Americans cast ballots in Republican New Hampshire primary

American voters in the northeastern state of New Hampshire began to cast their ballots in the Republican Party's second presidential nomination contest on Tuesday, with former President Donald Trump angling for another decisive victory following his blowout win in the Iowa caucuses. The contest to select the Republican standard bearer for the Nov. 5 general election has effectively narrowed to a duel between Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dr

World NewsJan. 24, 2024

[Graphic News] US suffered record number of billion-dollar climate disasters in 2023

The US endured a record number of 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, each causing $1 billion or more in damage and collectively killing at least 492 people. The disasters, which included major floods in California, the Northeast and Florida and wildfires in Hawaii, broke the previous mark of 22 such disasters set in 2020, the National Centers for Environmental Information reported. The number of deaths was the eighth-highest in records for the contiguous US going back to 1980. The disas

World NewsJan. 24, 2024

Landslide in China buries 47 people in freezing temperatures and snow

BEIJING — A landslide buried 47 people in a remote village in mountainous southwestern China on Monday, state media said. Hours later, two survivors were rescued amid freezing temperatures and falling snow. The disaster struck just before 6 a.m. in the village of Liangshui in the northeastern part of Yunnan province. By evening, nine bodies were retrieved and about 500 people were evacuated from the area. Rescue crews continued to try and find victims who were buried in about 18 homes, t

World NewsJan. 23, 2024

[Graphic News] War over Taiwan would cost world economy $10tr

　A war over Taiwan would have a cost so vast that even those unhappiest with the status quo have reason not to risk it. Bloomberg Economics estimates the price tag at around $10 trillion, equal to about 10 percent of the global gross domestic product. 　Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the semiconductor shortage as many countries reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns, provide a small glimpse of what would be at stake for the global economy. The impact of war in the Taiwan Strait would be far

World NewsJan. 23, 2024

DeSantis ends campaign, endorses Trump over Haley

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his fading presidential campaign on Sunday and endorsed Donald Trump just two days before the pivotal New Hampshire primary, leaving former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as Trump's last long-shot challenger for the Republican nomination. DeSantis' decision, less than a week after his deflating loss to Trump in Iowa despite an enormous investment there, caps a stunning fall, after DeSantis had been seen as Republicans' most promising alternative to T

World NewsJan. 22, 2024

Fire erupts at Russia's Novatek Baltic Sea terminal after suspected Ukrainian drone attack

A fire broke out at a Baltic Sea terminal belonging to Novatek, Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer, after a suspected Ukrainian drone attack, forcing the company to suspend some operations there. The Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, processes stable gas condensate into light and heavy naphtha, jet fuel, fuel oil and gasoil, according to Novatek's website. The port is used to ship processed products to interna

World NewsJan. 21, 2024

[Graphic News] Seoul ranks as 14th top city destination in world

Seoul has become the 14th most visited city by foreign travelers in 2023, according to global market analyst firm, Euromonitor. It jumped 12 notches this year from 26th in 2022. Paris has once again been named the world’s most attractive city destination, followed by Dubai in second and Madrid in third. Tokyo came in fourth, while Amsterdam rounded up the top five, according to data. Seoul, ranked third in Asia after Tokyo and Singapore, is higher than competing Asian cities such as Osaka

World NewsJan. 19, 2024

China's population falls for a 2nd straight year as births drop even after end of one-child policy

BEIJING -- China’s population fell by 2 million people in 2023 in its second straight annual decrease, as births dropped for the seventh straight year and deaths jumped following the end of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said Wednesday. The number of deaths rose by 690,000 to 11.1 million, more than double the previous year's increase. Demographers said the rise was driven by the aging of the population and the widespread COVID-19 outbreaks that started in December 2022 and con

World NewsJan. 17, 2024

Korean Air plane bumps parked Cathay Pacific aircraft at a Japanese airport but no injuries reported

A Korean Air plane carrying 289 people hit a parked Cathay Pacific aircraft while taxiing to a runway at northern Japan's New Chitose Airport but caused no fire or injuries Tuesday, Japanese media reported. The incident happened only two weeks after a high profile collision between a Japan Airlines airliner and a coast guard plane on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Airline passengers had to make an emergency exit due to a fire and five of the six crew members on the smaller plane w

World NewsJan. 16, 2024

Putin to meet N. Korean foreign minister later Tuesday: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Tuesday evening, the Kremlin said, amid the two nation's deepening military cooperation. Choe is currently visiting Russia for a three-day visit at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Choe and Lavrov are to meet at noon Tuesday before briefing Putin on the results of their bilateral talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. They will also update Putin on the progress of the agre

