Hit by Sanctions, Asia’s Iran Crude Oil Imports Drop to 3-Year Low in 2018

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Iranian crude oil imports by Asia's top four buyers dropped to the lowest volume in three years in 2018 amid U.S. sanctions on Tehran, but China and India stepped up imports in December after getting waivers from Washington. Asia's top four buyers of Iranian crude — China, India, Japan and South Korea — imported a total 1.31 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2018, down 21 percent from the previous year, data from the countries showed. That was the lowest since about 1 million bpd in 2015, when a previous round of sanctions on Iran led to a sharp drop in Asian imports, Reuters data showed. The United States reimposed sanctions on Iran's oil exports last November as it wants to negotiate a new nuclear deal with the country. U.S.…


Facebook Takes Down Vast Iran-Led Manipulation Campaign

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Facebook said Thursday it took down hundreds of "inauthentic" accounts from Iran that were part of a vast manipulation campaign operating in more than 20 countries. The world's biggest social network said it removed 783 pages, groups and accounts "for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior tied to Iran." The pages were part of a campaign to promote Iranian interests in various countries by creating fake identities as residents of those nations, according to a statement by Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook. The announcement was the latest by Facebook as it seeks to stamp out efforts by state actors and others to manipulate the social network using fraudulent accounts. "We are constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we don't want our services to…


Ghirardelli, Russel Stover Fined over Chocolate Packaging

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Ghirardelli and Russell Stover have agreed to pay $750,000 in fines after prosecutors in California said they offered a little chocolate in a lot of wrapping. Prosecutors in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Fresno, Santa Cruz and Yolo counties sued the candy makers, alleging they misled consumers by selling chocolate products in containers that were oversized or “predominantly empty.” Prosecutors also alleged that Ghirardelli offered one chocolate product containing less cocoa than advertised. The firms didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing but agreed to change their packaging under a settlement approved earlier this month. Some packages will shrink or will have a transparent window so consumers can look inside. San Francisco-based Ghirardelli and Kansas City-based Russell Stover are owned by a Swiss company, Lindt & Sprungli. ...


Apple Busts Facebook for Distributing Data-Sucking App

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Apple says Facebook can no longer distribute an app that paid users, including teenagers, to extensively track their phone and web use. In doing so, Apple closed off Facebook's efforts to sidestep Apple's app store and its tighter rules on privacy. The tech blog TechCrunch reported late Tuesday that Facebook paid people about $20 a month to install and use the Facebook Research app. While Facebook says this was done with permission, the company has a history of defining “permission” loosely and obscuring what data it collects. “I don't think they make it very clear to users precisely what level of access they were granting when they gave permission,” mobile app security researcher Will Strafach said Wednesday. “There is simply no way the users understood this.” He said Facebook's claim…


Trump Order Asks Federal Fund Recipients to Buy US Goods

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President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday pushing those who receive federal funds to "buy American." The aim is to boost U.S. manufacturing. Peter Navarro, director of the White House National Trade Council, told reporters during a telephone briefing the policies are helping workers who "are blue collar, Trump people." Later he amended that, saying he "every American is a Trump person" because Trump's economic policies affect everyone.   Navarro said the order would affect federal financial assistance, which includes everything from loans and grants to insurance and interest subsidies.   He says some 30 federal agencies award over $700 billion in such aid each year. Recipients working on projects like bridges and sewer systems will be encouraged to use American products.     ...


Need for Speed: Carts on Rails Help Manila’s Commuters Dodge Gridlock

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Thousands of commuters flock to Manila's railway tracks every day, but rather than boarding the trains, they climb on to wooden carts pushed along the tracks, to avoid the Philippine capital's infamous traffic gridlock. The trolleys, as the carts are known, most of them fitted with colorful umbrellas for shade from the sun, can seat up to 10 people each, who pay as little as 20 U.S. cents per ride, cheaper than most train rides. "I do this because it gives us money that's easy to earn," said Reynaldo Diaz, 40, who is one of more than 100 operators, also known as "trolley boys," who push the carts along the 28-km (17-mile) track, most wearing flimsy flip-flops on their feet. "It's better than stealing from others," said Diaz, adding that…


