Search results for "us government"

IMF: Vaccines will power 5.5% global economic growth in 2021

The spread of COVID-19 vaccines will power a stronger global economic recovery in 2021, the International Monetary Fund forecast Tuesday. After sinking 3.5% in 2020, the worst year since World War II, the global economy will grow 5.5% this year, the 190-country lending organization predicted. The new figure for 2021 is an upgrade from the […]

Debate heats up over how countries tax Big Tech companies

An international debate over how countries tax big U.S. technology companies such as Google, Amazon and Facebook is heating up, presenting a challenge for President Joe Biden’s new administration. A mid-year deadline is on the horizon for talks about a global deal to defuse trade disputes with France and other countries that are imposing go-it-alone […]

Chunghwa Telecom unveils $1.5 billion plan to boost 5G deployment

Taiwan’s largest telecoms operator, Chunghwa Telecom, announced on Tuesday plans to drastically increase capital expenditures by a record high 82.8 percent to $1.5 billion for 2021, the company said. The plan – expected to raise revenues by one percent – will include accelerated deployment of its 5G networks, submarine cables, and data centers across the […]

Analysis: Biden to take a tough stance on Big Tech policy

Many of Big Tech’s expected future regulatory challenges are a result of their own making – as in the case of Facebook, Google, and Amazon. These companies are being charged by some countries with monopolistic tendencies, prompting some of the regulators in states to send warnings to these firms so they can get their act […]

Under Biden, China faces renewed trade pressure

The U.S.-Chinese trade war isn’t going away under President Joe Biden. Biden won’t confront Beijing right away, economists say, because he wants to focus on the coronavirus and the economy. However, Biden looks set to renew pressure over trade and technology grievances that prompted President Donald Trump to hike tariffs on Chinese imports in 2017. […]

Worldwide IT spending to reach $3.9 trillion in 2021, Gartner forecasts

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused dips in many industries, affecting everything from investments to supply chain as the global population took refuge within the safety of their own homes throughout the majority of 2020. However, many have noted that 2021 will be different, as numerous vaccines have mushroomed all over the world to kickstart the […]

Congressional letter blasts Facebook head for flawed algorithms

Two senior U.S. representatives blasted Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg, noting the platform’s content problems were “systemic” and require deep change beyond just moderation. “Perhaps no single entity is more responsible for the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories at scale or for inflaming anti-government grievance than the one that you started and that you oversee today […]

Iran, pressured by blackouts and pollution, targets Bitcoin

Iran’s capital and major cities plunged into darkness in recent weeks as rolling outages left millions without electricity for hours. Traffic lights died. Offices went dark. Online classes stopped. With toxic smog blanketing Tehran skies and the country buckling under the pandemic and other mounting crises, social media has been rife with speculation. Soon, fingers […]

European Central Bank faces gloomier picture for economy

The European Central Bank is looking at a darkening picture for the economy as infections and deaths surge. With more than a trillion euros of pandemic stimulus still in the pipeline, President Christine Lagarde is expected to underline Thursday that the bank has the means keep credit affordable and support the hoped-for recovery. Spiking virus […]

Uganda lifts internet ban, as social media remains blocked

Uganda has lifted its blanket ban on internet access on Tuesday following a heated presidential election that saw the country’s long-time president Yoweri Museveni declared the winner. However, many have reported that certain social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are yet to be restored, with access to them only attained via Virtual Private […]