[Interactive] More than half of Afghans face ‘acute’ food crisis

More than 22 million Afghans will suffer “acute food insecurity” this winter, UN agencies said, warning the already unstable country faces one of the world‘s worst humanitarian crises. The crisis is already bigger in scale than that facing Yemen or Syria, and worse than any food insecurity emergency apart from the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said. According to the statement issued by the World Food Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, one in two A

World NewsDec. 28, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea has 3rd-highest ratio of NEET youth among OECD: report

　South Korea has the third-highest ratio of youth “not in education, employment or training,” or NEET youth, among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a report showed. 　The average monthly number of NEET people aged 15-29 in the country is estimated at 1.56 million in the January-October period, according to the report from the Korea Employment Information Service. 　Of the total, 778,000 were preparing for employment or seeking jobs, with another

WorldDec. 28, 2021

[Graphic News] Pandemic stress weighs heavily on Gen Z: poll

　Isolation. Anxiety. Uncertainty. The stresses of the coronavirus pandemic have taken a toll on Americans of all ages, but a new poll finds that teens and young adults have faced some of the heaviest struggles as they come of age during a time of extreme turmoil. 　Overall, more than a third of Americans ages 13 to 56 cite the pandemic as a major source of stress, and many say it has made certain parts of their lives harder. But when it comes to education, friendships and dating, the disruption

WorldDec. 22, 2021

[Graphic News] US world‘s biggest plastic polluter: report

　The United States is by far the biggest contributor to global plastic waste in the world, according to a new report submitted to the federal government that called for a national strategy to tackle the growing crisis. 　Overall, the US contributed around 42 million metric tons in plastic waste in 2016 - more than twice as much as China and more than the countries of the European Union combined, according to the analysis.  　On average, each American generates 130 kilograms of plastic wast

WorldDec. 20, 2021

Typhoon deaths in Philippines top 100, mayors plead for food

The governor of an island province in the central Philippines said Sunday at least 72 people died in the devastation wrought by Typhoon Rai in more than half of the towns that managed to contact him, bringing the death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the country this year to at least 146. Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province said 10 others were missing and 13 injured, and suggested the fatalities may still considerably increase with only 33 out of 48 mayors able to report back to him due

World NewsDec. 19, 2021

Germany tightens travel restrictions on UK

Germany is tightening travel restrictions for people coming from Britain in response to the rapid spread of the omicron variant there. The country's national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, added Britain to its list of “virus variant areas” late Saturday. This means anyone traveling from the U.K. to Germany must enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days, regardless of vaccination status. The new restrictions, which will go into effect at midnight Sunday, come as

World NewsDec. 19, 2021

[Graphic News] More than third of world has never used internet: UN

　Some 2.9 billion people - 37 percent of the world’s population - have still never used the internet, the United Nations said, despite the COVID-19 pandemic driving people online. 　The UN’s International Telecommunication Union estimated that 96 percent of those 2.9 billion live in developing countries. 　The agency said the estimated number of people who have gone online rose from 4.1 billion in 2019 to 4.9 billion this year, partially due to a “COVID connectivity boost.&rdq

WorldDec. 15, 2021

[Photo News] Scholz ends the Merkel era

　Olaf Scholz became the ninth Chancellor of Germany on Wednesday, ending the era of Angela Merkel. Among the 707 lawmakers of the German parliament Bundestag who participated in the voting, Scholz earned 395 votes, indicating the first political transition of Germany in 16 years. 　Although Merkel was a center-right wing politician from the Christian Democratic Union while Scholz is a center-left wing politician of the Social Democrat Party, they have shown profound mutual respect. Scholz prais

World NewsDec. 11, 2021

[Graphic News] Tel Aviv ranked world’s priciest city for first time

　Tel Aviv is the world’s most expensive city to live in, as soaring inflation has pushed up living costs globally, according to a survey.  　The Israeli city climbed five rungs to top the list for the first time in the authoritative ranking compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. 　The Worldwide Cost of Living Index is compiled by comparing prices in US dollars for goods and services in 173 cities.  　Tel Aviv climbed the rankings partly due to the strength of the national

WorldDec. 8, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s employment rate of university grads ranks low among OECD: report

　South Korea ranks low among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in terms of the employment rate for university graduates due mainly to a severe mismatch between their majors and job openings, a report showed. 　The employment rate for South Koreans aged 25-34 with university diplomas came to 75.2 percent in 2020, 31st lowest among 37 comparable OECD member countries, according to the report from the Korea Economic Research Institute. 　The figure is much lower

