seen Receiving Frosty Reception at G-20 Meeting

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The financial leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies meet in Buenos Aires this weekend for the first time since long-simmering trade tensions burst into the open when China and the United States put tariffs on $34 billion of each other's goods. The United States will seek to persuade Japan and the European Union to join it in taking a more aggressive stance against Chinese trade practices at the G-20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank presidents, according to a senior U.S. Treasury Department official who spoke on condition on anonymity. But those efforts will be complicated by frustration over U.S. steel and aluminum import tariffs on the EU and Canada. Both responded with retaliatory tariffs in an escalating trade conflict that has shaken markets and threatens global growth. "U.S. trading partners are unlikely to be in a conciliatory mood," said Eswar…


Trump Slams Record EU Fine Against Google

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President Donald Trump lashed out Thursday after Brussels hit US tech giant Google with a record fine, and warned he would no longer allow Europe to take "advantage" of the United States. "I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google," Trump tweeted in reaction to the 4.34 billion euro penalty imposed on Google for abusing the dominance of its mobile operating system. "They truly have taken advantage of the US, but not for long!" he said. In announcing the fine on Wednesday, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager accused Google of using the Android system's near-stranglehold on smartphones and tablets to promote the use of its own Google search engine while shutting out rivals. The decision, which followed…


Facebook to Remove ‘Fake News’ That Leads to Violence

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Facebook says it will begin removing false information from its site that could lead to violence. “There are certain forms of misinformation that have contributed to physical harm” in certain countries, the U.S. social media giant said in a statement Wednesday announcing the policy. The company says it will work with local organizations to identify such information, including written posts and doctored photos. Facebook has been accused for allowing users to spread hate speech and false information that has led to recent violence in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India. Sri Lanka imposed a state of emergency in March after false news posted on Facebook led to deadly attacks on the country’s minority Muslim population by Buddhist mobs. The California-based company was thrust into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign…


Report: Asia-Pacific Factories Lead in Using Digital Technology

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She may not be the warmest waitress, but she serves a nice, hot cup of “Joe” at a café on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. Though this robotic barista is still getting help from her human counterpart, she is a signal that Asia is ahead of the curve in embracing new technologies ahead of the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. A recent report from PwC Global, a professional services firm, studied 1,155 manufacturing businesses based on how much they were embracing and incorporating innovations in technology, from drones to 3-D printing. Across the board, companies in the Asia-Pacific region scored higher than their counterparts elsewhere in the world. In Thailand, for instance, manufacturing companies have widely adopted new technologies to transform their operations. “Many are using…


Elon Musk Apologizes for Comments About Cave Rescue Diver

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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has apologized for calling a British diver involved in the Thailand cave rescue a pedophile, saying he spoke in anger but was wrong to do so. There was no immediate public reaction from diver Vern Unsworth to Musk's latest tweets. Musk's initial tweet calling Unsworth a "pedo" was a response to a TV interview Unsworth gave. In it, he said Musk and SpaceX engineers orchestrated a "PR stunt" by sending a small submarine to help divers rescue the 12 Thai soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave. Unsworth said the submarine, which wasn't used, wouldn't have worked anyway. "My words were spoken in anger after Mr. Unsworth said several untruths ..." Musk tweeted. "Nonetheless, his actions against me do not justify my…


Cute Robots Invade Smithsonian Museum

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Known as the largest education, and research complex in the world, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC is a collection of 19 museums that house more than 140 million unique items. It’s no wonder it's been called "the nation’s attic.” But there’s a novel addition to the venerable complex -- a smart new technology that interacts with visitors. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti introduces us to the Smithsonian's newest resident. ...


Cute Robots Invade the Smithsonian

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Known as the largest education, and research complex in the world, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC is a collection of 19 museums that house more than 140 million unique items. It’s no wonder it's been called "the nation’s attic.” But there’s a novel addition to the venerable complex -- a smart new technology that interacts with visitors. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti introduces us to the Smithsonian's newest resident. ...


Trade Pain: US Small Companies Hit by Import, Export Tariffs

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Time and effort have gone down the drain for Steve Gould, who is scrambling to find new customers for his gin, whiskey and other spirits since the United States has taken a tough stance on trade issues. Before the European Union retaliated against new U.S. tariffs with taxes of its own, Gould expected revenue from the EU at his Golden Moon Distillery in Colorado to reach $250,000 or $350,000 this year. Now he's concerned that European exports will total just $25,000. Golden Moon already saw an effect when then-candidate Donald Trump made trade an issue during the 2016 campaign. Gould lost one of his Mexican importers and an investor, as overseas demand for small-distiller spirits was growing. "We've lost years of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars in building…


Solar Power Seen as Tool Against Extremism in Sahel

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Grinding poverty and climate change are pushing communities in West Africa's Sahel region into the arms of extremist groups like Boko Haram, but providing people with clean energy could help slow that trend, said a top international official. Rachel Kyte, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, set up by the United Nations, learned on a trip to Niger this month how women and girls are being recruited by Islamist militants who offer them work, food and other essentials. Kyte, who serves as the U.N. secretary-general's special representative on energy access, said Boko Haram "is moving into the provision of basic social services." At the same time, in impoverished Niger, recurring and more intense drought "is absolutely punishing," she said.  The Islamist group is based in northeast Nigeria but active in other West African states. Kyte said villagers need better ways to…