Lawmakers Attempt to Rein in President’s Tariff Power

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U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday introduced legislation to limit the president’s power to levy import tariffs for national security reasons. The bills face an uncertain future but underscore bipartisan concerns on Capitol Hill over the rising costs of the Trump administration’s trade policies. The United States in 2018 slapped duties on aluminum and steel from other countries, drawing criticism from lawmakers who support free trade and complaints of rising supply chain costs across business sectors. Two bipartisan groups of lawmakers Wednesday introduced legislation known as the Bicameral Congressional Trade Authority Act in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bills would require Trump to have congressional approval before taking trade actions like tariffs and quotas under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The law currently allows the…


Trump Organization to Use E-Verify for Worker Status Checks

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The Trump Organization, responding to claims that some of its workers were in the U.S. illegally, said on Wednesday that it will use the E-Verify electronic system at all of its properties to check employees' documentation. A lawyer for a dozen immigrant workers at the Trump National Golf Club in New York's Westchester County said recently that they were fired on Jan. 18. He said many had worked there for a dozen or more years. Workers at another Trump club in Bedminster, New Jersey, came forward last month to allege managers there had hired them knowing they were in the country illegally. "We are actively engaged in uniforming this process across our properties and will institute E-verify at any property not currently utilizing this system,'' Eric Trump, executive vice president…


A Virtual Human Teaches Negotiating Skills

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Whether it’s haggling for a better price or negotiating for a higher salary, there is a skill to getting the most of what you want. Researchers at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies are conducting research on how a virtual negotiator may be able to teach you the art of making a good deal. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. ...


Apple Opens New Chapter Amid Weakening iPhone Demand

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Apple hoped to offset slowing demand for iPhones by raising the prices of its most important product, but that strategy seems to have backfired after sales sagged during the holiday shopping season. Results released Tuesday revealed the magnitude of the iPhone slump - a 15 percent drop in revenue from the previous year. That decline in Apple's most profitable product caused Apple's total earnings for the October-December quarter to dip slightly to $20 billion. Now, CEO Tim Cook is grappling with his toughest challenge since replacing co-founder Steve Jobs 7 years ago. Even as he tries to boost iPhone sales, Cook also must prove that Apple can still thrive even if demand doesn't rebound.  It figures to be an uphill battle, given Apple's stock has lost one-third of its value…


Some Journalists Wonder If Their Profession Is Tweet-Crazy

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If Twitter is the town square for journalists, some are ready to step away. That's happening this week at the online news site Insider — by order of the boss. Reporters have been told to take a week off from tweeting at work and to keep TweetDeck off their computer screens. The idea of disengaging is to kick away a crutch for the journalists and escape from the echo chamber, said Julie Zeveloff West, Insider's editor-in-chief for the U.S. Addiction to always-rolling Twitter feeds and the temptation to join in has led to soul-searching in newsrooms. Some of it is inspired by the reaction to the Jan. 19 demonstration in Washington involving students from a Covington, Kentucky, high school, which gained traction as a story primarily because of social media…


US Needs Assist from Allies to Curb China’s Theft of Advanced Technology

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Senior U.S. officials and experts say the United States needs to rally allies to pressure China stealing advanced technology through cyber espionage. At the same time, key American lawmakers are questioning the readiness and capacity of the U.S. to counter such threats. The renewed push comes after U.S. federal prosecutors pressed criminal charges against the world's largest telecommunications company — China's Huawei Technologies — its chief financial officer and several subsidiaries for alleged financial fraud and theft of U.S. intellectual property. Huawei denies the charges. Beijing denies its government and military engage in cyber-espionage, saying the U.S. allegations are fabricated. "The Huawei incident seems like an action against an individual corporation, but it is actually bigger than this," said Hu Xingdou, a Beijing-based scholar. "This is about one state's technology…


