Taiwan's strongest earthquake in nearly 25 years damages buildings, leaving 4 dead

Taiwan's strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, damaging buildings and highways and causing the deaths of four people. Taiwan's national fire agency said four people died in Hualien County and at least 57 were injured in the quake that struck just before 8 a.m. The local United Daily News reported three hikers died in rockslides in Taroko National Park near the offshore epicenter. A five-story building in Hualien appeared hea

April 3, 2024

A strong earthquake shakes Taiwan, damaging buildings and causing a tsunami

A powerful earthquake rocked the entire island of Taiwan early Wednesday, collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands. A five-story building in lightly populated Hualien appeared heavily damaged, collapsing its first floor and leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes. Train service was suspended across the island of 23 million peo

April 3, 2024

7.5-magnitude earthquake hits near Taiwan: Japan agency

A major 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit near Taiwan shortly before 9:00 am Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings for southern Japanese islands, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. Tsunami waves as high as three metres (10 feet) were expected immediately for remote Japanese islands near Taiwan, including Miyakojima island, the agency said. "Evacuate!" said a banner on national broadcaster NHK. "Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately," an anchor on NHK said. "Do

April 3, 2024

World powers condemn deadly Gaza air strike on aid workers

PARIS -- The United States and Britain led international criticism Tuesday of a deadly strike in the Gaza Strip that killed seven charity staff as they unloaded desperately needed aid brought by sea to the war-torn territory. World Central Kitchen -- one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat -- said a "targeted Israeli strike" on Monday killed Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian staff. Washington, Israel's main ally, said it was "heartbr

April 2, 2024

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes northern Japan

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 hit Iwate and Aomori prefectures in northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The epicenter was northern coastal part of Iwate Prefecture, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued. There were no reports of immediate damage. (Reuters)

April 2, 2024

[Graphic News] New York remains world’s top financial center, Seoul at 10th

New York easily remains the world’s top financial center, cementing its position for the past six years after it overtook London, in second place ever since, with Singapore ranked third, the Global Financial Centres Index 35 published by Z/Yen Group showed. Hong Kong remains in fourth place, followed by San Francisco nipping at its heels, helped by its strong role in financing tech. New York overtook London in 2018, after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union two years ear

April 2, 2024

Pope overcomes health concerns to preside over a blustery Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square

ROME (AP) — Rallying from a winter-long bout of respiratory problems, Pope Francis led some 30,000 people in Easter celebrations Sunday and made a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Francis presided over Easter Sunday Mass in a flower-decked St. Peter’s Square and then delivered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual roundup of global crises. In between, he made several loops around the piazza in his popemobile, greeting well-

March 31, 2024

UK greenhouse gas emissions fell 5.4 percent in 2023: data

UK greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.4 percent in 2023, largely due to a reduction in the amount of gas used in power stations, according to official data published on Thursday. Net emissions of all greenhouse gases were estimated to have been 384.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023, compared to 406.2 million tonnes in 2022, the government's provisional figures showed. Carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 6.6 percent annually to 302.8 million tonnes, which represents a 5

March 28, 2024

783m people face chronic hunger. Yet the world wastes 19% of its food, UN says

The world wasted an estimated 19% of the food produced globally in 2022, or about 1.05 billion metric tons, according to a new United Nations report. The UN Environment Programme's Food Waste Index Report, published Wednesday, tracks the progress of countries to halve food waste by 2030. The UN said the number of countries reporting for the index nearly doubled from the first report in 2021. The 2021 report estimated that 17% of the food produced globally in 2019, or 931 million metric tons

March 28, 2024

US slaps new sanctions against 6 N. Koreans, 2 entities for financing NK WMD programs

The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on six North Korean nationals and two third-country entities for their role to help finance Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs, the Treasury Department said. In coordination with South Korea, the department announced sanctions targeting agents of designated North Korean banks as well as companies that employ North Korean IT workers abroad, as it accused them of helping generate revenue for the recalcitrant regime in Pyongyan

