Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

PARIS (AFP) -- Scientists have discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time, warning that the ubiquitous particles could also be making their way into organs. The tiny pieces of mostly invisible plastic have already been found almost everywhere else on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains as well as in the air, soil and food chain. A Dutch study published in the Environment International journal on Thursday examined blood samples from 22 anonymous, healthy volu

March 27, 2022

Russia will only accept rubles for gas deliveries to Europe: Putin

MOSCOW (AFP) -- President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Russia will only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to "unfriendly countries", which include all EU members, after Moscow was hit by unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine. "I have decided to implement a set of measures to transfer payment for our gas supplies to unfriendly countries into Russian rubles," Putin said during a televised government meeting, ordering the changes to be implemented within a week.

March 23, 2022

Asia News Network to hold webinar on war in Ukraine

The world has changed overnight with the war in Ukraine. As European nations and the US are expected to make respective gigantic shifts in re-armaments and foreign policies –- Asian countries are on high alert to assess the situation and interpret what these mean to them. The Korea Herald has co-organized a webinar with some of the members of the Asia News Network on the topic of “Europe’s Geopolitical Seismic Shift: What does it mean for Asia?” The webinar will take pl

March 23, 2022

'I don't have a future, I just have right now': Ukranian refugees speak out

It was constant message alarms that woke 28-year-old Olha Rumiantseva in the early morning of February 24th, the day Russia launched its first attack on Ukraine. “I will never forget this day. At 5 a.m., my phone rang from my colleagues' chat saying that they just heard explosions. Then, in half an hour, we heard sirens across Kyiv. I instantly knew something was wrong. We took our bags and left our home.” now the Ukrainian refugee said. Olha crossed the border last February with he

March 21, 2022

Biden to ask Congress for $2.6B to promote gender equity

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will ask Congress for $2.6 billion for foreign aid programs that promote gender equality worldwide, more than double the size of last year's request. Biden announced his intentions on International Women's Day, which is set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. Biden created the first-ever White House Gender Policy Council on International Women's Day last year to help promote gender equi

March 8, 2022

UK to sanction Russian banks, individuals

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain is slapping sanctions on five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals over Russia's latest military moves on Ukraine. Johnson told lawmakers that sanctions would hit Rossiya Bank, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Bank. He said three Russian oligarchs with interests in energy and infrastructure -- Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg -- will have their assets frozen and be banned from traveling to the U.K. All

Feb. 22, 2022

Germany suspends Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Germany has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday, as the West started taking punitive measures against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. Scholz said his government made the decision in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine that he said marked a ``serious break of international law.'' ``Now it's up to the international commun

Feb. 22, 2022

Russia recognizes Ukraine-held areas as part of rebel areas

Russia announced Tuesday that its recognition of independence for areas in eastern Ukraine extends to territory currently held by Ukrainian forces _ further raising the stakes amid Western fears that Moscow a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine  is imminent. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has recognized the rebel regions' independence ``in borders that existed when they proclaimed'' their independence in 2014. Ukrainian forces later reclaimed control of large part of both r

Feb. 22, 2022

[Photo News] Mexican journalists protest to reject violence against the union

Members Members of the Mexican press union staged a demonstration against violence against their colleagues, in Merida, Mexico, Jan. 25.  Thousands of journalists from all the states of the country demonstrated to demand justice for the recent murders of informants and the end of the violence against the union. A protester holds a picture of Mexican journalist Lourdes Maldonado who was killed in the northern border city of Tijuana, outside the Secretariat of the Interior in Mexico City. A g

Feb. 1, 2022

[Photo News] A makeshift memorial for a shooting in the Harlem neighborhood

A makeshift memorial is seen outside the New York City Police Department‘s 32nd Precinct near the scene of a shooting that occurred days earlier in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, Jan. 24, 2022. Calvin Hunt of Harlem pays his respects at the memorial, holding a photo of officer Jason Rivera, who the memorial is dedicated to. Jason Rivera was shot while responding to a domestic violence call. The incident ultimately took the life of the 22-year-old officer. New York City Poli

Jan. 31, 2022

[Interactive] Americans reading fewer books than in previous years: Gallup poll

Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, according to a new Gallup poll released. That represents the lowest number of books read compared to any previous survey dating back to 1990, Gallup said. In three polls conducted between 2002 and 2016, Gallup surveys showed that Americans read an average of 15.2 books per year.The results are based on a Dec. 1-16 poll of a random sample of 811 adults living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The participants were aske

Jan. 28, 2022

[Interactive] Number of Americans who identify as Christian further declines: poll

The percentage of Americans who identify as Christian dropped 15 percentage points over the past 14 years, while those who consider themselves religiously unaffiliated increased by 14 percentage points, a Pew study released indicates.Pew's National Public Opinion Reference Survey found that the majority of Americans - 63 percent - consider themselves Christian, down from 78 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, 29 percent of adults list their religion as “none,” meaning they consider themsel

Jan. 28, 2022

[Interactive] Foreign student enrollment in US colleges drops 15%

Enrollment of foreign students in US colleges and universities plunged 15 percent in the 2020-21 school year even though American institutions remain in high esteem, research showed. Fewer than 1 million foreign students enrolled for either online or in-person classes at US universities in the 2020-21 school year, marking a 15 percent year-over-year decrease from the previous school year, according to data from the Institute of International Education analyzed by the Pew Research Center. It als

Jan. 28, 2022

[Interactive] 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 ha

Jan. 12, 2022

[Interactive] 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 “Captain A

Jan. 12, 2022

[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

Dec. 28, 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

Dec. 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

Dec. 19, 2021