Energy-Short Pakistan Moves to Power Up Solar Manufacturing

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Pakistan's government has proposed to eliminate taxes associated with manufacturing of solar and wind energy equipment in the country, in an effort to boost the production and use of renewable power and overcome power shortages. A new government budget bill, expected to be approved in parliament within a month, would give renewable energy manufacturers and assemblers in the country a five-year exemption from the taxes. "Pakistan is paying the heavy cost of an ongoing energy crisis prevailing for the last many years," Finance Minister Asad Umar said last week in a budget speech. "In this difficult time, the promotion of renewable energy resources like wind and solar has become indispensable." Only about 5 to 6 percent of the power to Pakistan's national electrical grid currently comes from renewable energy, according…


Utility Bankruptcy Could Be Costly to California Wildfire Victims

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Faced with potentially ruinous lawsuits over California's recent wildfires, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in a move that could lead to higher bills for customers of the nation's biggest utility and reduce the size of any payouts to fire victims. The Chapter 11 filing allows PG&E to continue operating while it puts its books in order. But it was seen as a possible glimpse of the financial toll that could lie ahead because of global warming, which scientists say is leading to fiercer, more destructive blazes and longer fire seasons. The bankruptcy could also jeopardize California's ambitious program to switch entirely to renewable energy sources. PG&E said the bankruptcy filing will not affect electricity or gas service and will allow for an "orderly, fair and expeditious…


PM: Ireland Ready to Tap Range of Emergency Aid in No-Deal Brexit

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Ireland has alerted the European Commission that it will seek emergency aid in the event of a no-deal Brexit and is considering a range of other ways to help firms cope, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Tuesday. With close trading links with Britain, Ireland's export-focused economy is considered the most vulnerable among the remaining 27 European Union members to the impact of its nearest neighbor’s departure from the bloc. Ireland's finance department forecast earlier on Tuesday that economic growth could be 4.25 percentage points less than forecast by 2023 in a disorderly Brexit and would disproportionately hit agricultural goods and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Varadkar said last month that Dublin was discussing with the Commission what state aid might be available if Britain leaves the bloc without a deal,…


Apple to Fix FaceTime Bug that Allows Eavesdropping

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Apple has made the group chat function in FaceTime unavailable after users said there was a bug that could allow callers to activate another user's microphone remotely.   The bug was demonstrated through videos online and reported on this week by tech blogs. Reports said the bug in the video chat app could allow an iPhone user calling another iPhone through Group Facetime to hear the audio from the other handset — even if the receiver did not accept the call.   "We're aware of this issue and we have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," Apple said in a statement Tuesday.   Its online support page noted there was a technical issue with the application and that Group Facetime "is temporarily unavailable."…


Brazil Eyes Management Overhaul for Vale After Dam Disaster

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Brazil eyes management overhaul for Vale after dam disaster Brazil's government weighed pushing for a management overhaul at iron ore miner Vale SA on Monday as grief over the hundreds feared killed by a dam burst turned into anger, with prosecutors, politicians and victims' families calling for punishment. By Monday night, firefighters in the state of Minas Gerais had confirmed that 65 people were killed by Friday's disaster, when a burst tailings dam sent a torrent of sludge into the miner's offices and the town of Brumadinho. There were still 279 people unaccounted for, and officials said it was unlikely that any would be found alive. Brazil's acting president, Hamilton Mourao, told reporters a government task force on the disaster response is looking at whether it could or should change…


Report: ‘Food Shocks’ Increasing in Frequency Over Last Five Decades

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Food shocks, or sudden losses of crops, livestock or fish, due to the combination extreme weather conditions and geopolitical events like war, increased from 1961 to 2013, said researchers at The University of Tasmania in a report released Monday. Researchers saw a steady increase in shock frequency over each decade with no declines. The report, published in Nature Sustainability, said that protective measures are needed to avoid future disasters. The authors studied 226 shocks across 134 countries over the last 53 years and, unlike previous reports, examined the connection between shocks and land-based agriculture and sea-based aquaculture. "There seems to be this increasing trend in volatility," said lead author Richard Cottrell, a PhD candidate in quantitative marine science at the University of Tasmania in Australia. "We do need to stop…


