Foreign
King Charles thanks public for support after cancer diagnosis
February 11, 2024, 6:53 pm
LONDON – King Charles III expressed his "heartfelt thanks" Saturday to the public for their support and good wishes in his first message after being diagnosed with cancer. "I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent… Read More
Hungarian president resigns over child sexual abuse pardon
February 11, 2024, 12:24 pm
BUDAPEST – Hungarian President Katlin Novak resigned Saturday in the wake of a scandal after granting pardon to a man involved in a child sexual abuse case. Novak, 46, announced her decision in a speech broadcast on national television. She said it was her last day addressing the nation as a… Read More
$95-B funding package for Ukraine, Israel nears US Senate passage
February 10, 2024, 5:40 pm
HOUSTON –The US Senate voted late Friday to push a USD95.3 billion funding package for Ukraine and Israel closer to passage. Senators voted 64-19 in a bipartisan effort to move forward with the bill, which would provide USD60 billion in defense aid for Ukraine in the war against Russia, USD14… Read More
Prince Harry settles phone-hacking claim vs Daily Mirror publisher
February 10, 2024, 2:12 pm
LONDON – Prince Harry on Friday resolved the remaining aspects of his phone-hacking lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror tabloid. According to British media, the High Court in London was informed of this resolution, marking a conclusion to a prolonged legal battle. Harry, 39, had… Read More
Google unveils subscription for AI chatbot Gemini
February 9, 2024, 5:03 pm
ISTANBUL – Google unveiled a new subscription option Thursday for its generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Bard, and renamed it Gemini. Gemini Advanced will be available as part of the company's new Google One AI Premium Plan for USD19.99 a month, starting with a two-month trial at… Read More
Gov't to deploy 'all means' to cope with looming walkout by doctors
February 9, 2024, 3:28 pm
SEOUL – The government will deploy "all means" to cope with a looming walkout by a major association of medical doctors in protest of the planned hike in the enrollment quota for medical schools, a senior official said Thursday. Park Min-soo, second vice minister at the Ministry of Health and… Read More
Schengen, OECD membership means to achieve better life for Bulgarians
February 9, 2024, 12:21 pm
SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgaria President Rumen Radev said memberhip in Schengen, the euro area and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is above all a means to achieve the most important goal - Bulgarians to live securely and better tomorrow than today. In his words,… Read More
$1-B NASA satellite launched to gather data on earth, climate change
February 8, 2024, 9:20 pm
ISTANBUL – In a successful liftoff early Thursday, SpaceX launched NASA's nearly USD1 billion PACE satellite to monitor the health of the planet, from its oceans to its atmosphere, offering crucial data for understanding and combating climate change, according to the US space agency. Though the… Read More
2024 starts with warmest January in history
February 8, 2024, 8:15 pm
ANKARA – January 2024 broke the record of being the warmest January in history with 13.14C (55.65F), the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a statement. This level is 0.70C above the 1991-2020 average for January and 0.12C above the temperature of the previous warmest January… Read More
H5N1 bird flu outbreak detected in Laos
February 5, 2024, 6:30 pm
VIENTIANE – The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Department of Livestock and Fisheries recently reported an H5N1 bird flu outbreak in a Vientiane market. The Lao centre for animal disease research said, of the 65 poultry samples it received from Danxang market in Saythani district,… Read More
Raging forest fires in Chile kill at least 99
February 5, 2024, 4:13 pm
BOGOTA, Colombia – At least 99 people have been killed and 1,600 have been left homeless by forest fires in central Chile’s Valparaiso region, authorities said Sunday. Thirty-two people have been identified, said Chile’s Legal Medical Service, the state coroner. “The forensic institution… Read More
Thousands of children catch pneumonia in Pakistan
February 4, 2024, 12:04 pm
ISLAMABAD – Over 19,000 children were diagnosed with pneumonia across Pakistan's northeastern province of Punjab in the past month, officials said on Saturday. The situation is exacerbated by cold weather, smog and dust.Jamal Nasir, a senior health official, said the disease affects people in… Read More
10 people die in forest fires in Chile
February 4, 2024, 11:27 am
BOGOTA – Several people have died in forest fires in central and southern Chile, according to local authorities.Numerous fires broke out in the South American country's coastal cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.About 10 people have died so far in the blazes that spread to residential areas.A… Read More
Meta’s Zuckerberg jumps to 4th place on world's billionaires list
February 3, 2024, 3:17 pm
ISTANBUL – Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook's parent firm, Meta Platforms, jumped to fourth place on the world's billionaires list Friday, as tech giant firm shares soared on strong financial results, according to a tally. The Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List said Zuckerberg's… Read More
Catalonia declares drought emergency
February 2, 2024, 4:16 pm
OVIEDO, Spain – For the first time, the government of Catalonia declared a drought emergency, announcing on Thursday new restrictions that will affect around 5.9 million people. “It is the worst drought on record,” Catalan President Pere Aragones told a press conference. “Climate change… Read More
Hundreds of flights grounded in Germany amid strikes
February 1, 2024, 8:19 pm
BERLIN – Hundreds of flights were canceled at Germany’s major airports on Thursday as security staff began a one-day strike over an ongoing dispute over pay. The strike grounded more than 1,100 flights in 11 airports, including the country’s busiest international airport Frankfurt, affecting… Read More
Tech giants' CEOs grilled over harmful online content
February 1, 2024, 4:42 pm
HOUSTON, US – Leaders of the largest social media companies testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday regarding protecting children from harmful and dangerous online content. The CEOs of Meta (Facebook), TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat appeared before Congress to… Read More
Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks nears 27K
February 1, 2024, 3:25 pm
ANKARA – The death toll from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has jumped to 26,900 since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave said Wednesday. The Health Ministry issued a statement as the deadly Israeli onslaught entered its 117th day or almost four months. It also… Read More
Mongolian becomes 52nd language of Vatican media
February 1, 2024, 1:56 pm
ROME – Vatican media now transmits news in 52 languages after the inclusion of Mongolian on Wednesday. "We are happy about this new possibility to read the words of the Holy Father in Mongolian," said Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar. "It is one of the fruits of his… Read More
US F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korean waters
January 31, 2024, 4:29 pm
ANKARA – A US F-16 fighter jet crashed in waters off South Korea's west coast, local media reported on Wednesday. The pilot was rescued after ejecting from the aircraft. He is in stable condition, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported. "The jet assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing in Kunsan Air Base,… Read More