Sub-Saharan African nations are at growing risk of debt distress because of heavy borrowing and gaping deficits, despite an overall uptick in economic growth, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. The sober assessment came as African countries continue to tap …
Soon after presenting his credentials to the German president, the new U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, told German companies to start leaving Iran. “As Donald Trump said, U.S. sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing …
Wooden dhows crammed with secondhand Japanese cars have been sailing unhindered into Yemeni ports for the past three years despite rigid wartime controls on imports of aid and other vital supplies. Like many Yemeni traders, Ali al-Mahry jumped at this …
Disney is seeking new frontiers. The media company launched its $5-a-month sports streaming service, ESPN Plus, last month, and it signed a deal with Twitter this month to create Marvel, ABC and ESPN content on that service. Meanwhile, Disney is …
Some Iranians had been cashing in their savings even before U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement he would pull out from the international nuclear deal with Iran, straining a banking system weighed down by bad loans and years of isolation. An …
Major technology and aerospace companies including Amazon.com, Apple, Intel, Qualcomm and Airbus SE are vying to take part in a new slate of drone tests the United States is set to announce on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter told …
The White House plans to convene a meeting on Thursday on the future of artificial intelligence in U.S. industry with major companies including Facebook, Amazon.com, Google parent Alphabet and Oracle as well as senior government officials. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich …
A 104-year-old British-born Australian scientist who is planning to kill himself on Thursday says he doesn’t think the drugs used for assisted suicide should be available to just anyone, but that doctors should be able to prescribe them. In an …
At least 17 people have died in an area of northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo where health officials have now confirmed an outbreak of Ebola, the health ministry said on Tuesday. It is the ninth time Ebola has been recorded …
Facebook announced Tuesday that it is banning foreign advertisements related to Ireland’s abortion referendum amid concerns that North American groups are trying to influence the campaign. Irish voters will decide May 25 whether to repeal a constitutional ban on …
The Trump administration is unveiling a multibillion-dollar roster of proposed spending cuts but is leaving this year’s $1.3 trillion catchall spending bill alone. The cuts wouldn’t have much impact, however, since they come from leftover funding from previous years …
Australia’s government is expected to release annual spending plans on Tuesday with a focus on winning votes at elections due within a year. Cheaper craft beer plus personal tax cuts compensated by strengthening company tax revenue have been flagged as …
U.S. oil giant ConocoPhillips is pressing for control of Venezuela’s key offshore operations in the Caribbean, seeking to recoup $2 billion from a decade-old dispute with the nation struggling to feed its people, a source confirmed Monday. The Houston-based …
As the pre-monsoon summer heat takes hold in New Delhi, two things are as inevitable as 40-degree-Celsius days: power cuts and air pollution from the diesel generators that then kick in. But a team of Indian engineers has figured out …
Polar bears and other iconic animals could be extinct by the end of the century if ocean temperatures continue to rise at the current rate, marine biologists warned Monday. Warming temperatures caused by climate-changing emissions may result in a catastrophic …
Hawaii’s Kilauea is not your typical blow-the-top-off kind of volcano. It’s been simmering and bubbling for about 35 years, sending superhot lava spewing up through cracks in the ground. This month’s eruptions are more of the same, except the lava …
Think Super Mario Bros., but with an Afghan twist. This is how Afghanistan’s first generation of female coders explain their abilities as game-makers after uploading more than 20 games on digital app stores this year. More than 20 young women …
Jeremy Wilson knew it was risky renting a home in an area with the highest hazard level for lava flows in Hawaii, but it was all he could afford for his family of six. Now, with magma spewing from cracks …
Anti-Semites are using Twitter as a “megaphone to harass and intimidate Jews,” the pro-Jewish civil rights group Anti-Defamation League says. In a new report Monday, the ADL says Twitter users sent out at least 4.2 million anti-Semitic posts in 2017 …
As the United States considers ramping up trade tariffs and other actions in response to China’s economic policies, tensions in another area heated up in recent days: How airlines should refer to Taiwan. The White House released a statement over …
Egypt’s parliament has approved a law to govern popular ride-hailing apps Uber and Careem, which had faced legal challenges stemming from regulations designed for traditional taxis. The new law, as described Monday by state news agency MENA, establishes operating licenses …
Microsoft is launching a $25 million initiative to use artificial intelligence to build better technology for people with disabilities. CEO Satya Nadella announced the new “AI for Accessibility” effort as he kicked off Microsoft’s annual conference for software developers. The …
Dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs and explosives, so Mark Ruefenacht wondered if their exquisite sense of smell could be used to detect changes in a diabetic’s blood sugar level. A near fatal episode prompted the forensic scientist, …
Diabetics who use insulin to control their blood sugars can sometimes end up with very low readings that, if left untreated, can lead to death. While modern blood sugar monitoring systems can warn patients when their blood sugar levels are …