Foreign
South Korean opposition wins landslide in parliamentary elections
April 12, 2024, 12:16 pm
ANKARA – South Korea's opposition bloc won a resounding victory in the country's parliamentary elections, defeating the ruling People Power Party (PPP) of President Yoon Suk Yeol, local media reported Thursday. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) won 161 out of 254 directly contested… Read More
Biden, Kishida hold high-profile summit on stronger alliance
April 11, 2024, 3:11 pm
WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a summit in Washington on Wednesday with a shared aim to cement the two countries' evolving alliance in the midst of China's assertiveness, Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's persistent threats. The… Read More
Xi, ex-Taiwan Pres Ma meet ahead of inauguration of island's new exec
April 11, 2024, 1:07 pm
ANKARA – Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the first time that a serving or former leader of the self-governed island has met with the Chinese top in nine years, state media reported. The two last met in Singapore in… Read More
European Parliament approves contested migration reform
April 11, 2024, 12:45 pm
ATHENS – The European Parliament on Wednesday approved the much-contested Migration and Asylum Pact. "The European Parliament today adopted ten legislative texts to reform European migration and asylum policy as agreed with EU member states,” it said in a statement. According to the statement,… Read More
US to prohibit Kaspersky Lab from providing certain products, services
April 10, 2024, 8:23 pm
NEW YORK – The Biden administration is preparing to issue an order that will prevent US companies and citizens from using the software of Russia-headquartered Kaspersky Lab due to national security concerns, CNN reported, citing US officials familiar with the matter. The move, which is being… Read More
US state of Arizona's top court issues near-total ban on abortions
April 10, 2024, 5:14 pm
WASHINGTON – Arizona’s Supreme Court revived an almost total ban on abortions, invoking a territorial law dating to 1864, which forbids the procedure except to save a mother’s life and punishes providers with prison time. The court said in a 4-2 ruling that a 2022 law allowing abortions up… Read More
Parents of Michigan school shooter sentenced to 10-15 yrs in prison
April 10, 2024, 3:49 pm
HOUSTON, United States – The first parents ever to be charged for their child's mass shooting were sentenced Tuesday in the US state of Michigan to a decade of prison time. Jennifer and James Crumbley, whose son, Ethan, then 15 years old, murdered four students on Nov. 30, 2021 at Oxford High… Read More
European HR court condemns Switzerland for failing to protect climate
April 10, 2024, 3:35 pm
GENEVA – In a ruling with possible effects throughout the continent, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on Tuesday condemned Switzerland for failing to protect the climate, local media reported. The court ruling in Strasbourg upheld the complaint against the Swiss Confederation of… Read More
New York court junks Trump's request to postpone hush money trial
April 10, 2024, 1:14 pm
NEW YORK – A New York appeals court has rejected former US President Donald Trump’s request to postpone the first hearing of his case on charges of paying "hush money" to a former adult film star in 2016. New York Court of Appeals Judge Lizbeth Gonzalez did not accept Trump's lawyers' request… Read More
UNCTAD rebrands as 'UN Trade and Development'
April 10, 2024, 12:33 pm
GENEVA – To mark its 60th anniversary, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has been rebranded as “UN Trade and Development”. This strategic move underscores the organization's commitment to greater impact with a new, clearer visual identity aiming to better… Read More
Last month was warmest March on record: EU
April 9, 2024, 9:56 pm
BRUSSELS – Last month was the warmest March on record worldwide, the EU said on Tuesday. The average surface air temperature for last month was recorded at 14.14°C (57.45°F), said Copernicus, the EU's Earth observation program. This figure was 0.73°C above the January 1991-2020 average and… Read More
Vatican wants surrogacy to become 'universal crime'
April 9, 2024, 6:30 pm
ROME – The Vatican said in a new document on human dignity Monday that it wants to see surrogate motherhood, or surrogacy, banned worldwide as a "universal crime". The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's new Declaration "Dignitas infinita" (Infinite Dignity), which commemorates the 75th… Read More
Israel continues to hamper delivery of life-saving aid to Gaza – UN
April 9, 2024, 6:09 pm
HAMILTON, Canada – The UN said on Monday Israeli authorities continue to obstruct planned aid movements into Gaza. "A new OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) report on access constraints in Gaza said restrictions and denials of planned aid movements by Israeli authorities… Read More
US conducts humanitarian airdrop into Gaza
April 9, 2024, 2:31 pm
WASHINGTON – US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted another round of humanitarian assistance airdrops Monday into northern Gaza to provide relief to civilians affected by an Israeli onslaught. "The joint operation included one C-130 U.S. Air Force aircraft and U.S. Army Soldiers specialized in… Read More
Total eclipse exits N. America after crossing over Mexico, US, Canada
April 9, 2024, 2:17 pm
WASHINGTON – Millions of people across North America gazed in awe at the heavens Monday afternoon as they took in a celestial phenomena that will not reoccur for two decades. Many in what is known as the path of totality saw the moon's shadow, known as the umbra, rimmed by solar rays as they… Read More
S. Korea successfully launches 2nd spy satellite into orbit
April 8, 2024, 9:00 pm
SEOUL – South Korea successfully launched its second indigenous spy satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the US on Monday (Seoul time), according to the defense ministry. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:17 a.m. (7:17 p.m. local time) from the John F.… Read More
Presidential office rules out deferring med school admissions increase
April 8, 2024, 8:45 pm
SEOUL – The government has no plans to defer the planned increase of medical school admissions set to start next year, a presidential official said Monday. The official was responding to Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo's comments earlier in the day that the government will carry out an… Read More
5.2 magnitude quake strikes southwestern Japan
April 8, 2024, 8:09 pm
ISTANBUL – A moderate magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Miyazaki prefecture in southwestern Japan on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake occurred at a depth of 40 kilometers (24 miles) around 10.25 a.m. (0125GMT), the agency said, with no tsunami warning issued. It measured 5… Read More
UAE to participate in 21st China-ASEAN Expo as special partner
April 8, 2024, 4:21 pm
NANNING – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has confirmed its participation in this year's China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) as a Special Partner Country, marking the very first time the expo has had a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member as its special partner, the CAEXPO Secretariat said on Sunday.… Read More
Gaza children dying of hunger - WFP chief
April 8, 2024, 3:50 pm
TEHRAN – A World Food Programme (WFP) official has sounded the alarm on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, warning that people in the besieged Palestinian territory are on the brink of famine and children there are dying of hunger. ."As we speak, a large number of children in Gaza are starving… Read More
