[Graphic News] Over 8,500 migrants died worldwide last year

A total of 8,541 migrants perished on land and sea routes worldwide in 2023, the UN migration agency said, the highest figure since it began counting such deaths a decade ago. The International Organization for Migration said the biggest increase in deaths last year came amid the treacherous Mediterranean Sea crossing: reaching 3,129 from 2,411 in 2022. This figure was however below the record 5,136 number of people who died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2016, when huge numbers of Syria

World NewsMarch 28, 2024

Major Baltimore bridge collapses; six presumed dead

A major bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed early Tuesday after a Singapore-flagged container ship struck a pillar of the decades-old bridge, leaving six people presumed dead, according to state authorities. The 289-meter-long freighter, named Dali, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 1:30 a.m., resulting in its collapse into the Patapsco River. US officials reported no indication of a terrorist attack. At the time of the collapse, there were at least eight construction workers co

World NewsMarch 27, 2024

[Graphic News] US adults doubt mental capability of Biden, Trump

A poll found that a significant share of US adults doubt the mental capabilities of 81-year-old President Joe Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican front-runner in what is set to be a rematch of the 2020 election. More than 6 in 10 (63 percent) said they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capabilities to serve effectively as president. A similar but slightly smaller share (57 percent) said that Trump lacks the memory and

World NewsMarch 26, 2024

4 suspects in Russia concert hall massacre charged with terrorism

Four men accused of involvement in a massacre at a Moscow concert hall that killed 137 people were remanded in custody Sunday, as Russia observed a national day of mourning following the attack claimed by the Islamic State. All four suspects have been charged with terrorism, according to Moscow's Basmanny district court, and face life imprisonment. Their detention is set until May 22 but may be extended depending on the date of their trial. The court said two of the defendants had pleaded g

World NewsMarch 25, 2024

[Graphic News] Istanbul named world’s most visited city

International travel has continued to make a strong recovery in 2023 with 38 percent growth in terms of overseas trips, projected to reach 1.3 billion by the end of the year. Istanbul tops the list with 20.2 million international arrivals in 2023. The city saw a 26 percent year-over-year visitor growth from 2022 to 2023, according to Euromonitor International. London came in the second spot followed by Dubai, Antalya and Paris. Wealth of dazzling cultural sites and crossover of Asian and Europ

World NewsMarch 25, 2024

Senegal votes in a tightly contested presidential race after months of unrest

Senegalese lined up to vote Sunday in a tightly contested presidential race that followed months of uncertainty and unrest that has tested the West African nation’s reputation as a stable democracy in a region that has experienced a wave of coups in recent years. The election comes after President Macky Sall unsuccessfully tried to postpone the Feb. 25 vote until the end of the year, sparking violent protests. Sall is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. As a result, the v

World NewsMarch 24, 2024

Pope sends prayers to Moscow victims of 'cowardly' attack

Pope Francis on Sunday sent prayers to the victims of the concert hall attack in Moscow, calling the violence "inhuman acts" that offended God. "I assure my prayers for the victims of the cowardly terrorist attack carried out the other evening in Moscow," said the 87-year-old pope, following a Palm Sunday mass in Saint Peter's Square. "May the Lord welcome them in his peace and comfort their families, and convert the hearts of those... who organise and carry out the

World NewsMarch 24, 2024

Biden and Trump win Louisiana's presidential primary having already clinched nominations

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won Louisiana's primary on Saturday, collecting more delegates after they already clinched their party nominations. Biden also appeared in Missouri's Democratic primary, with results not expected to be reported until next week. None of the races were in suspense. Biden and Trump have already beaten their major competitors . But the primary races are still closely watched by insiders for turnout and signs of prot

World NewsMarch 24, 2024

Putin says gunmen who raided Moscow concert hall tried to escape to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement

The suburban Moscow music hall where gunmen opened fire on concertgoers was a blackened, smoldering ruin Saturday as the death toll in the attack surpassed 130 and Russian authorities arrested four suspects. President Vladimir Putin claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement in Friday's assault on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility. Putin did not mention IS in h

