Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Apr 11, 2025 09:01 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Zoha Khawaja

Master of Science Student, Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
I am a second-year Master of Science candidate in the Health Sciences program at Simon Fraser University. My thesis focuses on proactively creating a consensus-driven normative governance framework for the ethical design and implementation of voice-based artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual conversational agents utilized for monitoring, diagnostic, and therapeutic purposes. My anticipated research outcome is to pave the way for VCAs that are both ethically sound and optimally beneficial for users in clinical and therapeutic contexts, setting the gold standard for voice-AI's ethical application. I have acquired over 8+ years of research experience in various multicultural healthcare contexts and have conducted both clinical and non-clinical research work. Alongside this, I have developed interpersonal skills through collaborations with interdisciplinary teams ranging from public policymakers to clinicians and patient research partners in Canada. I hope to further my knowledge in bioethics, voice AI, and AI healthcare technologies.

Economy

China's Deflationary Woes: CPI and PPI Signal Persistent Economic Challenges

Chinas Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped 0.1% from year-ago in Chinas Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined 0.1% from a year ago in March 2025, less than Februarys decline of 0.7%. That was lower than an expected rise of...

Trump's Tariff U-Turn: 90-Day Reprieve for Most, China Still in the Crosshairs

On April 2025, Donald Trump announced a 90-day tariff relief for the majority of nations, a dazzling about-turn after imposing them, out of fear of market volatility. This was at a time when global markets were in...

[Editorial Cartoon] “Tariff Chicken Game” – U.S. and China Speed Toward Economic Catastrophe

Amid rising tensions in the U.S.-China trade war, this weeks editorial cartoon depicts a dramatic chicken game scenario, where two economic superpowers appear locked in a collision course with potentially devastating...

Trade War Escalates: China Fires Back with 84% Tariff on US Goods

China escalated the stakes of the trade war with America by imposing an 84% tariff on American products as a retaliatory measure to President Trumps recent tariffs on Chinese products. The retaliatory tariff which...

China's Treasury "Nuclear Option": Bluff or Reality?

If China were to sell its $761 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds, the immediate effects would be higher U.S. Treasury yields, which would rise by 30 to 60 basis points, raising the borrowing cost and cutting economic growth....

Politics

IRS Chief to Resign Amid Controversial Tax Data Sharing Deal with Homeland Security

The acting head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Melanie Krause, is set to resign following a controversial agreement to share undocumented immigrants tax data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),...

Ken Paxton to Challenge Sen. John Cornyn in 2026 Texas GOP Primary

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced his bid to unseat fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 GOP primary. Speaking on Fox News The Ingraham Angle, Paxton declared his intention to bring stronger...

Trump Slams TSMC Subsidy, Threatens 100% Tax Without U.S. Manufacturing

President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration for awarding a $6.6 billion subsidy to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), arguing that semiconductor giants like TSMC do not need government...

Trump Moves to Block State Climate Laws to Boost Fossil Fuel Industry

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Tuesday aimed at blocking state-level climate laws that restrict fossil fuel use and promote clean energy. This latest move underscores Trumps ongoing efforts to...

Pam Bondi to Lead DOJ Initiative Defending Second Amendment Rights

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to spearhead a new Justice Department initiative aimed at protecting gun rights under the Second Amendment, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters. The memo outlines Bondis plan to...

Science

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2032 specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 per cent on...

A new study reveals the structure of violent winds 1,300 light years away

The planet WASP-121b is extreme. Its a gas giant almost twice as big as Jupiter orbiting extremely close to its star50 times closer than the Earth does around the Sun. WASP-121b is so close to its star that tidal forces...

Technology

US Senators Question Microsoft and Google Over AI Cloud Partnerships

Two Democratic U.S. senators are pressing Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) for transparency over their cloud computing partnerships with leading artificial intelligence firms. Senators Elizabeth Warren of...

Telegram Fined $80K by Moscow Court for Extremist Content Refusal

A Moscow court has fined Telegram Messenger Inc. 7 million roubles (approximately $80,000) for refusing to remove content allegedly promoting extremist activities, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Court...

Samsung Posts Resilient Q1 Profit on Strong Chip and Smartphone Demand

Samsung Electronics reported a better-than-expected 0.2% drop in Q1 operating profit, reaching 6.6 trillion won ($4.49 billion), beating market forecasts of 5.1 trillion won. This resilience was driven by solid memory chip...

Meta Unveils Llama 4 Maverick and Scout, Boosts AI Ambitions

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has unveiled its latest AI modelsLlama 4 Maverick and Llama 4 Scoutcalling them its most advanced large language models (LLMs) to date. Designed as multimodal AI systems, they can process and...

Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against OpenAI Heads to Jury Trial in 2026

Elon Musks high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI is set for a jury trial in spring 2026, as ruled by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The case centers on Musks...