Italian opera, a new World Heritage listing, honored at Verona gala

ROME (DPA) -- Italy celebrated the inclusion of Italian opera singing on the World Heritage List with a gala concert at the Arena of Verona on Friday night that was broadcast on national television. The concert, presided over by star Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, featured performances by greats including German and Peruvian tenors Jonas Kaufmann and Juan Diego Flórez. There was also an orchestra of 160 musicians and a choir of 300 singers. There were 20,000 spectators at the sold-out a

June 8, 2024

Vietnam arrests prominent journalist over Facebook posts

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Authorities in Vietnam have arrested a leading independent journalist for "abusing democratic freedoms" to undermine the state by posting articles on Facebook, police announced on Saturday. Huy Duc was detained for investigation for posts that "violate the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals," the Ministry of Public Security said. The 62-year-old former senior lieutenant worked for several influential n

June 8, 2024

European leaders condemn assault of Danish PM in Copenhagen square

COPENHAGEN (DPA) -- Leaders have strongly condemned an assault on Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a central Copenhagen square, adding to the alarming rash of political violence rattling Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a "despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe" in a post on the social media platform X. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said he was "outraged" by the &qu

June 8, 2024

Putin calls for major expansion of Russian financial markets, cutting use of Western currencies

ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) -- President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia needed to cut imports, significantly boost the use of non-Western currencies in trade settlement and called for a major expansion of the country's domestic financial markets. Putin, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, said trade with Asia was soaring and that nearly 40 percent of Russian external trade was now in rubles as the share conducted in US dollars, euros and other Western currencies d

June 7, 2024

Biden apologizes to Zelenskyy for monthslong congressional holdup to weapons that let Russia gain

PARIS (AP) -- US President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly apologized to Ukraine for a monthslong congressional holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make gains on the battlefield. The apology came as Biden met in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who appealed for bipartisan US support going forward “like it was during World War II.” A day earlier, the two had attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in

June 7, 2024

[Graphic News] Billions of cicadas about to emerge across US

Billions of cicadas will appear this year in a rare occurrence that hasn’t been seen in the United States since Thomas Jefferson was president and won’t be seen again until 2245, entomologists say. According to scientists, 2024 will see a rare event called “double brood emergence,” in which two different broods of cicadas — one that appears every 13 years and another every 17 years — emerge simultaneously. The 13-year group, known as Brood XIX or the “

June 6, 2024

Modi claims victory in Indian election, vows to continue with his agenda despite drop in support

NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory Tuesday for his alliance in India’s general election, claiming a mandate to push forward with his agenda, even though his party lost seats to a stronger than expected opposition, which pushed back against his mixed economic record and polarizing politics. “Today’s victory is the victory of the world’s largest democracy," Modi told the crowd at his party’s headquarters, saying Indian voters had &ldq

June 5, 2024

Rep. Andy Kim wins Democratic Senate nomination in New Jersey primary

WASHINGTON -- A Korean American lawmaker won the Democratic Party's nomination for New Jersey's Senate seat in a primary Tuesday, reports said, as he has vowed to play a role as a "bridge" between South Korea and the United States and cement the bilateral alliance. Rep. Andy Kim, a third-term, 41-year-old congressman, bested two long-shot rivals to become his party's standard-bearer for the Nov. 5 election, according to The New York Times. If elected, Kim would become

June 5, 2024

Trump wins GOP primary in New Jersey as Biden wins Democratic race there and in DC

NEW YORK — President Joe Biden won Democratic primaries Tuesday in New Jersey and Washington, DC, among some of the last contests on the 2024 primary calendar. Biden's wins came as a handful of states were holding presidential primary contests for both parties, marking the first time Donald Trump’s name appeared on the ballot since his historic conviction on felony crimes . The former president was on the ballot in Republican contests in Montana , New Mexico and New Jersey . T

June 5, 2024

[Graphic News] ‘75% of global workers use AI’

A recent report from Microsoft reveals that 3 out of 4 knowledge workers worldwide are using artificial intelligence in their jobs, marking 2024 as the year AI becomes integral to the workplace. The “2024 Work Trend Index,” a collaborative research effort by Microsoft and LinkedIn, examines how AI is transforming work, leadership, and hiring practices globally, based on a survey of 31,000 individuals across 31 countries. The study found that 75 percent of global workers (including