Hacks and Facts: 10 Things to Know About Data Privacy

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From hackers exposing private information online to the handling of users' data by internet giants, online privacy has become a matter of growing concern for countries, companies and people alike. On Monday, countries around the world marked Data Privacy Day, also known as Data Protection Day — an initiative to raise awareness of internet safety issues. Here are 10 facts about online privacy: Less than 60 percent of countries have laws to secure the protection of data and privacy. Europe's data protection regulators have received more than 95,000 complaints about possible data breaches since the adoption of a landmark EU privacy law in May. More than one in two respondents to a 2018 global survey by pollster CIGI-Ipsos said they had grown more concerned about their online privacy compared to…


Internet Addiction Spawns US Treatment Programs

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When Danny Reagan was 13, he began exhibiting signs of what doctors usually associate with drug addiction. He became agitated, secretive and withdrew from friends. He had quit baseball and Boy Scouts, and he stopped doing homework and showering. But he was not using drugs. He was hooked on YouTube and video games, to the point where he could do nothing else. As doctors would confirm, he was addicted to his electronics. "After I got my console, I kind of fell in love with it," Danny, now 16 and a junior in a Cincinnati high school, said. "I liked being able to kind of shut everything out and just relax.” Danny was different from typical plugged-in American teenagers. Psychiatrists say internet addiction, characterized by a loss of control over internet…


EU Agency Says Iran Likely to Step Up Cyberespionage

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Iran is likely to expand its cyberespionage activities as its relations with Western powers worsen, the European Union digital security agency said Monday. Iranian hackers are behind several cyberattacks and online disinformation campaigns in recent years as the country tries to strengthen its clout in the Middle East and beyond, a Reuters Special Report published in November found. This month the European Union imposed its first sanctions on Iran since world powers agreed to a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, in a reaction to Iran's ballistic missile tests and assassination plots on European soil. "Newly imposed sanctions on Iran are likely to push the country to intensify state-sponsored cyber threat activities in pursuit of its geopolitical and strategic objectives at a regional level," the European Union Agency for Network and…


Coffee in Seattle Does Not Always Mean Starbucks

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The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 - and grew into what is perhaps the world's best known American coffee company. But in Seattle, it is not the only brew in town, and as Natasha Mozgovaya discovered, locals never lost their love and appreciation for an individual approach and experimentation, and small coffee bars mushroomed in the city. Anna Rice has her report. ...


Malawi Looks to Cannabis to Supplement Lost Tobacco Earnings

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Malawi is the latest African country to look at legalizing cannabis – the plant that produces hemp and marijuana - after similar moves in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. As Malawi's tobacco industry - the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner - has dwindled due to anti-tobacco campaigns, farmers are now looking to grow cannabis. Lameck Masina reports from Lilongwe. ...


Southern India Boasts World’s First Fully Solar Powered Airport

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Entering or exiting Cochin International airport in India’s southern Kochi city, it is hard to miss the sea of solar panels glinting under the sun on a vast stretch of land on one side of the road and on top of a massive car park. Close by, a huge billboard proclaims the airport’s status as the world’s first airport fully powered by solar energy. The journey to that title began with a pilot project five years ago as airport authorities searched for ways to minimize ever-growing power bills.  “We put solar panels on the rooftop of Terminal One, we observed it for a year and we found it is quite good and can be safely scaled up,” said the airport’s managing director, V.J.Kurian. Now, the energy being produced by the…


Southern Indian city of Kochi Boasts World’s First Fully Solar Powered Airport

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India's southern Kochi city in Kerala state is among the world's most innovative airports, completely powered by solar energy. Winner of the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award for Entrepreneurial Vision in 2018, the project is testimony to India's ambitions of rapidly scaling up the use of solar power to reduce its carbon emissions. Anjana Pasricha has this report. ...


Seattle’s Bullitt Center: A Green Building Inspiring Visitors

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Called the "greenest office building in the world," the Bullitt Center in Seattle, Washington, generates its own electricity and its own water, collected from rain falling on the roof. Opened on Earth Day in 2013, the Bullitt Center has been nicknamed a "Living Building." Natasha Mozgovaya visited the green building to see for herself what makes it so unusual. Anna Rice narrates her report. ...