Foreign
US national debt tops record $34 trillion
January 3, 2024, 3:26 pm
WASHINGTON – The US Treasury announced Tuesday that the federal government's gross national debt has surpassed USD34 trillion, a record high. The national debt jumped by USD2.6 trillion in the six months through December. On Oct. 30, the Senate passed a last-minute spending bill to fund the… Read More
Japan quake death toll rises to 62
January 3, 2024, 2:48 pm
TOKYO – The death toll from a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit central Japan has reached 62, based on the data published by regional authorities. More than 100 people have been injured with most of the casualties recorded in Ishikawa prefecture - the epicenter of the destructive earthquake.… Read More
Japan evacuates 400 passengers from plane caught in fire in Tokyo
January 2, 2024, 7:48 pm
ISTANBUL – Airport authorities evacuated all 400 passengers and crew members from a plane that caught fire at an airport in the capital Tokyo on Tuesday. The aircraft belonged to Japan Airlines, which said all the passengers aboard were evacuated, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported. Footage… Read More
Surfer injured by shark dies in Hawaii
January 2, 2024, 12:44 pm
ANKARA – A surfer injured by a shark off Maui’s northern shore in Hawaii died in a hospital, the US media reported. According to local authorities, the injured man was immediately shifted by jet ski to shore and provided first aid before being taken to hospital where he died, The Washington… Read More
S. Korean opposition leader attacked during visit to Busan
January 2, 2024, 12:39 pm
SEOUL/BUSAN – Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was attacked during a visit to the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday and taken to a hospital while conscious. Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, was attacked on the left side of his neck by an unidentified man at 10:27… Read More
S. Korea issues warning on sea-level rise after Japan quake
January 1, 2024, 6:06 pm
SEOUL – South Korea issued alerts on rising sea levels in parts of the East Sea on Monday following a major earthquake off Japan's west coast. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said a tsunami caused by a 7.6 magnitude quake hitting Ishikawa and nearby prefectures could result in a… Read More
Magnitude 7.6 quake rocks Japan, large tsunami warning issued
January 1, 2024, 5:40 pm
TOKYO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 rocked a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast Monday, disrupting the festive mood of New Year celebrations, with a large tsunami warning issued for the central prefecture of Ishikawa. The quake, which also shook buildings in central Tokyo,… Read More
Fresh airstrikes kill at least 68 Palestinians in Gaza
January 1, 2024, 2:06 pm
GAZA CITY, Palestine – At least 68 Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Sunday, according to the official Wafa news agency. Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on the al-Zaitoun neighborhood, leaving 48 dead and scores injured, Wafa said, citing local… Read More
World economy barely bounces back post-coronavirus pandemic
January 1, 2024, 12:19 pm
BRUSSELS – The biggest crisis in the world economy in almost a century was caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the effects of which are being recovered from only after four years. After the first Covid-19 case was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, the virus spread rapidly… Read More
El Niño drought massacres wildlife in Zimbabwe
December 30, 2023, 2:42 pm
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Hundreds of kilometers north of Zimbabwe's capital Harare, the Hwange National Park mourned the loss of 15 elephants who succumbed to hunger and thirst — only part of a death toll of roughly 100 elephants who perished. That was just the beginning. Days later, 16 buffalo died… Read More
UN: 2023 year of ‘enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos’
December 29, 2023, 3:35 pm
WASHINGTON – The head of the United Nations voiced hope for 2024 on Thursday and urged unity to rebuild trust. "2023 has been a year of enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos. Humanity is in pain. Our planet is in peril. 2023 is the hottest year on record," Antonio Guterres said in a… Read More
Jakartans should stay alert amid upward trend in Covid-19 cases
December 28, 2023, 7:35 pm
JAKARTA –The Jakarta Health Office, on Thursday, warned Jakartans to stay alert and implement health protocols, as the metropolitan city's number of active Covid-19 cases experienced an upward trend. "The current cycle is experiencing an upward trend as a result of seasonal transition and other… Read More
Actor Lee of 'Parasite' found dead in apparent suicide amid drug probe
December 27, 2023, 5:46 pm
SEOUL– Actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" was found dead in an apparent suicide Wednesday amid an investigation into suspected drug use. Police found a man in his 40s unconscious in a car near Waryong Park in central Seoul at 10:30 a.m. and later identified him as Lee. A… Read More
S.Korea's Yoon calls for efforts to tackle falling birthrate
December 26, 2023, 7:41 pm
ISTANBUL– South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday called for “extraordinary determination” to tackle the country’s falling birthrate. “Time is running short. I hope that every government agency approaches the issue of low birthrates with extraordinary determination,”… Read More
Heavy floods hit parts of Germany
December 26, 2023, 1:07 pm
BERLIN – Heavy floods on Monday disrupted daily life in some parts of Germany. The water level reached 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) in the town of Windehausen in the central state of Thuringia, forcing some 400 people to evacuate their homes. Bodo Ramelow, the minister-president of Thuringia,… Read More
Maersk Shipping Line to return to Red Sea despite Houthi threats
December 26, 2023, 12:46 pm
JERUSALEM – Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies said on Sunday that it will resume operations in the Red Sea despite Houthi threats, the Danish company announced on Sunday. “As of Sunday 24 December 2023, we have received confirmation that the previously announced… Read More
'Our hearts are in Bethlehem,' Pope Francis says on Christmas Eve
December 25, 2023, 5:18 pm
ROME – Pope Francis appealed for peace on Sunday while leading Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican as the Israel-Hamas war raged on. "Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war,” he told about 6,500… Read More
UN resolution to do little for Gaza without truce - refugee agency
December 25, 2023, 4:31 pm
ANKARA – The UN Palestinian refugee agency warned Sunday that a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip may do little without a truce. "It is welcome, but only time will tell what real difference this resolution is going to make,… Read More
Severe storms leave thousands in eastern Australia without power
December 25, 2023, 3:33 pm
ANKARA – Thousands of residents in Australia's eastern state of Queensland were without power after a "very dangerous" storm swept through the region for the second time in 12 hours, local media reported on Sunday. Storms are expected to continue along the entire Australian east coast until… Read More
Don't confuse Christmas with consumerism, says Pope
December 25, 2023, 12:42 pm
ROME – Pope Francis appealed to the faithful to spurn consumerism in their Christmas celebrations, avoiding waste and thinking of those in need, during his Angelus address on Christmas Eve. "Let us not confuse celebration with consumerism!" the Argentine pontiff said as he also called on people… Read More