WorldDec. 7, 2021

EU condemns ‘politically motivated’ Suu Kyi detention

　BRUSSELS -- The European Union on Monday condemned the Myanmar ruling junta‘s jailing of ousted leader Aug San Suu Kyi as “politically motivated” and a “blatant violation of human rights”. 　In a statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on behalf of the 27 member states, the EU said Suu Kyi’s sentence “represents another step towards the dismantling of the rule of law." 　Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals staged a coup a

World NewsDec. 6, 2021

A blessing in disguise? Some scientists say omicron not so ominous

A new COVID-19 variant called omicron has put the world on notice, prompting nations to close borders and reinstate restrictions. While fear seems to prevail, not all are pessimistic. Some scientists say this new mutation may be a blessing in disguise, our best chance to put an end to this devastating pandemic. The theory goes like this: The virus, with 32 mutations on the spike protein alone, twice as many as delta, may have been optimized to infect, but not to kill. In essence, more like

World NewsDec. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s EV sales nearly double this year, 7th-largest worldwide

　Sales of electric vehicles in South Korea almost doubled in the first three quarters of this year from a year earlier, ranking seventh in the world, data showed. 　A total of 71,006 EVs were sold in Asia’s fourth-largest economy in the January-September period, up 96 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Automotive Technology Institute. 　The figure was the seventh-largest in the world. China sold the largest number of EVs with 1.76 million units in the nine-m

World BusinessDec. 1, 2021

[Graphic News] Paul Rudd is People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’

　Paul Rudd, 52, the affable actor best known for playing “Ant-Man,” was named People magazine’s sexiest man alive, joining the likes of Idris Elba, George Clooney and Bradley Cooper. 　Rudd played the kind boyfriend of Lisa Kudrow’s wacky Phoebe on TV comedy “Friends” and later took larger roles in comedies like “Knocked Up” before playing Ant-Man in the Marvel superhero movie, followed by a sequel and appearances as the character in “Captai

WorldNov. 29, 2021

[Photo News] Used Bourbon Barrels or Christmas Tree?

The US state of Kentucky is well reputed for its bourbon. However, during the holidays, something quite unexpected but still related to bourbon is what entertains the people of Kentucky. Instead of the liquor itself, a gigantic Christmas tree made of bourbon barrels is on display in Smiths Grove, a small town of not much over 700 people nearby Mammoth Cave National Park. This interesting tradition began in 2020 when Cody Vincent and his family made a tree out of bourbon barrels they sold t

World NewsNov. 27, 2021

[Graphic News] Posco named world’s most competitive steelmaker for 12th year

　South Korea’s top steelmaker Posco said it was named the world’s most competitive steelmaker in a global industry report for the 12th consecutive year. 　In an annual assessment of 35 steelmakers worldwide, global steel information service provider World Steel Dynamics gave Posco the top mark of 8.54 points out of 10, according to the South Korean company. 　The WSD report, which ranks the steelmakers based on 23 categories, gave top scores for Posco in eight segments, including te

World BusinessNov. 24, 2021

[Interactive] Ronaldo leapfrogs Messi in Forbes list of top-earning players

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reclaimed the top spot in the list of the world’s highest-paid soccer players from Lionel Messi, according to Forbes. Forbes said Ronaldo, among the world’s most popular athletes with over 500 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, is set to make $125 million before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonuses at United. The rest will come from endorsements and partnerships with brand

World NewsNov. 22, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 4th in relative poverty among OECD nations

　South Korea ranks fourth in relative poverty among major economies in the world, data showed, in a sign of its high income inequality. 　The country‘s relative poverty rate, referring to the percentage of people with an income below 50 percent of the median income, came to 16.7 percent in 2018-19, according to the data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 　It is the fourth-highest rate among 37 member countries of the Paris-based club of rich nations. South K

WorldNov. 15, 2021

[Graphic News] More than half of Afghans face ‘acute’ food crisis

　More than 22 million Afghans will suffer “acute food insecurity” this winter, UN agencies said, warning the already unstable country faces one of the world‘s worst humanitarian crises. 　The crisis is already bigger in scale than that facing Yemen or Syria, and worse than any food insecurity emergency apart from the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said. 　According to the statement issued by the World Food Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, one in t

World NewsNov. 5, 2021