World NewsMarch 24, 2024

Two suspects in Moscow attack detained after car chase: lawmaker

Two people suspected of carrying out a deadly attack near Moscow on Friday have been detained in Russia's Bryansk region following a car chase, lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram on Saturday. Other suspects fled into a nearby forest on foot, Khinshtein said. Camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers near Moscow on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 145 in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

World NewsMarch 23, 2024

Russia says 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a large concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100 and setting fire to the venue in a brazen attack just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. A US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US intell

World NewsMarch 23, 2024

US unveils some $20 billion in grants, loans to Intel

The White House announced a plan Wednesday to award Intel Corp. nearly $20 billion in grants and loans, marking the Joe Biden administration's largest funding scheme under its initiative to strengthen domestic semiconductor production. The Department of Commerce has reached a preliminary agreement with Intel to provide up to $8.5 billion in grants and $11 billion in loans under the CHIPS and Science Act, it said, as South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufac

World BusinessMarch 21, 2024

US Fed keeps key rate unchanged for 5th straight time, signals 3 rate cuts this year

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its benchmark lending rate steady for a fifth consecutive time and signaled that it could lower the rate three times this year in line with policymakers' previous projections. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced its decision to maintain the rate in the 5.25 to 5.50 percent range. FOMC members' latest median economic projections showed that the federal funds rate would be cut to 4.6 percent at the e

World BusinessMarch 21, 2024

Vietnamese president resigns amid major graft purge

Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong has resigned after just one year in the job, the ruling Communist Party announced Wednesday, as the country mounts a sweeping anti-graft purge. The party said Thuong was guilty of "violations and shortcomings" and his resignation was accepted by the central committee. The 53-year-old's dramatic fall comes as Vietnam undergoes major political upheaval, with his predecessor forced out in an anti-corruption drive that has seen several ministers

World NewsMarch 20, 2024

Biden to tout government investing $8.5 billion in Intel's computer chip plants in four states

The Biden administration has reached an agreement to provide Intel with up to $8.5 billion in direct funding and $11 billion in loans for computer chip plants in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and Oregon. President Joe Biden plans to talk up the investment on Wednesday as he visits Intel's campus in Chandler, Arizona, which could be a decisive swing state in November’s election. He has often said that not enough voters know about his economic policies and suggested that more would suppor

World BusinessMarch 20, 2024

Planet 'on brink,' with new heat records likely in 2024: UN

GENEVA -- Global temperatures "smashed" heat records last year, as heat waves stalked oceans and glaciers suffered record ice loss, the United Nations said Tuesday -- warning 2024 was likely to be even hotter. The annual State of the Climate report by the UN weather and climate agency confirmed preliminary data showing that 2023 was by far the hottest year ever recorded. And last year capped off "the warmest 10-year period on record," the World Meteorological Organization sai

World NewsMarch 20, 2024

[Graphic News] History of moon landings

The successful landing of lunar probe Odysseus, developed by Houston, Texas-based private space company Intuitive Machines, on the moon on Feb. 22 has rekindled a race of space powers to explore the moon. With Odysseus’ successful landing, the United States began its Artemis program to reestablish a human presence on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Odysseus will collect data necessary to send astronauts to the region in the next few years. So far, the US, the former So

World NewsMarch 20, 2024

Unilever to cut 7,500 jobs and spin off its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry's

LONDON (AP) -- Unilever, the company that makes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Dove soaps and Vaseline, said Tuesday that it is cutting 7,500 jobs and spinning off its ice cream business to reduce costs and boost profits. London-based Unilever said its ice cream business, which also includes Magnum bars, has “distinct characteristics” from its other brands and would benefit from separate ownership to increase growth. It said the split is expected to be completed by the end of n

World BusinessMarch 19, 2024

[Graphic News] Immigration is most important problem facing US: survey

Over a quarter of Americans - 28 percent - perceive immigration to be the most important problem facing the US, now surpassing the “government” as the most often cited problem. The figure marks the first time since 2019 that Americans consider immigration the country’s most important problem. More than half of the US adult respondents said “large numbers of immigrants entering the United States illegally” is a critical threat to US vital interests, the survey said

World NewsMarch 19, 2024

Putin wins election in landslide with no serious competition

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine. Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or in peace, for many more y

World NewsMarch 18, 2024