Hong Kongers mark half a year of protest with mammoth rally

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong's streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city's pro-Beijing leaders they had a "last chance" to end the political crisis.Organisers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub's main island as the protests marked six months, a vivid illustration of the hostility that still seethes towards t

World NewsDec. 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Air New Zealand named world’s best airline 2020

　Air New Zealand has dethroned Singapore Airlines to reclaim the title of world’s best airline for the sixth time. 　AirlineRatings.com released the latest edition of its annual ranking, which is based on 12 criteria including fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings and staff relations. 　This year, the flagship carrier of New Zealand took top honors, nudging Singapore Airlines into second place, followed by All Nippon Airways, Qantas and Cathay Paci

World BusinessDec. 8, 2019

Hong Kong protesters aim for big turnout at rare sanctioned march

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong democracy protesters are hoping for huge crowds later Sunday at a rally they have billed as a "last chance" for the city's pro-Beijing leaders in a major test for the six-month-old movement.The march comes two weeks after pro-establishment parties got a drubbing in local elections, shattering government claims that a "silent majority" opposed the protests.The semi-autonomous financial hub has been battered by increasingly violent demonstrations in

World NewsDec. 8, 2019

China says to exempt 'some' US soybean, pork from tariffs

BEIJING (AFP) - China said on Friday it will offer a tariff waiver to "some" imports of US soybean and pork, in the latest sign of easing trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.The world's two biggest economies have exchanged blows for over a year, with tariffs now impacting hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade. The olive branch comes at a time when the two sides are edging towards a partial deal that includes a promise to increase the purchase of US farm produce.&qu

World NewsDec. 6, 2019

[Graphic News] US draws fewer new foreign students for 3rd straight year

　A new report found that the number of foreign students coming to US universities continued to decrease last year.　The annual report from the Institute of International Education found a 1 percent decrease in the number of newly enrolled international students in fall 2018 compared with the year before. This follows two years of decreases after more than a decade of upward movement.　Some schools have blamed US President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric for driving students away, but

World NewsDec. 4, 2019

Trump, Macron and Erdogan clash overshadows NATO summit

LONDON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron exchanged fire over the future of NATO on Tuesday, as the French leader attacked Turkey and demanded the alliance rethink its strategy. The three-way battle overshadowed the start of the alliance's 70th anniversary summit in London, threatening to derail efforts to show unity in the face of Russia and China.In recent weeks Macron has tried to shake up the agenda of the meeting by demanding a review of NATO's "brain dead" str

World NewsDec. 4, 2019

Trump says China deal could wait until after election

US President Donald Trump appeared to downplay the chances for a deal to end the US-China trade war before the end of the year.Speaking in London he is attending a NATO summit, Trump said Tuesday that the only limiting factor to reaching an agreement with China is whether he wants to make a deal. Asked about his previous goal of reaching an agreement by years‘ end, Trump told reporters, ’"I have no deadline, no.""In some ways I like the idea of waiting until after the

World NewsDec. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] Americans prefer mobile devices for news: survey

　Americans rely on their mobile devices for online news far more than desktop or laptop computers, building on a trend that began several years ago, a survey showed.　The Pew Research Center report found 57 percent of US adults often get news from a smartphone or tablet compared with 30 percent from a PC.　The share of Americans who often get news on a mobile device is more than double the 21 percent who did so in 2013, the first time Pew asked this question.　The percentage who often get news on a

World NewsDec. 3, 2019

US threatens 100% tariffs on French goods over digital tax

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Monday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French goods in retaliation for a digital services tax it says is discriminatory.French sparkling wine, yogurt and Roquefort cheese are on the list of goods that could be targeted as soon as mid-January after a report from the US Trade Representative's office found the tax penalizes American tech companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.The decision "sends a clear

World NewsDec. 3, 2019

[Graphic News] More countries affected by terrorism even as deaths fall: index

　The number of global deaths from terrorism fell 15.2 percent in 2018, even as the number of countries affected by extremist violence continued to grow, the 2019 Global Terrorism Index showed.　From a high of 33,555 deaths in 2014, when the Islamic State group lured tens of thousands of jihadists to the Middle East, the number of terrorism deaths has more than halved to 15,952 in 2018, the index published by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace showed.　Afghanistan topped the list