March 28, 2024

[Graphic News] Over 8,500 migrants died worldwide last year

A total of 8,541 migrants perished on land and sea routes worldwide in 2023, the UN migration agency said, the highest figure since it began counting such deaths a decade ago. The International Organization for Migration said the biggest increase in deaths last year came amid the treacherous Mediterranean Sea crossing: reaching 3,129 from 2,411 in 2022. This figure was however below the record 5,136 number of people who died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2016, when huge numbers of Syria

March 28, 2024

Major Baltimore bridge collapses; six presumed dead

A major bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed early Tuesday after a Singapore-flagged container ship struck a pillar of the decades-old bridge, leaving six people presumed dead, according to state authorities. The 289-meter-long freighter, named Dali, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 1:30 a.m., resulting in its collapse into the Patapsco River. US officials reported no indication of a terrorist attack. At the time of the collapse, there were at least eight construction workers co

March 27, 2024

[Graphic News] US adults doubt mental capability of Biden, Trump

A poll found that a significant share of US adults doubt the mental capabilities of 81-year-old President Joe Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican front-runner in what is set to be a rematch of the 2020 election. More than 6 in 10 (63 percent) said they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capabilities to serve effectively as president. A similar but slightly smaller share (57 percent) said that Trump lacks the memory and

March 26, 2024

4 suspects in Russia concert hall massacre charged with terrorism

Four men accused of involvement in a massacre at a Moscow concert hall that killed 137 people were remanded in custody Sunday, as Russia observed a national day of mourning following the attack claimed by the Islamic State. All four suspects have been charged with terrorism, according to Moscow's Basmanny district court, and face life imprisonment. Their detention is set until May 22 but may be extended depending on the date of their trial. The court said two of the defendants had pleaded g

March 25, 2024

[Graphic News] Istanbul named world’s most visited city

International travel has continued to make a strong recovery in 2023 with 38 percent growth in terms of overseas trips, projected to reach 1.3 billion by the end of the year. Istanbul tops the list with 20.2 million international arrivals in 2023. The city saw a 26 percent year-over-year visitor growth from 2022 to 2023, according to Euromonitor International. London came in the second spot followed by Dubai, Antalya and Paris. Wealth of dazzling cultural sites and crossover of Asian and Europ

March 25, 2024

Senegal votes in a tightly contested presidential race after months of unrest

Senegalese lined up to vote Sunday in a tightly contested presidential race that followed months of uncertainty and unrest that has tested the West African nation’s reputation as a stable democracy in a region that has experienced a wave of coups in recent years. The election comes after President Macky Sall unsuccessfully tried to postpone the Feb. 25 vote until the end of the year, sparking violent protests. Sall is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. As a result, the v

March 24, 2024

Pope sends prayers to Moscow victims of 'cowardly' attack

Pope Francis on Sunday sent prayers to the victims of the concert hall attack in Moscow, calling the violence "inhuman acts" that offended God. "I assure my prayers for the victims of the cowardly terrorist attack carried out the other evening in Moscow," said the 87-year-old pope, following a Palm Sunday mass in Saint Peter's Square. "May the Lord welcome them in his peace and comfort their families, and convert the hearts of those... who organise and carry out the

March 24, 2024

Biden and Trump win Louisiana's presidential primary having already clinched nominations

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won Louisiana's primary on Saturday, collecting more delegates after they already clinched their party nominations. Biden also appeared in Missouri's Democratic primary, with results not expected to be reported until next week. None of the races were in suspense. Biden and Trump have already beaten their major competitors . But the primary races are still closely watched by insiders for turnout and signs of prot

March 24, 2024

Putin says gunmen who raided Moscow concert hall tried to escape to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement

The suburban Moscow music hall where gunmen opened fire on concertgoers was a blackened, smoldering ruin Saturday as the death toll in the attack surpassed 130 and Russian authorities arrested four suspects. President Vladimir Putin claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement in Friday's assault on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility. Putin did not mention IS in h

March 24, 2024

Two suspects in Moscow attack detained after car chase: lawmaker

Two people suspected of carrying out a deadly attack near Moscow on Friday have been detained in Russia's Bryansk region following a car chase, lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram on Saturday. Other suspects fled into a nearby forest on foot, Khinshtein said. Camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers near Moscow on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 145 in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

March 23, 2024