Merkel's party readies campaign to keep Germany's top office

BERLIN (AP) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's party on Tuesday presented a campaign for Germany's September election that portrays would-be successor Armin Laschet as a conciliatory, experienced leader and mixes classic center-right themes with portraying the fight against climate change as an economic opportunity. The Christian Democratic Union's campaign to hold on to Germany's top public office after Merkel's 16-year tenure will take account of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the party's ge

World NewsJuly 6, 2021

Report: Serbian arriving for Tokyo Olympics tests positive

TOKYO (AP) — A member of the Serbian Olympic rowing team has tested positive for COVID-19 while trying to enter Japan for the Tokyo Olympics that are to open in just under three weeks. The news was reported Sunday by the Japanese agency Kyodo and cited Japanese health ministry officials. Officials said the athlete was isolated at Tokyo's Haneda airport. Four others traveling along with the athlete were reportedly transferred to a facility near the airport. They had been scheduled to tra

World NewsJuly 4, 2021

Tokyo elects assembly amid pandemic fears over Olympics

TOKYO (AP) — Voters in Japan's capital are electing the Tokyo city assembly amid worries about health risks during the Olympics, opening in three weeks, as coronavirus cases continue to rise. In Sunday's balloting, 271 candidates are vying for 127 seats. Eligible voters total 9.8 million people in the megacity with a population of nearly 14 million. Public opinion surveys show about 60% of respondents want the Games canceled or postponed again. Behind the fears is the lagging vaccinatio

World NewsJuly 4, 2021

Chinese astronauts make first spacewalk outside new station

BEIJING (AP) — Two astronauts on Sunday made the first spacewalk outside China's new orbital station to set up cameras and other equipment using a 15-meter-long (50-foot-long) robotic arm. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo were shown by state TV climbing out of the airlock as Earth rolled past below them. The third crew member, commander Nie Haisheng, stayed inside. Liu and Tang spent nearly seven hours outside the station, the Chinese space agency said. The astronauts arrived June 17 for a th

World NewsJuly 4, 2021

Europe in vaccination race against COVID-19′s delta variant

Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives. The urgency coincides with Europe’s summer holiday months, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Social distancing is commonly neglected, especially among the young, and some countr

World NewsJuly 3, 2021

US plans to make airlines refund fees if bags are delayed

DENVER (AP) -- The Transportation Department will propose that airlines be required to refund fees on checked baggage if the bags aren't delivered to passengers quickly enough. The proposal, if made final after a lengthy regulation-writing process, would also require prompt refunds for fees on extras such as internet access if the airline fails to provide the service during the flight. A department official said the agency will issue the proposal in the next several days, and it could take eff

World NewsJuly 2, 2021

US hands Bagram Airfield to Afghans after nearly 20 years

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said Friday. The airfield was handed over to the Afghan National Security and Defense Force in its entirety, they said on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to release the information to the media. One of the officials also said th

World NewsJuly 2, 2021

China rejects US criticism on human trafficking

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday rejected U.S. accusations it is failing to stop human trafficking and said Washington has no right to criticize due to its history of racial discrimination. Beijing was among 17 governments that were warned Thursday of potential U.S. sanctions over human trafficking, adding to tension with Washington. Others included Malaysia, Russia and Nicaragua. ``We firmly oppose the U.S. unfounded accusations against China based on lies and rumors,'' Foreign Ministry s

World NewsJuly 2, 2021

No lockdown plans in Russia as virus deaths hit new record

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities reported a record-breaking 679 new coronavirus deaths on Friday, a fourth day in a row with the highest daily death toll in the pandemic. No plans for a lockdown are being discussed, however, the Kremlin insisted. The previous record, of 672 deaths, was registered on Thursday. Russia has struggled to cope with a surge in infections and deaths in recent weeks that comes amid slow vaccination rates. Daily new infections have more than doubled over the p

World NewsJuly 2, 2021

[Graphic News] Child labor swells for first time in two decades: UN

　The world has marked the first rise in child labor in two decades and the coronavirus crisis threatens to push millions more youngsters toward the same fate, the United Nations said. 　In a joint report, the International Labor Organization and the UN children’s agency UNICEF said the number in child labor stood at 160 million at the start of 2020 - an increase of 8.4 million in four years. 　The hike began before the pandemic hit and marks a dramatic reversal of a downward trend that