World NewsDec. 2, 2019

White House says will refuse to take part in impeachment hearing

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump's attorney said on Sunday that the White House will not participate in congressional hearings set to begin this week that will consider passing impeachment articles against the president."We cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the President a fair process through additional hearings," White House counsel Pat Cip

World NewsDec. 2, 2019

'Still angry': Hong Kong protesters return to the streets

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Police fired tear gas and pepper spray in Hong Kong on Sunday as tens of thousands of black-clad protesters flooded into the streets, a week after pro-democracy candidates scored a landslide local election victory.The rally heralded an end to a rare lull and a return to the large-scale demonstrations that Hong Kongers have staged for nearly six months, fuelled by growing fears that authoritarian China is stamping out the city's liberties.It also marked a resumption of the incr

World NewsDec. 2, 2019

Victims of London Bridge attack lauded by their families

LONDON (AFP) -- British police on Sunday named the two victims who died in the London Bridge terror attack, as their families paid glowing tributes to the pair.Jack Merritt, 25, from Cambridgeshire in eastern England, and 23-year-old Saskia Jones of Warwickshire in the West Midlands, were both killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan during his rampage Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.Merritt, a course coordinator at Cambridge University's criminology institute, and Jones, a volunteer, died

World NewsDec. 2, 2019

China introduces mandatory face scans for phone users

BEIJING (AFP) -- China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets starting Sunday, according to the country's information technology authority, as Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls.In September, China's industry and information technology ministry issued a notice on "safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens online", which laid out rules for enforcing real-name registration.The notice said t

World BusinessDec. 1, 2019

China accuses UN rights chief of inflaming Hong Kong unrest

HONG KONG (AP) -- China accused the UN high commissioner for human rights of emboldening "radical violence" in Hong Kong by suggesting the city's leader conduct an investigation into reports of excessive use of force by police.The UN commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, wrote in an opinion piece Saturday in the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's government must prioritize "meaningful, inclusive" dialogue to resolve the crisis.She urged Lam to hold an &quo

World NewsDec. 1, 2019

Hong Kong set for fresh protests as police end university siege

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong police on Friday ended their two-week siege of a university campus that became a battleground with pro-democracy protesters as activists vowed to hold fresh rallies and strikes in the coming days.Renewed calls to hit the streets came after Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam refused further political concessions despite a landslide victory for pro-democracy parties in local elections last weekend.Sunday's district council polls delivered a stinging rebuke to the finan

World NewsNov. 29, 2019

Ex-Japan PM Nakasone dies at 101

TOKYO (AFP) -- Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, an ardent conservative who worked to forge a stronger military alliance with the United States, has died at the age of 101, local media said Friday.In office for five years from November 1982 to November 1987, Nakasone was known for trying to integrate the nation defeated in World War II as a full-fledged member of the West during the Cold War era. He poured his efforts into strengthening security ties with the US at a time of inte

World NewsNov. 29, 2019

Trump visits troops in Afghanistan, says Taliban talks back on

BAGRAM (AFP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday the US had resumed talks with Taliban insurgents as he made a surprise trip to Afghanistan to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with troops.On a brief visit to Bagram Airfield outside the capital Kabul, Trump served turkey dinner to soldiers, posed for photographs and delivered a speech after meeting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani."The Taliban wants to make a deal and we're meeting with them and we're saying it has to be a ceasefire,"

World NewsNov. 29, 2019

[Graphic News] French nationality ranked No. 1 globally

　France topped a worldwide nationality ranking for the eighth consecutive year, ahead of the Netherlands and Germany. 　The Kalin and Kochenov’s Quality of Nationality Index examines factors including the freedom to travel and settle, peace and stability, economic strength and human development to come up with a score. 　European Union countries dominate the top of the index, “largely due to the liberal degree of settlement freedom permitted between member states, as well as the stand-

World NewsNov. 28, 2019

China threatens 'countermeasures' after Trump signs Hong Kong bill

BEIJING (AFP) -- China warned Thursday that it was ready to take "firm countermeasures" against the United States after President Donald Trump signed a law supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong."The nature of this is extremely abominable, and harbours absolutely sinister intentions," the foreign ministry said in a statement, without specifying what measures Beijing might take.Trump signed the law on Wednesday, after it received almost unanimous US congressional sup

World NewsNov. 28, 2019