Foreign
Pope calls on leaders to negotiate path to peace in Ukraine, Gaza
April 8, 2024, 3:34 pm
ROME – Pope Francis on Sunday urged political leaders to pause and make efforts to mediate and negotiate a path to peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. Speaking during the Regina Coeli address, the pontiff invited the faithful not to fail in continuing to pray for peace. “A just, lasting… Read More
China holds drill in South China Sea in response to 4-nation exercise
April 7, 2024, 8:16 pm
ANKARA – China's military on Sunday conducted a naval and air patrol in the disputed South China Sea, the same day the Philippines, the US, Japan and Australia held joint drills amid heightened tensions in the region. “The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army will conduct… Read More
Nicaragua breaks ties with Ecuador after raid on Mexican embassy
April 7, 2024, 1:29 pm
BOGOTA, Columbia – Nicaragua on Saturday broke "all diplomatic relations" with Ecuador after police forcibly broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito and arrested former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had sought political asylum there. "In the face of the unusual and reprehensible… Read More
Global food prices up after 7-month downward trend
April 6, 2024, 2:24 pm
ISTANBUL – The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index rose 1.3 points, or 1.1 percent, to 118.3 points in March compared to February, increasing for the first time after a seven-month downward trend. According to the FAO's press release on Friday, the increase in food prices… Read More
McDonald’s to buy Israeli franchise restos amid boycott calls
April 6, 2024, 11:37 am
ISTANBUL – Fast food giant McDonald's said Thursday it will buy all of its 225 restaurants in Israel after an agreement with franchise Alonyal Ltd., which has operated the business for 30 years. The US fast-food chain faces calls for a boycott since Alonyal gave away thousands of free meals to… Read More
Earthquake interrupts UN Security Council meeting
April 6, 2024, 11:13 am
WASHINGTON – A briefing in the UN Security Council came to a brief halt when an earthquake struck the eastern US on Friday. Janti Soeripto, president of Save the Children US, was addressing a council meeting on the situation in the Middle East when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the… Read More
Genetically modified pig kidney ‘transplanted’ into brain-dead person
April 5, 2024, 4:22 pm
ISTANBUL – Researchers in China have made a breakthrough in science after “successfully transplanting a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain-dead person,” state-run media reported on Thursday. The researchers said the transplant is “functioning for nine days”, or since March 25,… Read More
Russia says ready for 'honest' peace agreement with Ukraine
April 5, 2024, 3:50 pm
MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow is ready for an "honest" peace agreement with Ukraine that would take into account Moscow's security interests. Speaking at a meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries in Moscow, Lavrov put forward another condition… Read More
S.Korea welcomes UNHRC adoption of resolution vs N.Korea's violations
April 5, 2024, 1:16 pm
SEOUL – South Korea on Thursday welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) adoption of a resolution denouncing North Korea's widespread and systematic human rights violations for the 22nd consecutive year. The resolution, adopted by consensus at the 55th regular session of the… Read More
WhatsApp services restored after global outage, disruption
April 4, 2024, 4:43 pm
ISTANBUL – WhatsApp, the messaging platform, resumed service after a global outage of about 20 minutes on Wednesday. Hundreds of users worldwide reported on social media that they could not send messages or make phone calls through the app for almost an hour. Meta, which owns WhatsApp,… Read More
Magnitude 6.1 quake strikes eastern Japan
April 4, 2024, 4:34 pm
ANKARA – A strong earthquake of 6.1 magnitude jolted Japan's Minamisoma region on Thursday, according to the US Geological Survey. The tremor occurred 83 kilometers (51 miles) east of Minami-Soma in the province of Fukushima at a depth of 40 kilometers, the agency said, with no tsunami warning… Read More
Biden says Israel 'has not done enough to protect aid workers' in Gaza
April 3, 2024, 7:13 pm
WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he is "outraged" and "heartbroken" over an Israeli airstrike in Gaza that killed seven people working for World Central Kitchen (WCK), highlighting that Israel "has not done enough to protect aid workers." "They were providing food to hungry… Read More
4 dead as 7.4 magnitude quake hits Taiwan
April 3, 2024, 2:55 pm
TOKYO – At least four people died after a 7.4 magnitude struck off Taiwan’s east coast early Wednesday, triggering tsunami warnings. President Tsai Ing-wen has ordered the military to be deployed in the affected areas. "The national military will meet the needs of local governments and provide… Read More
Pope wants his funeral to be celebrated
April 3, 2024, 2:07 pm
ROME – Pope Francis has said how he would like his funeral to be eventually celebrated in a book of interviews with the Catican correspondent of Spanish newspaper ABC. He said that he would have a coffin but no catafalque for the funeral rites. The 86-year-old Argentine pontiff, who has had a… Read More
ERs at major S. Korean hospitals show growing signs of strain
April 3, 2024, 1:18 pm
SEOUL – Emergency departments at major general hospitals have shown increasing signs of strain, a senior official said Tuesday, as junior doctors’ mass walkout to protest the planned hike in medical school admissions entered its seventh week. The number of major emergency rooms that are… Read More
Cocktail of repurposed drugs offers hope to breast cancer patients
April 3, 2024, 12:41 pm
JERUSALEM – In a significant stride towards combating metastatic breast cancer, Israeli researchers unveiled a novel therapeutic approach utilizing already-existing medications that offers hope for improved survival rates. Breast cancer originates in the breast tissue, typically in the milk… Read More
Seoul court junks bid to stop increase of med school admission quota
April 3, 2024, 11:58 am
SEOUL – A Seoul court on Tuesday dismissed medical professors’ bid to prevent the government from increasing the admission quota of medical schools starting next year. The Seoul Administration Court rejected an appeal by the Medical Professors Association of Korea to suspend the execution of… Read More
WHO chief 'outraged' after Israeli strike kills humanitarian workers
April 2, 2024, 10:02 pm
GENEVA – The World Health Organization's (WHO) director-general on Tuesday called for the "sustained protection" of humanitarian workers in Gaza after an incident that killed seven members of US-based charity World Central Kitchen. "How many more lives will be lost until there's a cease-fire? We… Read More
6-month stay in S.Korea to qualify for state health insurance
April 2, 2024, 5:23 pm
SEOUL – Foreigners and overseas Koreans can only become eligible for the state health insurance coverage as dependents if they reside in South Korea for at least six months, the health ministry said Tuesday. The tightened rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, comes as some foreigners have… Read More
US holds air drills with SoKor, Japan after NoKor’s missile fire
April 2, 2024, 5:17 pm
WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL – The US launched trilateral air drills with South Korea and Japan following a missile launch by North Korea on Tuesday. North Korea had fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea, or Sea of Japan, which came about two weeks after the country’s leader Kim Jong-un witnessed… Read More