June 5, 2024

[Graphic News] New York, London top global cities, Seoul 41st

New York and London are ranked the top two global cities according to economic advisory firm Oxford Economics in its inaugural Global Cities Index. This index is described as a “comprehensive evaluation of the world’s 1,000 largest urban economies.” Tokyo, ranking fourth, is Asia's top urban economy, followed by Seoul at 41st and Singapore at 42nd. Korea’s second-largest city, Busan, came in at 252nd. The index was compiled using five broad categories — econo

June 4, 2024

Trump's attacks on US justice system after guilty verdict could be useful to autocrats like Putin

After his historic guilty verdict in his hush money case, Donald Trump attacked the US criminal justice system, making unfounded claims of a “rigged” trial that echoed remarks from the Kremlin. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” Trump said Friday, speaking from his namesake tower in New York on Friday. Thousands of miles away, Russian President Vladimir Putin was probably “rubbing his hands with glee,” said Fiona Hill, a former senior W

June 2, 2024

Chinese defence minister, Ukraine's Zelenskiy dominate Shangri-La Dialogue's last day

SINGAPORE - Chinese defence chief Dong Jun will discuss global security in an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday that is often the highlight of the summit's last day, but may be overshadowed by the presence of Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskiy. Dong's speech comes a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told delegates the Indo-Pacific region remained a key focus for the United States, even as it grappled with security assistance for Ukraine and the war in Gaza. &qu

June 2, 2024

China lands on moon's far side in historic sample retrieval mission

SINGAPORE -- China landed an uncrewed spacecraft on the far side of the moon on Sunday, a landmark mission aiming to retrieve the world's first rock and soil samples from the dark lunar hemisphere, China's space agency said. The landing elevates China's space power status in a global rush to the moon, where countries, including the United States, are hoping to exploit lunar minerals to sustain long-term astronaut missions and moon bases within the next decade. The Chang'e-6 c

June 2, 2024

China says 'difficult' to attend Ukraine peace talks without Russia

BEIJING -- China said Friday it would be "difficult" for it to take part in a planned conference on the war in Ukraine next month if Russia did not attend. While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive. Ukraine is trying to whip up attendance at the June peace conference in Switzerland, where it hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end Russia's war. P

May 31, 2024

10 countries, EU voice 'resolute' opposition to NK-Russia arms transfers

Ten countries, including South Korea, and the European Union (EU) expressed firm opposition Friday to the expanding arms transfers between North Korea and Russia, urging the two countries to stop the illegal activities meant to aid Moscow's war in Ukraine. The countries made the call in a joint statement released under the names of their foreign ministers, affirming that the recent sanctions designated by each country in relation to the suspected arms deals represent "a coordinated eff

May 31, 2024

[Graphic News] Over 4,000 species affected by global wildlife crime

Illegal trafficking of plant and animal wildlife remains stubbornly prevalent, according to a UN report, and it is critical governments focus on more than just “iconic” species like elephants, where progress has been made. While seizures reported in 2020 and 2021 were around half that of previous reports, that could be attributed to pandemic-linked disruptions rather than a decline in actual trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Wildlife Crime Report said.

May 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Cristiano Ronaldo named world’s highest-paid athlete

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the highest-paid athlete over the past year, according to the Forbes article, “The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2024.” The Portuguese soccer superstar earned $260 million between May 1, 2023 and May 1, 2024. Spanish golfer Jon Rahm, who made headlines with his move from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in December 2023, ranked second with $218 million in earnings. In third place was Argentina’s Lionel Messi, an eight-time Ba

May 29, 2024

Spain, Ireland and Norway recognize Palestinian state

Spain, Ireland, and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a coordinated decision slammed by Israel as a "reward" for Hamas, more than seven months into the devastating Gaza war. The three European countries believe their initiative has a strong symbolic impact, likely encouraging others to follow suit. After Ireland's government formally approved the measure, Prime Minister Simon Harris said the aim was to keep hopes of peace in the Middle East alive. "

May 28, 2024

Climate change caused 26 extra days of extreme heat in last year: report

The world has experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday. Heat is the leading cause of climate-related death, and the report further points to the role of global warming in increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather around the world. For this study, scientists used the years 1991 to 2020 to determine what temperatures counted as within the top 10 percent for e

May 28, 2024