[Graphic News] Samsung ranks 2nd in African smartphone market in Q3: report

　Samsung Electronics was the second-largest smartphone vendor in the African smartphone market in the third quarter of the year, a report showed, as the South Korean tech giant tries to expand its presence against Chinese competitors. 　Samsung accounted for 20 percent of the African smartphone market in the July-September period in terms of units, down from a 24 percent share a year ago, according to market researcher International Data Corp. 　China’s Transsion continued its dominan

WorldDec. 11, 2020

Merkel urges tougher curbs as virus deaths soar

BERLIN (AFP) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday demanded tougher curbs to bring down coronavirus infections, as the German death toll reached a daily record of nearly 600 people. Germany has ordered far less stringent shutdown rules than other major European nations after coming through the first wave of the pandemic relatively unscathed. But Europe's biggest economy has been severely hit by a second wave with daily new infections more than three times that of the peak in the spring. D

World NewsDec. 9, 2020

World set for 3C warming despite pandemic, pledges: UN

PARIS (AFP) -- Earth remains on course to warm more than 3 degrees Celsius by the century's end despite a dip in greenhouse gas emissions due to the pandemic and pledges to curb pollution, the UN said Wednesday. In its annual assessment of emissions levels, the UN's Environment Programme found that 2020's 7-percent fall in carbon pollution would have "negligible impact" on warming without a broad and rapid shift away from fossil fuels. The Emissions Gap report analyses the gulf betw

World NewsDec. 9, 2020

Citigroup Names Antonios as First Female Head of MENA Business

  Citigroup Inc. appointed Elissar Farah Antonios as the first woman to run its Middle East & North Africa operations, among the US bank’s fastest-growing businesses in emerging markets. Antonios will continue to report to Atiq Rehman, who runs the bank’s Europe, Middle East & Africa emerging markets business, and will join the EMEA operating committee. She has been in charge of Citigroup’s operations in the United Arab Emirates, Levant and Iraq since 2019. Ant

World NewsDec. 8, 2020

Japan space agency hails return of asteroid dust on Earth

Japan space agency officials on Sunday hailed the arrival of rare asteroid samples on Earth after they were collected by space probe Hayabusa-2 during an unprecedented mission. In a streak of light across the night sky, a capsule containing the precious specimens taken from a distant asteroid arrived on Earth after being dropped off by the probe. Scientists hope the samples, which are expected to amount to no more than 0.1 grams of material, could help shed light on the origin of life and the

World NewsDec. 6, 2020

95 arrests at French security law protests: minister

Police arrested 95 people during protests across France against a planned security law, and 67 officers were injured during the demonstrations, Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said Sunday. In Paris, the site of the worst violence, 48 police officers or gendarmes were injured during Saturday's street clashes, the interior ministry said on Twitter. A firefighter was also injured in the capital after being hit by a projectile, a police source said. Paris police held 25 people, including two m

World NewsDec. 6, 2020

Singapore to seek more travel bubble arrangements

Singapore said it will keep searching for possibilities of travel bubbles with other regions even after an arrangement with Hong Kong suffered a setback, the Straits Times reported. Potential partners could be the countries where the city-state has already opened its borders to, the paper said, citing Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung. Singapore currently allows short-term visitors from Australia, Brunei, China, New Zealand and Vietnam to enter without having to be quarantined, though they must

World NewsDec. 6, 2020

China prepares large-scale rollout of coronavirus vaccines

Provincial governments across China are placing orders for experimental, domestically made coronavirus vaccines, though health officials have yet to say how well they work or how they may reach the country's 1.4 billion people. Developers are speeding up final testing, the Chinese foreign minister said during a U.N. meeting last week, as Britain approved emergency use of Pfizer Inc.'s vaccine candidate and providers scrambled to set up distribution. Even without final approval, more than 1 mi

World NewsDec. 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ancient asteroid dust collected by Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe arrives on Earth

TOKYO (AFP) -- In a streak of light across the night sky, samples collected from a distant asteroid arrived on Earth on Sunday after being dropped off by Japanese space probe Hayabusa-2. Scientists hope the precious samples, which are expected to amount to no more than 0.1 grams of material, could help shed light on the origin of life and the formation of the universe. The capsule carrying samples entered the atmosphere just before 2:30 am Japan time (1730 GMT Saturday), creating a shooting-st

World NewsDec. 6, 2020

US tightens travel rules for Chinese Communist Party members: NYT

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Washington issued new entry rules for Chinese Communist Party members traveling to the United States, the New York Times reported Thursday, citing the State Department. The new policy -- which took immediate effect on Wednesday -- caps visas of Communist Party members and their immediate families to one month and a single entry into the country, the report said. "For decades we allowed the CCP free and unfettered access to US institutions and businesses while these sa

