Author: ALJAZEERA

The technology helped recover $1.3bn in tax fraud in the 2024 fiscal year, says the Treasury.The United States Treasury Department is turning more to artificial intelligence (AI) to fight fraud, using the technology to thwart $4bn in improper payments in the last year. The agency released the estimate in a press release Thursday announcing the success of its “technology and data-driven approach”. In fiscal year 2024, which ran from October 2023 to September 2024, the Treasury used machine-learning AI to halt $1bn in cheque fraud, it said. At the same time, its AI processes helped weed out $3bn in other…

Taichung, Taiwan – Standing in line at her favourite boba tea shop in Taiwan’s second-biggest city, Lisa Chen was perplexed to hear that her preferred beverage had been embroiled in a headline-grabbing controversy halfway around the world. After a Montreal-based company pitched a “convenient and healthier” canned version of boba tea on Canada’s version of Dragons’ Den last week, a firestorm ensued. Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu, a potential investor on the reality show, raised concerns about so-called “cultural appropriation” and the lack of any indication that boba tea originated in Taiwan. “There’s an issue of taking something that is very…

German airline blocked 128 Jewish travellers over alleged misbehaviour of a few passengers, US authorities say.Lufthansa has agreed to a $4m fine over an incident in which more than 100 Jewish travellers were barred from boarding their flight. The German airline blocked the travellers – many of whom were wearing distinctive clothing typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men – from boarding a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022 based on the alleged misbehaviour of a few passengers, the US Department of Transportation said on Tuesday. Passengers interviewed by authorities said the airline had treated the 128 Jewish travellers travelling…

European Council says 14 individuals and entities subject to asset freeze and travel ban.The European Union has announced sanctions against more than a dozen Iranian individuals and firms, including ​​the country’s deputy defence minister and national airline, over the alleged transfer of missiles and drones to Russia. The European Council said on Monday that seven individuals and as many entities in total would be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban over their involvement in transferring weapons and equipment to Moscow for use in its war against Ukraine. Those targeted include Iranian Deputy Defence Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari, high-ranking…

The popular social media platform TikTok has been accused of harming and failing to protect young people in a slew of new lawsuits filed by several US states. The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday in New York, California, and 11 other states, as well as the District of Columbia, add to continuing legal challenges the Chinese-owned company is already embroiled in in the United States. The latest filings accuse the company of intentionally using addictive software to keep children watching as long as possible, as well as of misrepresenting the effectiveness of its content moderation. TikTok has rejected the allegations “many…

A US judge said that for three years, Google must allow users to download competing third-party Android app platforms or stores.A United States judge has ordered Alphabet’s Google to overhaul its mobile app business to give Android users more options to download apps and pay for transactions within them, following a jury verdict last year for Fortnite maker Epic Games. The injunction on Monday by US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco outlined the changes Google must undertake to open up its lucrative app store Play to greater competition, including making Android apps available from rival sources. Donato’s order…

Ilorin and Abuja, Nigeria – For the second time in two months, angry protesters in several cities across Nigeria are trooping out to denounce biting economic hardship in the West African country and to call for change. In the capital Abuja on Tuesday, police fired tear gas canisters into crowds of demonstrators as they marched and screamed chants of “no more hunger” and “end bad governance”. In the first wave of protests in August, several people were shot dead and hundreds more were arrested. Yet this time, despite fears of another crackdown as police deployed heavily to potential protest locations…

US President Joe Biden welcomes agreement to end three-day strike, saying dockworkers ‘deserve a strong contract’.US dockworkers and port operators have reached a tentative agreement that will end a three-day strike that shut down shipping on the east and Gulf coasts of the United States – and had threatened to incur billions of dollars in losses. In a joint statement on Thursday evening, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance, said they had “reached a tentative agreement on wages”, without providing any details on what was agreed upon. The two sides also agreed to extend their master…

Gloria Solis moved to the United States from Mexico in 1998. To put food on the table for her four children, she works in the agricultural sector in Washington state. She’s one of the estimated 31 million foreign-born workers in the US — documented or otherwise — who are helping to drive the US economy. She’s worried that if Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gets elected, the life she has built for her and her family could be in jeopardy. Trump has made immigration, a hot-button issue this election, one of the pillars of his campaign. The role of immigrants…

Politics watchers in the United States have long spoken about the “October surprise” that has the potential to upend the presidential race in the final stretch. With 45,000 dock workers going on strike at dozens of ports across the US, such a moment may have arrived. The decision by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union to walk off the job on Tuesday threatens to unleash economic chaos just weeks out from the November 5 vote. Operations have come to a halt at 36 ports on the East and Gulf coasts, stretching from Texas to Maine, which together handle more than…