WorldJuly 2, 2021

UN: Any WHO-approved vaccine should be allowed for travel

GENEVA (AP) -- The World Health Organization said Thursday that any COVID-19 vaccines it has authorized for emergency use should be recognized by countries as they open up their borders to inoculated travelers. The move could challenge Western countries to broaden their acceptance of two apparently less effective Chinese vaccines, which the UN health agency has licensed but most European and North American countries have not. In addition to vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna Inc., AstraZenec

WorldJuly 1, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung ranks 2nd in European wearables market in Q1: report

　Samsung Electronics was the second-largest vendor of wearable devices in Europe in the first quarter of the year, although its market share declined as archrival Apple expanded its presence. 　Samsung posted a 16.1 percent market share in the January-March period in the European market, down from 16.8 percent a year earlier, according to the latest report from market researcher International Data Corp. 　The South Korean tech giant shipped 3.5 million wearable products in the region in th

World BusinessJune 30, 2021

Delayed doses of AstraZeneca jab boost immunity: study

LONDON (AFP) -- Delayed second and third doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine boost immunity against Covid-19, a study by Oxford University, which developed the jab with the British-Swedish firm, said on Monday. An interval of up to 45 weeks between the first and second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine led to an enhanced immune response, rather than compromising immunity, the study said. Giving a third dose of the jab more than six months after the second dose also leads to a "substantial incr

World NewsJune 28, 2021

[Graphic News] New Zealand has ‘bubbliest’ housing market in world

　New Zealand has the bubbliest housing market in the world, followed by Canada and Sweden, according to a ranking by Bloomberg Economics. 　Real estate prices around the world are flashing the kind of bubble warnings that haven’t been seen since the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, the global news service said. 　Bloomberg ranked the world’s frothiest housing markets based on key indicators such as the price-to-rent ratio, price-to-income ratio, price growth and credit growth.

WorldJune 28, 2021

[Graphic News] Seoul National University ranks 9th among Asian universities

　Seoul National University has retained its rank of 9th place among Asia‘s top universities, while Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Sungkyunkwan University ranked 13th and 14th respectively in the latest rankings by Times Higher Education. 　The top 10 universities in Asia were dominated by China. Tsinghua topped the ranking followed by Peking University and the National University of Singapore 　The university rankings are based on global performance tables that judg

WorldJune 25, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea atop Q1 chip equipment spending chart: report

　South Korea was the world's largest spender on chip equipment in the first quarter of the year, a report showed, amid a global semiconductor shortage. 　South Korea, home to major memory chip producers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, spent $7.31 billion in chipmaking equipment in the January-March period, up 118 percent from a year ago, according to quarterly billings data from SEMI, a global industry association representing companies in the electronics design and manufacturing supply c

World BusinessJune 24, 2021

[Graphic News] Image of US abroad improves under Biden

　The image of the United States throughout the world has changed significantly since the election of Joe Biden to replace former President Donald Trump, according to a new Pew Research Center survey released. 　Pew Research examination of 16 public surveys found a noteworthy increase in the image of the United States, pointing to the election of Biden and several of his major policy initiatives. 　The center said more than 6 in 10 people surveyed said they had confidence in Biden to make the

WorldJune 23, 2021

World in worst ‘cascade of human rights setbacks in our lifetimes’: UN

  GENEVA (AFP) -- The UN rights chief called Monday for "concerted action" to help recover from the worst global deterioration of rights seen in decades, highlighting situations in China, Russia and Ethiopia among others. "To recover from the most wide-reaching and severe cascade of human rights setbacks in our lifetimes, we need a life-changing vision, and concerted action," Michelle Bachelet told the opening of the UN Human Rights Council‘s 47th session.

World NewsJune 21, 2021

Fever clinic and COVID kits: Tokyo 2020 shows off Olympic Village

Tokyo 2020 organisers threw open the doors of the Olympic Village to the media on Sunday, showcasing virus upgrades including a fever clinic just over a month before the Games begin. Organisers are in the home stretch before the July 23 opening ceremony, and are trying to build confidence that the mega-event will be safe for athletes and the Japanese public. On Sunday, they unveiled the dedicated virus clinic, warned that drinking in groups at the village would be prohibited and said a mixed z

World NewsJune 20, 2021

'Dawn of new era': Iran's ultraconservatives hail Raisi win

Iran's ultraconservatives Sunday hailed the election victory of their candidate Ebrahim Raisi, after Washington charged the vote was unfair and Tehran's arch-foe Israel labelled him the "most extremist" president yet. Raisi, 60, won Friday's election in which more than half the voters stayed away after many political heavyweights had been barred from running and as an economic crisis driven by US sanctions has battered the country. An austere figure from the Shiite Muslim clerical es

World NewsJune 20, 2021