Car sales in Russia plummet 72%

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Cars sales in Russia plummeted by a historic 72.4 percent in April, manufacturers said Wednesday, after the industry was hit by the sweeping restrictions imposed to slow the coronavirus pandemic. Year-on-year sales in April totalled just 38,922 units across the country, according to the Association of European Businesses which represents foreign investors in Russia. This is "the biggest drop of monthly sales in the history of AEB statistics" since records began in 20

World BusinessMay 12, 2020

Saudi Aramco Q1 profits of $16b as virus impacts earnings

DUBAI (AP) -- Saudi Aramco, the kingdom's energy producer, announced on Tuesday a net income of $16.7 billion for the first three months of the year and dividends of $18.75 billion for shareholders. Despite posting the highest quarter dividends in 2020 of any listed company, its profits were 25 percent down, compared to the same time last year when earnings topped $22 billion.  Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said the company expects the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on gl

World BusinessMay 12, 2020

Hong Kong risks new unrest with China anthem bill: opposition

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong's government risks reigniting last year's political unrest by pushing ahead with a controversial bill outlawing insults to China's national anthem, opposition lawmakers said Tuesday.  Pro-democracy lawmakers warned history was repeating itself, noting that the fast-tracking of a bill last year to allow extraditions to the authoritarian mainland was the spark that lit seven straight months of pro-democracy protests. On Tuesday Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam --

World NewsMay 12, 2020

[Graphic News] Samsung tops 5G smartphone shipments in Q1: report

　Global 5G smartphone shipments grew to 24.1 million in the first quarter. 　Samsung Electronics was the top vendor of 5G smartphones, shipping 8.3 million units globally in the first quarter this year, according to market tracker Strategy Analytics. 　Huawei Technologies came in a close second, shipping 8 million 5G smartphones, as Vivo, Xiomi and OPPO rounded out the top five. 

World BusinessMay 12, 2020

Shanghai Disneyland, first Disneyland to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic

Shanghai Disneyland which was closed on Jan. 25 reopened on Monday, reflecting a loosening of social distancing linked to the novel coronavirus outbreak. It is the first of its kind to reopen among all other entertainment parks in the US, Japan, Europe and Hong Kong. Along with rides and attractions, Shanghai Disneyland opened all shops, restaurants and cafes within the park to its visitors. However, it decided to limit the number of visitors and closed some of its performance and play area

World NewsMay 12, 2020

Despite White House virus cases, top aides defend reopening

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Two top US economic advisers on Sunday defended the need for an expeditious reopening of the economy even as the coronavirus reached into the White House despite the extraordinary precautions taken there. The comments by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and economic adviser Larry Kudlow  came just two days after the country recorded its steepest job losses in history, with 20.5 million jobs lost in April, and as virus cases continued rising in some states with far mor

World NewsMay 11, 2020

[Graphic News] Most Americans now spending less amid COVID-19 crisis

　More Americans are now spending less each month than at any time since the Great Recession, a new Gallup survey showed. 　When asked about money habits compared to previous months, 51 percent said they're now spending less - an increase from 32 percent last year. It’s the highest figure since 2010, when 57 percent said they were spending less. 　More Americans are being careful with money as the coronavirus crisis has taken a toll on the global economy. More than 30 million adults in

World NewsMay 11, 2020

[Photo News] Russia celebrates VE Day

Russian servicemen marched across the Red Square on Saturday during a parade for the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Moscow’s city square was later filled with people celebrating the day that marked Nazi Germany’s surrender and the end of World War II in Europe. At the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the marching parade and the flypast. VE Day ended with fireworks instead of gunfire.  (Photos: Reuters-Yonhap) (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

World NewsMay 10, 2020

Obama calls Trump’s handling of pandemic a ‘chaotic disaster’

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Former president Barack Obama has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it an "absolute chaotic disaster." In a leaked web call Friday night with former members of his administration, Obama also said the Justice Department's decision to drop charges against Michael Flynn, the former Trump national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, endangers the rule of law in the US. I

World NewsMay 10, 2020

[Photo News] Supermoon shines around the world

A full moon, also called the Supermoon or Flower Moon, shines bright in every part of the world.  The Supermoon rises above the Statue of Liberty in New Jersey, US.  A silhouette of a bird is seen as it files past the moon that is behind Lomonosov Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia. The Supermoon glows red in an astronomical event that occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, which makes it appear usually larger and brighter, as it rises over Caracas, Ven

