Foreign
Laos hosts high-level task force meeting on ASEAN economic integration
February 23, 2024, 2:18 pm
VIENTIANE – Laos' Ministry of Industry and Commerce hosted the 45th meeting of the high-level task force on ASEAN economic integration in Vientiane province to discuss the policy of ASEAN economic integration. The meeting was held on Feb. 20-21 under the chairmanship of Lao Deputy Minister of… Read More
UN hails Afghanistan for letting girls enroll in medical schools
February 23, 2024, 12:54 pm
KARACHI, Pakistan – The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Thursday welcomed the Afghan interim government's decision to allow female high school graduates to be admitted to state-run medical colleges beginning this academic year. “UNAMA welcomes the decision by Afghanistan’s de… Read More
Apple releases new app for sports, free for iPhone
February 22, 2024, 3:15 pm
ISTANBUL – US-based global tech firm Apple announced Wednesday it is releasing a new app for sports that would be free for all iPhone models running iOS 17.2 or later. Apple Sports delivers real-time scores, stats, and more, designed for speed and simplicity, the company said in a statement. The… Read More
Global debt climbs to record high of $313T in 2023
February 22, 2024, 2:59 pm
ISTANBUL – The amount of global debt climbed to a record high of USD313 trillion last year, according to a report by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) on Wednesday. "Over USD15 trillion was added to the global debt mountain last year, bringing the total to a new record high of USD313… Read More
Taiwan university develops new 'cheaper' tumor treatment for pets
February 22, 2024, 2:48 pm
ANKARA – A Taiwanese university claims to have developed a new medicine that could lower the cost of treating tumors in pets, local media reported on Wednesday. The medicine, named PCD-17, was developed by the National Chung Hsing University and can be given orally at home to pets diagnosed with… Read More
Google introduces new open-source AI models named Gemma
February 22, 2024, 1:42 pm
ISTANBUL – Google introduced its new generation of open-source artificial intelligence (AI) models on Wednesday, named Gemma, to help developers and researchers build AI responsibly. "Gemma is a family of lightweight, state-of-the-art open models built from the same research and technology used… Read More
Wikileaks founder Assange's extradition hearing ends, decision soon
February 22, 2024, 12:26 pm
LONDON – The last attempt by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to avoid extradition to the US ended its second day of hearings on Wednesday at the UK High Court in London. The verdict is expected to be delivered at a later time as justices will have to communicate with involved parties for… Read More
Gang behind ‘world’s biggest’ ransomware taken down: Europol
February 21, 2024, 2:30 pm
ROME – After a month-long operation, authorities from 10 countries disrupted the “world’s biggest” ransomware criminal operation behind LockBit, causing damages worth billions of dollars, Europol said Tuesday. In a statement, Europol said authorities took down LockBit’s 34 servers in the… Read More
Japan issues warning as Fukushima leak raises safety concerns
February 21, 2024, 2:06 pm
ISTANBUL – The Japanese government issued a stern warning Tuesday to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) after a leak of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to media reports. Economy, Trade, and Industry Minister Ken Saito stressed the… Read More
Haley vows to stay in Republican primary race as Trump takes lead
February 21, 2024, 1:42 pm
WASHINGTON – Former UN envoy Nikki Haley vowed Tuesday to remain in the US race for the Republican presidential nomination despite former President Donald Trump's commanding lead. Speculation had mounted that Haley would announce her exit from the White House during a news conference Tuesday,… Read More
57 dead in Papua New Guinea tribal fight
February 19, 2024, 6:26 pm
ISTANBUL – At least 57 people were killed in what appears to be a tribal fight in Papua New Guinea, police said on Monday. The deaths occurred after one of the tribes was ambushed by arms-wielding members of another group in the northernmost Enga province on the island nation’s highlands.… Read More
BTA opens Press Club at Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island
February 19, 2024, 2:49 pm
LIVINGSTON ISLAND – The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) opened a national press club at the Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island on Feb. 9. Attending the event were BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, Bulgarian Ambassador to Argentina Stoyan Mihaylov, the leader of the 32nd Bulgarian… Read More
UAE offers condolences to PH over landslide deaths
February 18, 2024, 12:37 pm
ABU DHABI – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with the Republic of the Philippines over victims of the landslide that took place in the south of the country, in the Province of Davao de Oro, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, as well as… Read More
Shed full light on Navalny death, says Meloni
February 18, 2024, 11:36 am
ROME – Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday called on Russia to shed full light on the death in prison of Putin's opposition leader Alexei Navalny. "The death of Alexei Navalny, during his detention, is another sad page that warns the international community," she said. "We express our heartfelt… Read More
G7 urges suspension of hostilities in Gaza for hostages, aid
February 18, 2024, 11:25 am
ROME – The G7 is calling for a suspension of fighting in Gaza to ensure both the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas and the provision of aid to Palestinian civilians, Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Antonio Tajani said on Saturday. In the Middle East, the G7 "aims to guarantee the… Read More
Florence mourns dead in building site collapse
February 18, 2024, 11:11 am
ROME – Florence paused on Saturday to mourn the victims of Friday's structural collapse at a supermarket building site that has left four construction workers confirmed dead and a fifth still missing feared dead and three more people injured. Mayor Dario Nardella led a minute's silence at 3 p.m.… Read More
Nike to cut 2% of global workforce amid restructuring
February 17, 2024, 4:47 pm
ISTANBUL – American athletic footwear and apparel corporation Nike will cut two percent of its global workforce amid a corporate restructuring plan. "We are not currently performing at our best, and I ultimately hold myself and my leadership team accountable," CEO John Donahoe said Thursday in a… Read More
Google unveils next-gen AI model called Gemini 1.5
February 17, 2024, 2:04 pm
ISTANBUL – Google introduced its new artificial intelligence (AI) model called Gemini 1.5, almost two months after its initial release. "The model delivers dramatically enhanced performance, with a breakthrough in long-context understanding across modalities," the company said in a blog post on… Read More
YouTube counts 2.7B active users as it turns 19
February 16, 2024, 2:41 pm
ISTANBUL – YouTube, the world’s biggest video-sharing platform with over two billion active users, turned 19 this month. Founded on Feb. 14, 2005 by three entrepreneurs, it was acquired by the technology giant Google for USD1.65 billion slightly over a year and a half after its inception.… Read More
Andrei Stenin international press photo contest now accepting entries
February 16, 2024, 3:10 am
MOSCOW – The 10th annual Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest, an annual competition in honor of Rossiya Segodnya international media group photojournalist Andrei Stenin, who was killed on duty in Donbas, Ukraine in 2014, is already open for entries. The contest is an annual… Read More
