Foreign
Pyongyang suspends military action plans vs. South
June 24, 2020, 2:56 pm
ANKARA – North Korea said it decided to suspend “military action” against South Korea during a virtual meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The state-run Korea Central News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the… Read More
UN confirms 28 of its staff died from coronavirus
June 24, 2020, 1:26 pm
GENEVA – The United Nations on Tuesday announced that 28 of its staff members have died due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). In a statement, UN Information Services Director Alessandra Vellucci said they were among the 1,140 staff who had contracted the virus as of June 21. No other… Read More
Covid-19 cases rising in more than half of US states
June 24, 2020, 10:14 am
WASHINGTON – More than half of the US is seeing a huge increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases since more states have reopened after restrictions were lifted. According to the USA Today newspaper, nearly 30 states, including Arizona, Florida, and Texas, are reporting more cases as… Read More
Singapore to hold general election on July 10: PM
June 24, 2020, 10:09 am
SINGAPORE – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday he has advised President Halimah Yacob to dissolve the parliament and issue the Writ of Election. He made the remarks in a live address to the nation. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the president, on… Read More
Powerful 7.5-magnitude quake rocks Mexico
June 24, 2020, 10:08 am
MEXICO CITY – A 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocked Mexico City and many southern and central parts of the country mid-morning on Tuesday. The quake hit at 10:29 a.m. and the epicenter was located at 23 km. south of La Crucecita, a Pacific Coast village in southern Oaxaca state, the National… Read More
Global Covid-19 cases breach 9 million mark
June 23, 2020, 2:40 pm
NEW YORK – Global confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases topped nine million on Monday, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at the Johns Hopkins University. A total of 472,171 people worldwide have died of the disease, the CSSE data… Read More
Saudi Arabia to limit Hajj to pilgrims living in kingdom
June 23, 2020, 10:16 am
BEIRUT – Saudi Arabia will limit the annual Hajj pilgrimage this year to people living inside the country due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, shutting the doors to pilgrims from abroad. Only a limited number of people from all nationalities living in Saudi Arabia will be… Read More
Trump temporarily halts many new job visas for 2020
June 23, 2020, 10:09 am
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that bars many new employment-based visas from being issued this year, including the type of visas generally used for high-skilled workers. In addition to H1-B visas, Trump's order bars his administration from issuing new… Read More
Covid-19 hits new daily record and is still deadly: WHO
June 23, 2020, 9:24 am
GENEVA – With a record of more than 183,000 new cases of Covid-19 reported Sunday, the virus is still deadly and has not yet shown significant signs of losing potency, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. "It seems that almost every day we reach a new and grim record," WHO… Read More
Thailand's Covid-19 vaccine trial on monkeys successful: minister
June 22, 2020, 9:57 pm
BANGKOK – Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation announced on Monday that the country's coronavirus diseases 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine trial has made progress after macaque monkeys which were given the first doses of the candidate vaccine showed satisfactory… Read More
China's 600 kph maglev train begins test run
June 22, 2020, 8:46 pm
QINGDAO – Performance checks of China's domestically-developed prototype magnetic-levitation train, with a designed top speed of 600 kilometers per hour, began in Shanghai Sunday. The testing prototype, which has only one car, can check and optimize the key technologies and core system… Read More
Japan: Consortium working on ‘inexpensive’ virus test
June 22, 2020, 8:28 pm
ANKARA – A consortium of three universities and a pharma company in Japan will work to commercialize an inexpensive test method for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Shionogi & Co., a Japanese pharma company, has signed a licensing agreement with the Nihon University, Tokyo Medical… Read More
NoKor to send 12 million propaganda leaflets to S. Korea
June 22, 2020, 4:46 pm
ANKARA – In a tit-for-tat move, North Korea on Monday said it is ready to publish and release propaganda leaflets and balloons to “teach the enemy a lesson”, referring to South Korea. In a statement by state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), the impoverished country’s “publishing and… Read More
Late rock star’s guitar sells for record $6M at auction
June 22, 2020, 1:42 pm
ANKARA – The guitar used by grunge rock band Nirvana's star performer Kurt Cobain in a 1993 MTV Unplugged performance was sold Sunday for a record price. Australian businessman Peter Freedman paid USD6,010,000 for the 1959 Martin D-18E guitar at an auction. The initial price of the guitar, which… Read More
Yoga boosts immune system fight against Covid-19: Guru
June 22, 2020, 1:40 pm
ANTALYA, Turkey – Performing yoga could achieve greater success in fighting the novel coronavirus as it boosts the immune system, according to a guru of the ancient practice. Ankit Tiwari told Anadolu Agency there are many yogic asanas, or postures, that boost the endocrine system, strengthening… Read More
26 new coronavirus cases in China, 48 in South Korea
June 21, 2020, 8:03 pm
ANKARA – Both China and South Korea recorded new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours. A total of 26 people were found to have contracted the virus in mainland China, according to the National Health Commission. The commission reported no deaths caused by the virus… Read More
Covid-19 vaccine reaches phase-2 trials in China
June 21, 2020, 1:07 pm
BEIJING – An inactivated coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Medical Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has entered phase-2 clinical trials in China, the Science and Technology Daily reported Saturday. The phase-2 trials, which… Read More
UN body holds urgent debate on systemic racism, police brutality
June 18, 2020, 8:28 pm
GENEVA -- The Human Right Council on Wednesday afternoon began an urgent debate on current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests, in the follow-up to the killing of George Floyd in the United States. In her opening… Read More
Indonesia detains Filipino, Malaysian fishing boats over poaching
June 18, 2020, 6:59 pm
JAKARTA – Patrol ships of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries’ (KKP's) Directorate General for Supervision of Maritime Resources and Fisheries (PSDKP) detained a Filipino fishing boat and Malaysian fishing vessel for poaching in Indonesian waters. "The KKP's patrol boats have… Read More
Chinese, US diplomats hold ‘constructive’ dialogue
June 18, 2020, 1:42 pm
ANKARA – A senior Chinese diplomat has met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chinese media reported Thursday. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), held a dialogue with… Read More