World NewsJan. 16, 2024

Trump dominates, DeSantis edges Haley for second

Donald Trump secured a resounding victory in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday, asserting his command over the party despite facing scores of criminal charges as he seeks a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in the US presidential election slated for Nov. 5, 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 45, finished well behind in second place, edging out former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, 51, as they battle to emerge as the chief alternative to Trump. Trump, 77, wo

World NewsJan. 16, 2024

[Graphic News] Israel-Hamas conflict in numbers

Now 100 days old, the latest Israel-Hamas war is by far the longest, bloodiest and most destructive conflict between the bitter enemies. Fighting erupted on Oct. 7 when Hamas carried out a deadly attack in southern Israel. Since then, Israel has relentlessly pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and a ground offensive that have wrought unprecedented destruction, flattening entire neighborhoods. The offensive has displaced the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza, shuttered operations in nearly

World NewsJan. 16, 2024

US does not support Taiwan independence, Biden says

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday the United States does not support the independence of Taiwan, after Taiwanese voters rebuffed China and gave the ruling party a third presidential term. Earlier in the day, the Taiwanese ruling Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate Lai Ching-te came to power, strongly rejecting Chinese pressure to spurn him, and pledged both to stand up to Beijing and seek talks. "We do not support independence..." Biden said, when asked for

World NewsJan. 14, 2024

Taiwan president-elect Lai to face China's ire after victory

TAIPEI -- Taiwan's new president-elect, Lai Ching-te, is likely to face his toughest task yet when he takes office in May and has to deal with the ire of China which has repeatedly denounced him as a dangerous separatist. Lai, who won Saturday's election, repeatedly said during the campaign that he wanted to keep the status quo with China, which claims Taiwan as its own, and offered to talk to Beijing. "We don't want to become enemies with China. We can become friends,&qu

World NewsJan. 14, 2024

Taiwan voters choosing next president in poll weighing China's threat and island's stability

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese are casting their votes Saturday for a new president and legislature in an election that could chart the trajectory of the self-ruled democracy’s relations with China over the next four years. At stake is the peace and stability of the island 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of China that Beijing claims as its own, to be retaken by force if necessary. Domestic issues such as the sluggish economy and expensive housing also featured prominently in t

World NewsJan. 13, 2024

US SEC OKs bitcoin ETFs in watershed for crypto market

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK -- The US securities regulator on Wednesday approved the first US-listed exchange traded funds to track bitcoin, its Chair Gary Gensler said, in a watershed for the world's largest cryptocurrency and the broader crypto industry. The US Securities and Exchange Commission approved 11 applications, including from BlackRock, Ark Investments/21Shares, Fidelity, Invesco and VanEck, among others, according to a notice on its website. Some products are expected to begin trading as ea

World NewsJan. 11, 2024

[Graphic News] US, China closely watch Taiwan’s election

The presidential election in Taiwan on Saturday is being closely watched from Beijing to Washington, with the winner set to determine the future of the democratic island’s relations with an increasingly aggressive China. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and President Xi Jinping has in recent years intensified rhetoric about “unification” while refusing to rule out the use of force to bring it under Chinese control. Front-runner and current Vice President Lai Chin

World NewsJan. 11, 2024

[Graphic News] YouTube tops teens’ social media diet: survey

Teen usage of social media hasn’t dropped much, despite rising concerns about its effects on the mental health of adolescents, a survey from the Pew Research Institute found. But the data also found that roughly one in six teens describe their use of two platforms — YouTube and TikTok — as “almost constant.” Seventy-one percent of teens said they visit YouTube at least daily; 16 percent described their usage as “almost constant” according to the survey.

World NewsJan. 9, 2024

[Graphic News] Canada maple syrup production plummeted in 2023

Canada - the world’s largest supplier of maple syrup - saw production of the sweet, sticky stuff plummet more than 40 percent due to unfavorable weather, according to national statistics agency data. Statistics Canada blamed severe storms and big temperature swings in eastern parts of the country for the lower yields. Top producing province Quebec experienced late spring ice storms that cut its production to 35.6 million liters - its lowest level since 2018. Total national production for 2

World NewsJan. 8, 2024

[Graphic News] Dubai named as top city people want to move to

　Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, was named as the most preferred destination for people around the world to move to, according to “The Most Popular Cities for Moving Abroad” survey released by Remitly, a US-based online remittance service. 　The study is based on Google search data over the past 12 months in 164 countries examining search volumes for the phrase, “move to (city),” Dubai topped the list with the support of 60 countries, including Cana

World NewsJan. 5, 2024