World NewsDec. 3, 2020

Asia tech conference ditches Hong Kong for Malaysia

HONG KONG (AFP) -- A major Asia-focused tech conference announced Thursday it is ditching Hong Kong in favour of Malaysia in a fresh blow to the Chinese financial hub's push to attract tech talent. The annual RISE Conference brings together CEOs, startups and investors and has been held in Hong Kong over the last five years. But organisers said they would move their annual conference to Kuala Lumpur in 2022. "Hosting RISE in Kuala Lumpur is going to expand the event into an exciting regi

World NewsDec. 3, 2020

World food prices jump to six-year high: UN

ROME (AFP) -- Global food commodity prices rose sharply in November to their highest level in nearly six years, the UN food agency said Thursday, due in part to adverse weather conditions. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said prices of the most globally traded foodstuffs were up across the board, putting extra pressure in particular on 45 countries that need outside help feeding their populations. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 105 points during the month, up 3.9 percent from Oc

World NewsDec. 3, 2020

[Graphic News] 1 in 5 US adults would get COVID-19 vaccination ASAP: poll

　One in 5 US adults, aged 50 to 80, would like to get vaccinated for COVID-19 right away, a new poll found. 　Another 46 percent would also like to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but would first wait until others receive it, according to the National Poll On Healthy Aging from the University of Michigan. 　Nearly half were also worried about the safety of a vaccine that is developed quickly. 　Twenty percent were unsure about getting the vaccination, and 14 percent did not want to get vaccin

WorldDec. 3, 2020

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 4th best place to be during pandemic

　South Korea has been ranked 4th among 53 countries in the world that have handled the coronavirus pandemic most effectively, according to a COVID Resilience Ranking by Bloomberg. South Korea received a resilience ranking of 82.3. 　The report scores economies of more than $200 billion on 10 key metrics: From growth in virus cases to the overall mortality rate, testing capabilities and the vaccine supply agreements places have forged. The capacity of the local health care system, the impact

WorldDec. 2, 2020

Iran's supreme leader vows revenge over slain scientist

TEHRAN (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader on Saturday demanded the "definitive punishment" of those behind the killing of a scientist who led Tehran's disbanded military nuclear program, as the Islamic Republic blamed Israel for a slaying that has raised fears of reignited tensions across the Middle East. After years of being in the shadows, the image of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh suddenly was to be seen everywhere in Iranian media, as his widow spoke on state television and officials publicl

World NewsNov. 29, 2020

[Graphic News] Elon Musk overtakes Bill Gates to grab world‘s 2nd-richest ranking

　Tesla co-founder Elon Musk passed Bill Gates to become the world’s second-richest person. 　The 49-year-old entrepreneur‘s net worth soared $7.2 billion to $127.9 billion, driven by yet another surge in Tesla’s share price. Musk has added $100.3 billion to his net worth this year, the most of anyone on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world‘s 500 richest people. In January he ranked 35th. 　His advance up the wealth ranks has been driven largely by

WorldNov. 27, 2020

Recent signing of RCEP suggests need for US reentry into TPP: CRS report

WASHINGTON -- The recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by South Korea and 14 other countries in Asia reinforces the need for the United States to sign a similar deal in the region, a report suggested Wednesday. The report from the Congressional Research Service also suggested the US may have to consider reentering the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to protect its interests in the region. "Some Members of Congress and analysts saw TPP as an op

World NewsNov. 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] Biden Cabinet picks prioritizes experience

NEW YORK (AP) -- Competence is making a comeback. President-elect Joe Biden has prized staying power over star power when making his first wave of Cabinet picks and choices for White House staff, with a premium placed on government experience and proficiency as he looks to rebuild a depleted and demoralized federal bureaucracy. With an eye in part toward making selections who may have to seek approval from a Republican-controlled Senate, Biden has prioritized choosing qualified professionals wh

World NewsNov. 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] What is it like to take part in a vaccine trial?

MIAMI (AFP) -- A key facet of the global mad scramble by Pfizer, Moderna and other pharma groups to develop a viable coronavirus vaccine is the recruitment of tens of thousands of volunteers willing to participate in clinical trials. Agence France-Presse’s correspondent in Miami, Leila Macor, took part in such a trial organized by US biotech firm Moderna, which announced Monday that its experimental vaccine was nearly 95 percent effective. Why did Macor, who suffers from asthma, decide t

World NewsNov. 25, 2020

Biden introduces security team 'ready to lead the world'

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President-elect Joe Biden introduced Tuesday a seasoned national security team he said was prepared to resume US leadership of the world after the departure of President Donald Trump. "It's a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure," Biden said, introducing his picks for secretary of state, national security advisor, intelligence chief, and other key cabinet jobs. "It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back. Ready to lea

World NewsNov. 25, 2020