World NewsMay 10, 2020

Disney World restaurant, entertainment complex to reopen

ORLANDO (AP) -- Walt Disney World plans to reopen its restaurant and entertainment area later this month, though the theme parks and hotels will remain closed. Disney Springs vice president Matt Simon posted Thursday on the official Disney Parks Blog that the area will reopen May 20 with enhanced safety measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Those measures include increased cleaning procedures, the use of appropriate face coverings by both cast members and guests, limited-co

World NewsMay 8, 2020

France's early COVID-19 case may hold clues to pandemic's start

LONDON (Reuters) -- A study by French scientists which suggests a man was infected with COVID-19 as early as Dec. 27, nearly a month before France confirmed its first cases, could be important in assessing when and where the new coronavirus emerged, experts said on Tuesday. A man identified as the patient told a French TV station that he was surprised to learn that he had contracted COVID-19 since he thought he had flu at the time. French researchers led by Yves Cohen, head of resuscitation a

World NewsMay 6, 2020

Trump urges China to reveal all about origin of coronavirus

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged China to be transparent about the origins of the novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than a quarter of a million people since it started in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. Trump, speaking before leaving on a trip to Arizona, said the United States would release a report detailing the origins of the virus, but gave no details or timeline. “We will be reporting very definitively over a period of time,

World NewsMay 6, 2020

Virus-induced waste piles up, threatening environment

Wearing masks has become a “new normal” due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One side effect is the waste resulting from the growing use of face masks. For instance, disposable masks have washed up on the shores of Hong Kong’s Soko Islands, raising new concerns. Gary Stokes of marine conservation organization Ocean’s Asia said he picked up 70 masks on a 100-meter stretch of one beach, only to find 30 more a week later. According to Stokes, the masks appear to have come from

World NewsMay 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] WHO says has no proof from US on 'speculative' Wuhan lab claims

GENEVA (AFP) -- The World Health Organization said Monday that Washington had provided no evidence to support "speculative" claims by the US president that the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab. "We have not received any data or specific evidence from the United States government relating to the purported origin of the virus -- so from our perspective, this remains speculative," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a virtual briefing. Scientists believe the

World NewsMay 5, 2020

[Graphic News] Military spending saw biggest increase in a decade in 2019

　Global military expenditure saw its biggest uptick in a decade in 2019, researchers said, marking the first year two Asian countries were among the top three spenders. 　The world’s nations spent a combined $1.9 trillion on their militaries in 2019, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 　Compared with 2018, that represented annual growth of 3.6 percent, the highest increase since 2010. (AFP)

World NewsMay 5, 2020

Pompeo: There is evidence virus came from Wuhan lab

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday stepped up a US campaign to hold China accountable for the spread of the deadly coronavirus, asserting there is "enormous evidence" the virus originated in a laboratory in the city of Wuhan. The high-security bio-containment facility, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, has called such claims "impossible". Pompeo, speaking on ABC's "This Week," did not elaborate on what he also described as "significa

World NewsMay 4, 2020

Many lockdowns ease but Russia, India, UK still struggling

ROME (AP) -- From the United States to Europe to Asia, the easing of some coronavirus lockdowns brought millions out of their homes to enjoy the outdoors and warm spring temperatures. Yet the global pandemic is still slicing through the defenses of other nations, causing infections and deaths to march relentlessly higher. India on Sunday reported more than 2,600 infections, its biggest single-day jump, and new coronavirus cases in Russia exceed 10,000 for the first time. The confirmed vir

World NewsMay 3, 2020

World's tallest tower to light up with coronavirus donations

DUBAI (AFP) -- One pixel at a time, Dubai will light up the facade of the world's tallest building to represent each donation made to relieve coronavirus-hit communities across the United Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 metres (2,717 feet) high, will be transformed into the "world's tallest donation box" as part of a campaign to provide 10 million meals to low-income people. The appeal comes during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of self-reflectio

World NewsMay 3, 2020

European leaders push vaccine financing drive

LONDON (AFP) -- European leaders are backing an initiative from Brussels to raise 7.5 billion euros ($8.3 billion) to tackle the global coronavirus pandemic. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, outlined the fund-raising plan for an international effort to find a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19 on Friday. An online pledging conference will take place on Monday to plug gaps in financing of research. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, French President Emm

World NewsMay 3, 2020