Foreign

Ex- Honduran president gets 4-yr jail term for drug trafficking

Ex- Honduran president gets 4-yr jail term for drug trafficking

June 27, 2024, 1:56 pm

BOGOTA, Colombia – Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was sentenced Wednesday to 45 years in prison on drug trafficking charges under a New York court ruling. The 55-year-old Hernandez was found guilty on all charges presented by the US Justice Department including conspiracy to… Read More

Seventeen becomes UNESCO's first goodwill ambassador for youth

Seventeen becomes UNESCO's first goodwill ambassador for youth

June 27, 2024, 1:09 pm

SEOUL – Popular K-pop group Seventeen has been appointed as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for Youth. The boy group received a letter of appointment from UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay during a nomination… Read More

Several countries warn vs. travel to Lebanon amid fears of war

Several countries warn vs. travel to Lebanon amid fears of war

June 27, 2024, 12:56 pm

ISTANBUL – Several countries have called on their nationals to leave Lebanon amid growing fears of a full-blown war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. On Wednesday, the Netherlands Foreign Ministry urged its citizens on X to avoid travel to Lebanon and those who live there to leave… Read More

IMF releases AI preparedness index for 174 countries

IMF releases AI preparedness index for 174 countries

June 26, 2024, 2:18 pm

ISTANBUL – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday released its AI Preparedness Index (AIPI), mapping the world's readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) and evaluating the level of AI preparedness for 174 countries. The AIPI Dashboard tracks 174 economies based on their digital… Read More

WikiLeaks founder pleads guilty to felony to secure his freedom

WikiLeaks founder pleads guilty to felony to secure his freedom

June 26, 2024, 1:37 pm

NEW YORK – Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty in a deal with the US that will secure his freedom, the Associated Press reported. According to the media outlet, Assange pleaded guilty to a single felony charge for publishing US military secrets in a federal court in Saipan, the… Read More

Quad govts offering fellowships to students from ASEAN nations

Quad govts offering fellowships to students from ASEAN nations

June 26, 2024, 1:30 pm

JAKARTA – The United States, together with Australia, India, and Japan (Quad governments), is offering fellowships to students from the Quad and ASEAN countries to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the US. "The program sponsors exceptional master's and doctoral… Read More

Sofia to host 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in May 2025

Sofia to host 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in May 2025

June 25, 2024, 4:24 pm

ISMAIL, Ukraine – Sofia will host the 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media on May 24, 2025, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev announced at the closing of the 19th edition in Ukraine held on June 18-21. The BTA set the 20th World Meeting on May 24 which is the Day of the… Read More

15 cops killed in synagogue, church attacks in Russia

15 cops killed in synagogue, church attacks in Russia

June 25, 2024, 12:32 pm

ISTANBUL – More than 15 police officers have been killed in armed attacks in Russia's Dagestan, the head of the region said early Monday. Sergey Melikov commented on the attacks in the cities of Makhachkala and Derbent on his Telegram channel. According to reports, the attackers targeted a… Read More

N. Korea sends 350 trash balloons to Seoul, Gyeonggi

N. Korea sends 350 trash balloons to Seoul, Gyeonggi

June 25, 2024, 11:42 am

SEOUL – North Korea has launched around 350 trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea overnight, Seoul's military said Tuesday. It was the fifth launch of its kind since last month, the military added.Some 100 balloons, mostly carrying scrap paper and waste, landed in Seoul and the northern… Read More

20 dead at battery plant fire site in South Korea

20 dead at battery plant fire site in South Korea

June 24, 2024, 8:48 pm

ISTANBUL – At least 20 bodies were found as firefighters battled huge flames at a three-story battery factory in South Korea on Monday, firefighters said. According to Yonhap news, firefighters brought the blaze under control around 3:10 p.m. local time, more than four hours after it started,… Read More

Dalai Lama arrives in New York for medical treatment

Dalai Lama arrives in New York for medical treatment

June 24, 2024, 6:08 pm

NEW YORK – Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, arrived in New York City on Sunday for medical treatment. Hundreds of his supporters welcomed him as his private jet landed at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. It is unclear whether he will hold official meetings while he is here. His… Read More

Hyundai Motor improves EVs battery supply, manufacturing capacity

Hyundai Motor improves EVs battery supply, manufacturing capacity

June 24, 2024, 3:53 pm

SEOUL – Hyundai Motor Group is strengthening its electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain and internal production capacity, as the world's third-largest auto group seeks to present price-competitive EV models with better driving ranges. Last week, SQM, a Chilean lithium mining company,… Read More

8 missing after landslide hits houses in central China

8 missing after landslide hits houses in central China

June 24, 2024, 12:47 pm

ANKARA – At least eight people are missing and the search continues after a landslide hit a village in Hunan, central China, on Sunday, state-run media said. The landslide hit four houses in the village of Douxi in the Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County of Huaihua early Sunday, the Xinhua News… Read More

Israel OKs bill to extend retirement age for army reservists

Israel OKs bill to extend retirement age for army reservists

June 24, 2024, 12:36 pm

JERUSALEM – The Israeli government on Sunday approved a bill extending the retirement age for army reservists, for approval of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) Monday, according to Israeli media. The bill seeks to extend the service for reserve officers and soldiers by an additional three… Read More

California's summer off with wildfires, evacuations, scorched soil

California's summer off with wildfires, evacuations, scorched soil

June 24, 2024, 12:28 pm

ANKARA – California’s summer is off to a scorching start with a surge of wildfire activity sweeping across the US West Coast state this week. The blazes have stretched firefighting resources thin, forced evacuations, and scorched several homes, businesses, and bone-dry hillsides. According to… Read More

66 wildfires reported in Greece in 24 hours

66 wildfires reported in Greece in 24 hours

June 24, 2024, 11:51 am

ANKARA/ATHENS – Sixty-six wildfires broke out in Greece between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday local time, media reports said. A total of 52 were dealt with in their initial stages, while firefighting teams are dealing with another 14, noted state-run AMNA news agency. Citing civil protection… Read More

Boeing's Starliner mission delays return anew due to tech issues

Boeing's Starliner mission delays return anew due to tech issues

June 23, 2024, 6:42 pm

ANKARA – Boeing's first astronaut mission using its Starliner capsule has been extended once again, with the spacecraft now set to remain docked at the International Space Station (ISS) until at least July 2, a week later than the previous target date of June 26. This extension allows Boeing and… Read More

S. Korea auto exports expected to hit record high in 2024

S. Korea auto exports expected to hit record high in 2024

June 23, 2024, 6:37 pm

SEOUL – South Korea's car exports are forecast to reach a record high this year, driven by solid demand for eco-friendly models and sport utility vehicles, an industry association said Sunday. According to the Korea Automobile and Mobility Association (KAMA), the country's car exports are… Read More

Seoul city hospitals to suffer $71.89-M losses over doctors walkout 

Seoul city hospitals to suffer $71.89-M losses over doctors walkout 

June 23, 2024, 1:40 pm

SEOUL – Two major hospitals run by the Seoul city government are forecast to suffer losses of nearly 100 billion won (US$71.89 million) this year due to the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, officials said Sunday. The two municipal hospitals, Seoul Medical Center and Boramae Medical Center,… Read More

'Comfort women' statue set up for 1st time in Italy

'Comfort women' statue set up for 1st time in Italy

June 23, 2024, 11:39 am

ROME/SEOUL – A girl statue symbolizing the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, euphemistically called "comfort women," has been erected in Italy for the first time, a local activist group said Sunday. The Statue of Peace or Comfort Women statue was opened to the public on Stintino Beach… Read More