Universal Music Group to Open Nigeria Division

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Vivendi's Universal Music Group (UMG) will launch a new division in Nigeria as part of efforts by the world's largest music label to expand into Africa's most populous nation and the wider region. The music entertainment group said on Tuesday its new strategic division, Universal Music Nigeria, will operate from Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos. Nigerian music, much like its Nollywood film industry, is popular across much of Africa. Nigerian music artists have popularized the Afrobeat musical genre and gone on to sign record deals, sell out concerts and work with international artists to increase the global reach of African music. Music revenue in Nigeria - mostly derived from sales of mobile phone ringtones - grew 9 percent in 2016, year-on-year, to reach $39 million and is expected to rise to…


Twitter Suspended 58M Accounts in Last Quarter of ’17, AP Says

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Twitter suspended at least 58 million user accounts in the final three months of 2017, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. The figure highlights the company's newly aggressive stance against malicious or suspicious accounts in the wake of Russian disinformation efforts during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Last week, Twitter confirmed a Washington Post report that it had suspended 70 million accounts in May and June. The huge number of suspensions raises questions as to whether the crackdown could affect Twitter's user growth and whether the company should have warned investors earlier. The company has been struggling with user growth compared with rivals like Instagram and Facebook. The number of suspended accounts originated with Twitter's "firehose,'' a data stream it makes available to academics, companies and others willing…


Egypt Targets Social Media With New Law

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Egypt’s parliament has passed a law giving the state powers to block social media accounts and penalize journalists held to be publishing fake news. Under the law passed on Monday social media accounts and blogs with more than 5,000 followers on sites such as Twitter and Facebook will be treated as media outlets, which makes them subject to prosecution for publishing false news or incitement to break the law. The Supreme Council for the Administration of the Media, headed by an official appointed by President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, will supervise the law and take action against violations. The bill prohibits the establishment of websites without obtaining a license from the Supreme Council and allows it to suspend or block existing websites, or impose fines on editors. The law, which takes…


Classic 1965 Ford Mustang Given Self-driving Abilities

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Scientists from Cranfield University in Britain have teamed up with the engineering firm Siemens to retro-fit a classic 1965 Ford Mustang with driverless technology. They recently tested it on a racetrack at the Goodwood Festival of Speed -- considered the largest motoring garden party in the world. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. ...


Venezuela Pleads Guilty in US to Role in PDVSA Bribe Scheme

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A former official at a Venezuelan state-run electric company pleaded guilty on Monday to U.S. charges that he participated in a scheme to solicit bribes in exchange for helping vendors win favorable treatment from state oil company PDVSA. Luis Carlos De Leon Perez, 42, pleaded guilty in federal court in Houston to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and to conspiring to commit money laundering, the U.S. Justice Department said. He became the 12th person to plead guilty as part of a larger investigation by the Justice Department into bribery at Petroleos de Venezuela SA that became public with the arrest of two Venezuelan businessmen in December 2015. The two men were Roberto Rincon, who was president of Tradequip Services & Marine, and Abraham Jose Shiera Bastidas, the…


US Launches Five WTO Challenges to Retaliatory Tariffs

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The United States launched five separate World Trade Organization dispute actions on Monday challenging retaliatory tariffs imposed by China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and Turkey following U.S. duties on steel and aluminum. The retaliatory tariffs on up to a combined $28.5 billion worth of U.S. exports are illegal under WTO rules, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement. “These tariffs appear to breach each WTO member’s commitments under the WTO Agreement,” he said. “The United States will take all necessary actions to protect our interests, and we urge our trading partners to work constructively with us on the problems created by massive and persistent excess capacity in the steel and aluminum sectors.” Lighthizer’s office has maintained that the tariffs the United States has imposed on imports of…


Activists: Thousands of Congolese Threatened by National Park Oil Plans

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Democratic Republic of Congo's plan to drill for oil in national parks could leave thousands of farmers and fishermen who rely on the land in a struggle to survive, rights groups said Monday. The central African country announced last month that it was taking steps toward declassifying parts of Virunga and Salonga national parks, both recognized as world heritage sites by the United Nations, to allow for oil exploration. The parks, which together cover an area about the size of Switzerland, are among the world's largest tropical rainforest reserves and home to rare species including forest elephants. Allowing drilling in the parks would cause a loss of biodiversity, release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and pollute water that thousands of local people use for fishing and farming,…


China’s Economic Growth Cools Amid Trade Tensions

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China's economic growth slowed in the quarter ending in June, adding to challenges for Beijing amid a mounting tariff battle with Washington. The world's second-largest economy expanded by 6.7 percent, down from the previous quarter's 6.8 percent, the government reported Monday. Even before the dispute with Washington erupted, forecasters expected growth to cool after Beijing started tightening controls on bank lending last year to rein in surging debt. Economic activity is expected to decline further as global demand for Chinese exports weakens and lending controls weigh on construction and investment, major contributors to growth. Beijing has responded to previous downturns by flooding the state-dominated economy with credit. But that has swelled debt so high that global rating agencies have cut China's government credit rating. Chinese leaders are in the midst…


