Foreign
Over 1.8M Muslim pilgrims start performing Hajj
June 16, 2024, 3:27 pm
RIYADH – Over 1.8 million pilgrims from across the globe on Saturday converged on Mount Arafat in the western region of Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced. At a press conference, Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said pilgrims began… Read More
Nearly 250M people in US brace for heat wave
June 15, 2024, 8:02 pm
ISTANBUL – A heat wave currently roasting the southeastern US is expected to spread into the country’s Midwest and northeast, potentially affecting nearly 250 million people, the National Weather Service (NWS) said on Saturday. According to the NWS, temperatures will remain at 32 degrees… Read More
Chinese tech giant ByteDance mulls cutting jobs in Indonesia
June 15, 2024, 4:11 pm
ISTANBUL – Chinese tech giant ByteDance is mulling over laying off 450 employees in Indonesia as part of its restructuring efforts following the merger of its e-commerce unit, TikTok Shop, with the Indonesian e-commerce company Tokopedia. The layoffs account for 9 percent of ByteDance's… Read More
100 S. Korea’s public institutions get bomb threat email
June 15, 2024, 1:51 pm
SEOUL – Police have launched an investigation after emails threatening to detonate bombs were sent to more than 100 public institutions Friday, but no evidence of any explosive devices was detected, officials said. Police received a report of the email from an employee at the lost and found… Read More
Millions of Muslims begin annual Hajj pilgrimage
June 15, 2024, 1:03 pm
ANKARA – Over two million Muslims from all around the world began the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Friday. As the pilgrims make their way towards the Grand Mosque on Friday, they are expected to reach Mina, marking the beginning of the Hajj rituals and following the footsteps of the… Read More
Cocoa prices hit $10-K per ton amid supply, production woes in Ghana
June 14, 2024, 1:14 pm
ISTANBUL – Cocoa prices have again hit USD10,000 per ton as supply in Ghana was hit by unfavorable weather conditions partly due to El Niño and plant diseases. Prices skyrocketed in April because factories in Ghana and the Ivory Coast stopped production, citing high seed costs. The ton price on… Read More
NATO's AI strategy focuses on responsible use: AI chief
June 14, 2024, 12:17 pm
LONDON – NATO’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy can play a key role in responsible use of the technology, the alliance’s data, AI policy head Nikos Loutas has said. Loutas noted that NATO agreed on its first AI strategy in 2021 and has identified six guiding principles -- lawfulness,… Read More
UN calls on North Korea to end its ‘self-imposed isolation'
June 13, 2024, 10:21 pm
HAMILTON, Canada – The UN on Wednesday warned about a "profoundly alarming" situation in North Korea and called for an end to its "self-imposed isolation" from the world. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told the Security Council that the "precarious human rights situation" in… Read More
AI must never stand for 'advancing inequality,' says UN chief
June 13, 2024, 6:29 pm
GENEVA – The secretary-general of the United Nations urged countries on Wednesday to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) "never stands for advancing inequality." In his remarks to the Council of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva, Antonio Guterres warned that… Read More
Fed freezes key rate for 7th straight time, forecasts cut this year
June 13, 2024, 1:10 pm
WASHINGTON – The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its benchmark lending rate steady for the seventh consecutive time and projected a rate cut later this year citing the "modest further progress" towards its 2 percent inflation target. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)… Read More
Mastercard targets full e-commerce tokenization by 2030 in Europe
June 12, 2024, 3:36 pm
ISTANBUL – Mastercard said Tuesday it wants to reach full e-commerce tokenization in Europe by the end of the decade. The decision is part of the company's plan to phase out manual card entry and make e-commerce safer and more accessible for everyone, it said in a statement. The tokenization… Read More
Morocco uses AI in its courts
June 12, 2024, 3:32 pm
RABAT, Morocco – Morocco on Tuesday said it has started using artificial intelligence (AI) in courts across the North African country. “AI has introduced significant changes worldwide,” Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said during a meeting of the Justice Committee in the House of… Read More
49 migrants die, 140 missing after boat capsized off Yemen
June 12, 2024, 3:09 pm
GENEVA – A boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, killing at least 49 migrants and leaving 140 others missing, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday. The vessel, which was carrying 260 migrants, capsized on Monday near Alghareef Point in Shabwah governorate, IOM said… Read More
US imposes sanctions over illicit transport of oil
June 12, 2024, 2:38 pm
ISTANBUL – The US Treasury Department on Tuesday said it imposed sanctions on 10 individuals, entities and vessels, including tanker captains, that have engaged in the illicit transport of oil and other commodities. The sanctions target maritime shipping and financial facilitators, several… Read More
4 US college instructors injured in China stabbing attack
June 12, 2024, 1:12 pm
ISTANBUL – At least four US college instructors sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a stabbing attack in northeastern China, officials confirmed. “I am in touch with Iowa’s federal delegation and the state department in response to this horrifying attack,” said Kim Reynolds, the… Read More
High water temperature causes mass coral bleaching, death in Vietnam
June 12, 2024, 1:04 pm
BA RIA-VUNG TU – Coral reefs in the Con Dao archipelago off Ba Rịa-Vung Tau Province have been bleaching and dying due to abnormally high water temperatures, the Con Dao National Park management said on June 10. The management and the Institute of Oceanography carried out a study at the end… Read More
Biden son guilty of 3 gun charges
June 12, 2024, 11:52 am
ANKARA – US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would accept the outcome of a federal case against his son after a federal jury convicted Hunter Biden of all three gun charges against him. "As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud… Read More
BTS' Jin returns from military duty
June 12, 2024, 10:48 am
SEOUL - Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, was discharged from his 18 months of mandatory military service Wednesday, with fans worldwide eagerly anticipating his return to the music scene. After hugging his fellow soldiers in turn during a brief, teary farewell ceremony inside the… Read More
UNSC adopts US resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
June 11, 2024, 2:40 pm
NEW YORK – The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution aimed at reaching a comprehensive ceasefire deal in three phases to end the war in Gaza, with US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield telling members "today, we voted for peace." Adopted by a large majority with 14 votes in favour… Read More
India's Modi keeps key ministers, indicating policy continuity
June 11, 2024, 2:34 pm
NEW DELHI – Following his third election victory in a row, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained key members of his Cabinet as he began third term Monday. Modi's decision to keep his interior, defense, foreign, and finance ministers indicates his Bhartiya Janaya Party's (BJP) desire… Read More
