Foreign
APEC urged to resolve barriers to services trade
May 23, 2023, 2:12 pm
JAKARTA – Trade experts from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have urged Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies to resolve barriers to services trade or stand to lose out both economically and socially. According to the trade experts, the… Read More
Excluding Taiwan from WHO is threat to global health: Minister
May 22, 2023, 2:13 pm
GENEVA – Taiwan's health minister warned Sunday that the continued exclusion of the island from the World Health Organization (WHO) due to China's actions threatens global health. "Excluding Taiwan from the WHO not only jeopardizes the right to health of the 23.5 million people of Taiwan, it… Read More
18 civilians killed in clashes in Sudan’s Darfur despite truce
May 22, 2023, 1:55 pm
KHARTOUM, Sudan – At least 18 civilians were killed in clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in the South Darfur region of western Sudan on Sunday, according to local medics. In a statement, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said two people were also… Read More
Yoon, Biden, Kishida hold summit in Hiroshima
May 21, 2023, 5:36 pm
OSHIMA, Japan – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a trilateral summit with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday. The three leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit for talks expected to focus on ways to strengthen trilateral security… Read More
Sudan army, RSF agree to 7-day ceasefire
May 21, 2023, 5:23 pm
ISTANBUL – The Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces agreed Saturday to a seven-day ceasefire, Al Jazeera reported based on sources from the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry. Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya television reported that the agreement between the army and the paramilitary group will take… Read More
Biden to announce new $375-M military aid package to Kiev
May 20, 2023, 1:18 pm
WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden is set to announce another package of military aid worth USD375 million for the Kiev government, the Politico newspaper said. The paper quoted US officials as saying that the announcement would be made after a meeting with Ukrainian President… Read More
Obama among 500 Americans banned from Russia
May 20, 2023, 1:00 pm
MOSCOW – An additional 500 American citizens, including former US president Barack Obama, have been indefinitely barred from entering Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.Among the newly blacklisted are significant figures, officials, lawmakers, experts, and heads of… Read More
US moves to speed up arms sales to foreign allies
May 19, 2023, 6:30 pm
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration announced Thursday that it is working to speed up arms sales and deliveries to foreign allies amid mounting challenges abroad posed by Russia and China. The US sells roughly USD45 billion in arms, equipment and training to foreign partners through its… Read More
WHO urges vigilance over another monkeypox outbreak
May 18, 2023, 4:19 pm
COPENHAGEN – Although monkeypox is no longer considered a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the potential risk of another monkeypox outbreak. As this developed, WHO Europe… Read More
More than 1.5M Koreans at risk of 'lonely death,' survey says
May 18, 2023, 2:35 pm
SEOUL – More than 1.5 million South Korean people are at risk of "lonely death" or unattended death, accounting for 3 percent of the country's population, a government survey showed Thursday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it had conducted the poll on a sample of 9,471 single-member… Read More
Bulgaria VP: Attempts to violate HR must be met with firm stance
May 17, 2023, 4:42 pm
SOFIA, Bulgaria – Addressing a round table on countering the new challenges to human rights (HR) that was held within the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik Tuesday, Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova said that guaranteeing human rights cannot exist in documents only. "Any attempt… Read More
N. Korean leader inspects military spy satellite facility
May 17, 2023, 3:23 pm
SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the country's first military reconnaissance satellite and gave the green light for its next action plan, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday, adding that the satellite is "ready for loading" on a rocket. Kim made the on-site inspection to the… Read More
BTA journalists honored at media forum
May 17, 2023, 9:05 am
SOFIA, Bulgaria – BTA reporter Borislava Bibinovska and the BTA correspondent in the northwestern town of Vratsa, Maya Tsenova, received the Green Feather award at the 13th edition of the b2b Media competition for green businesses in Bulgaria. Bibinovska was distinguished for a story about a new… Read More
Global oil industry requires $12.1-T in investments up to 2045
May 15, 2023, 1:11 pm
ABU DHABI – Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary General of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said there may be no one-size-fits-all solution to a sustainable energy future, but collaboration and inclusive action will be “essential in achieving a just and permanent… Read More
Erdogan gets 49.34% after 99.9% of ballots counted
May 15, 2023, 1:02 pm
ANKARA – Turkey’s incumbent leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s lead against his challenger from the opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in the May 14 presidential election has narrowed to 4.35 percentage points after 99.86 percent of ballot boxes were counted, state-run TRT television reported on… Read More
Construction of last stretch of Europe motorway launched
May 15, 2023, 12:25 pm
SLIVNITSA, Western Bulgaria -- Caretaker Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov launched Friday the construction of the last stretch of the Europe Motorway between the western town of Slivnitsa and the Sofia ring road. He clarified that the detailed development plans have already been… Read More
Marine vet charged with manslaughter in NY subway chokehold
May 13, 2023, 6:12 pm
WASHINGTON – Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old US Marine Corps veteran who killed a homeless Black man last week in a chokehold at a subway station in New York, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter and is expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday. The Manhattan District… Read More
Kenya’s starvation cult death toll now at 179
May 13, 2023, 4:22 pm
NAIROBI, Kenya – Police in Kenya announced Friday that the death toll in the Shakahola cult case had reached 179. Bodies were exhumed from 12 graves on land owned by the church leader pastor Paul Mackenzie. A total of 609 people has so far been reported missing, Coastal Regional Commissioner… Read More
Tesla recalls 1.1M units in China over braking issues
May 13, 2023, 12:48 pm
ISTANBUL – American electric carmaker Tesla is recalling more than 1.1 million vehicles in China due to braking issues, the country's top regulator said in a statement Friday. The recall includes Tesla's imported Model S, Model X, Model 3, and domestically produced Model 3 and Model Y vehicles… Read More
Unknown disease outbreak claims 9 lives in northern Kenya
May 12, 2023, 8:58 pm
NAIROBI, Kenya – A mysterious disease outbreak in northern Kenya's Marsabit County has claimed nine lives over the past two weeks, authorities confirmed Thursday. Local authorities have reported that more than 80 people have fallen seriously ill after the disease emerged in the Kargi area of… Read More