Trump’s Advice to Britain’s May: ‘Sue the EU’

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U.S. President Donald Trump advised British Prime Minister Theresa May to sue the European Union instead of negotiating with the bloc, as part of her Brexit strategy.   "He told me I should sue the EU," May told BBC television. "Sue the EU. Not go into negotiations — sue them." Her revelation about how Trump advised her ended several days of speculation about what advice the U.S. leader had offered the prime minister. Trump said last week in an interview with The Sun newspaper that he had given May advice, but she did not follow it. The president told the newspaper ahead of his meeting with May that she "didn't listen" to him. "I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it but she…


Largest US Port Complex Braces for Extended US-China Trade War

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Liang Liang is feeling a lot of stress lately. He owns an import wholesale business in Los Angeles. “I have been watching the news every day — when will the tariffs be put in place? When are my goods arriving; it’s a fight against time. I’m trying to order all my products for the rest of the year,” he said. His goods, such as toys and T-shirts, come from China through the largest port complex in the United States, the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. He expects a 10 to 20 percent increase in shipping costs because of the trade war between the United States and China. Shipping costs likely to rise China is the largest trading partner for both ports. As tariffs from both countries increase…


Largest US Port Complex Bracing for Extended US-China Trade War

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As the Trump administration announces tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports, the largest port complex in the United States is bracing for its impact. For the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, China is the largest trader, and what happens at these ports can ripple through the rest of the U.S. economy. VOA's Elizabeth Lee reports. ...


Twitter Suspends 2 Accounts in Mueller Indictments

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Social networking site Twitter Saturday suspended two accounts linked to 12 Russian spies indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. On Friday, a federal grand jury charged the 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking Democratic computer networks in 2016 in the most detailed U.S. accusation yet that Moscow meddled in the election to help Republican Donald Trump. Twitter said Saturday it had suspended the accounts @DCLeaks_ and @Guccifer_2 that were named in the indictment, which alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy involving sophisticated hacking and staged release of documents. The indictment alleges that from around June 2016 the conspirators released tens of thousands of stolen emails and documents “using fictitious online personas, including ‘DCLeaks’ and ‘Guccifer 2.0.’” In a statement Saturday, a Twitter spokesman said:…


Lost Luggage Finds New — at Bargain Prices

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Suspiciously cheap diamonds, jeans for $1 and a pair of skis for next to nothing. It's not a dream, these are actual bargains at a store in a small town in Alabama. What it sells are the contents of lost airline baggage. Every year airline companies lose about 20 million suitcases, and while most of them find their way back to their owners, thousands of bags are never picked up. As Daria Dieguts found out, some of these lost items end up here at the lost baggage store in Alabama. ...


US Formally Lifts Ban on China’s ZTE

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The United States has formally lifted a crippling ban on exports to the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE.  The Commerce Department said Friday that it had removed the ban after ZTE deposited $400 million in a U.S. bank escrow account as part of a settlement reached last month. ZTE has already paid a $1 billion fine that is also part of its settlement with the U.S. government.  "While we lifted the ban on ZTE, the department will remain vigilant as we closely monitor ZTE's actions to ensure compliance with all U.S. laws and regulations," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement. He described the terms of the deal as the strictest ever imposed in such a case. The Chinese company is accused of selling sensitive technologies to Iran and North…


White House Declares War on Poverty ‘Largely Over’

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The White House released a report Thursday contending that the United States' war on poverty — a drive that started over 50 years ago to improve the social safety net for the poorest citizens of the world's largest economy — is "largely over and a success," contrasting with other reports on the nation's poor. The report, authored by President Donald Trump's Council of Economic Advisers, called for federal aid recipients to be pushed toward work requirements. The report says poverty, when measured by consumption, has fallen by 90 percent since 1961. It also says that only 3 percent of Americans currently live under the poverty line. "The timing is ideal for expanding work requirements among non-disabled working-age adults in social welfare programs," according to the report. "Ultimately, expanded work requirements can…


US Farmers Brace for Long-Term Impact of Escalating Trade War

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As farmer Brian Duncan gently brushes his hands over the rolling amber waves of grain in the fields behind his rural Illinois home, this picturesque and idyllic American scene belies the dramatic hardship he currently faces. “We’re in trouble,” he told VOA. Wheat is just one product that grows on Duncan’s diverse farm, also home to about 70,000 hogs annually, which Duncan said “were projected to be profitable this year.” Were, but not anymore. Pork is now subject to a 62 percent Chinese tariff, and demand is drying up in one of the world’s largest pork markets. “Once that tariff went on, the pork stopped going into China. Not going to Taiwan, either. Not finding other routes. That market just disappeared,” said Duncan, who expected to see a $4 to…