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    Arizona border faces 'homelessness on steroids'

    STORY: This migrant shelter in Tucson, Arizona, is one of five in a network in Pima County that have collectively served an estimate 180,000 asylum seekers over the last decade.But these families sleeping on cots could soon find themselves homeless once federal funds for migrant shelters run out at the end of the month…and the Casa Alitas network of shelters says it will soon be forced to halt most operations:“After March 31st, most of our fund are going to go to (off) a cliff.”Susana Selig is the Associate Director for Casa Alitas:"My main concern after March 31st is what is going to happen to those other 960 people per day that are coming through the border. Our daily average is about a thousand people. But we have had days like in November, where we receive up to 1,800 people in just one day."At one of the Casa Alitas shelter sites last week, migrants rested on cots and received meals, clean clothes, toiletries and assistance planning onward travel.Sara Vasquez Gonzalez came with her husband and three of her six children from Chiapas, Mexico, where cartel violence has driven Mexican families to flee to the U.S."What we experienced in Chiapas was not easy because two (criminal) organizations arrived and we saw shootings. My husband stayed there taking care of our things and he would just hide behind the doors. My house was completely shot at. My mom lives in another area and that’s where we found refuge."Pima County estimated 400 to 1,000 migrants with nowhere to stay could start arriving daily in Tucson beginning in April.Jan Lesher, the Pima County Administrator, said the county simply cannot afford the roughly $1 million per week that previously would have been covered by federal funds.“$48 million a year is not something that can be easily absorbed into a Pima County budget, particularly in a year where we're all looking at making budget cuts... We refer to it as homelessness on steroids. We're going to take individuals who are already homeless in the community. We have that population who are houselessness, homeless in this in this area. And adding to that, an additional thousand people a day."Funding predicaments similar to Pima County's are playing out in other border regions and far-away cities like New York City, Chicago and Denver that have received migrants.As in Tucson, local governments anticipate that without federal dollars, communities will face significantly more migrants living on their streets, putting a greater demand on police, hospitals and sanitation services.Congress faces a Friday deadline to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which pays for migrant services, along with other federal agencies.Current money could be temporarily extended as a stop-gap measure to keep DHS and other federal agencies running.

  • Technology
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    AI-backed phone service gives offline answers in Nigeria

    STORY: “Please ask your question after the tone…”Nigerian resident David Diwa is using an artificial intelligence-powered mobile phone service to help him find a new career.‘’Sometimes I feel I should leave my carpentry job and start something else because of my weak eyesight. So, I ask the AI questions about businesses and they give me ideas and how to make it grow.’’The service was launched in Nigeria last month by Canada-based Viamo and allows anyone, even in locations with no internet, to access AI technology.Viamo uses a traditional handset to tap into local mobile phone networks to send commands or requests for information through SMS or voice calls.It works like any other AI chatbot, and can be used by illiterate people, since it can be prompted by voice.And because it saves on data, it’s also cheaper. Glory Akhabue is Viamo’s Nigeria Regional Platform Manager.‘’We understand that these people are disconnected because they are currently offline and do not have a mobile phone to access information, and also they do not have a smart phone that they can use to access information on the internet. Most of them, even when they have a smart phone, they are not able to purchase data that they can use to get connected to the internet.”Visually impaired Nigerian resident Kehinde Olutubosun says the service has been uplifting.“I was finding it so hard…”He says he used to ask people to use their smartphones to find answers to his questions.‘’For people who are not that financially buoyant, they still have this opportunity to use even as little as 10 Naira to ask lots of questions that will actually benefit them. I am so happy,.’Viamo says the device is targeted to the world’s poorest and most remote communities.It's supported by development agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom, among others...And has partnered with UNICEF to provide information on HIV, tropical diseases, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene.

  • Business
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    Nasdaq hit by technical glitch

    STORY: Nasdaq was hit by a technical glitch on Monday (March 18).The issue was related to connectivity and stock orders and lasted for more than two hours.Nasdaq later said it had resolved the problems and that all systems were operating normally.It did not give details about the severity of the issue.Nasdaq said it was related to the matching engine, which are software systems that match buy and sell orders on an exchange.The exchange operator had reported another tech glitch in December. That saw an impact on stock orders and over 50 clients at the exchange were affected.Thousands of stocks are listed on the Nasdaq.It includes iPhone maker Apple, and electric vehicle giant Tesla.Technical glitches on exchanges can hurt markets and hit trader confidence.It can also draw scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission.