Foreign
S. Korea's online shopping surges in May
July 1, 2024, 12:11 pm
SEOUL – South Korea's online shopping rose in single digits in May due to solid demand for food, travel, car accessories and e-coupon services, statistical office data showed Monday. Shopping in cyberspace stood at 20.87 trillion won (USD 15.1 billion) in May, 7.7 percent up compared with the… Read More
Lebanon asks countries to show solidarity amid war threats from Israel
June 30, 2024, 12:22 pm
BEIRUT – Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib urged countries to show solidarity with Lebanon in the face of Israeli threats to launch a war. Bou Habib was commenting on countries that issued warnings in recent days to their nationals to leave or avoid travel to Lebanon amid tension with… Read More
Obama backs Biden after poor debate performance
June 29, 2024, 4:28 pm
WASHINGTON – Former US president Barack Obama on Friday backed President Joe Biden despite his poor performance during Thursday night's presidential debate against Donald Trump. "Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know," Obama said on X. In the first US presidential debate of 2024, Biden, who… Read More
China’s Xi reiterates call for ‘equal, orderly multipolar world’
June 29, 2024, 1:08 pm
ISTANBUL – China’s President Xi Jinping Friday reiterated his call for an “equal and orderly” multipolar world. “We need to uphold the principle of sovereign equality,” Xi told a conference in Beijing to mark 70 years of "five principles of peaceful coexistence." Emphasizing the… Read More
World 'failing' on gender equality as violence vs. women continues
June 29, 2024, 11:31 am
GENEVA – The UN human rights chief on Friday said the world is "failing to deliver on the promise of gender equality" as women and girls continue to live with threats, including economic violence. Volker Turk's remarks came in his opening speech at an annual full-day discussion on the human… Read More
LeBron-Bronny 1st father-son tandem in NBA
June 28, 2024, 8:32 pm
ANKARA – LeBron James' eldest son, Bronny James, 19, is in line to be the first player to team up with his father in the NBA, as he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers out of the University of Southern California as the No. 55 pick in 2024 NBA Draft on Friday. "In the history of the NBA,… Read More
292M people worldwide used drugs in 2022: UN report
June 28, 2024, 7:40 pm
ANKARA – As many as 292 million people worldwide were drug users in 2022, up 20 percent in the last 10 years, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Wednesday. In its World Drug Report 2024, which compiled data from 2022, the agency said it was believed that one out of every 18 people… Read More
7.2 magnitude quake rocks Peru’s Pacific Coast
June 28, 2024, 4:03 pm
ISTANBUL – A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the South Pacific Ocean, 91 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of San Juan de Marcona in Ica, Peru, early Friday morning, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The tremor occurred at 12:36 a.m. (local time) in the province of Nazca in the Ica region.… Read More
Philippines' tax cut ups opportunities for Vietnam rice exports
June 28, 2024, 3:58 pm
HANOI – The reduction of the rice import tax by the Philippines will create more advantages and increase opportunities for Vietnamese rice to enter the market later this year, insiders said. The Philippines, one of the world's largest rice buyers and biggest importers of the Vietnamese grain,… Read More
Extreme heat due to climate change affected 5 billion people in June
June 28, 2024, 1:39 pm
LONDON – Nearly five billion people suffered from extreme heat due to climate change from June 16 to June 24, according to Climate Central. Due to climate change caused by emissions from burning petrol, gas, and coal, 619 million people in India and 579 million people in China were exposed to… Read More
NASA taps SpaceX to safely bring International Space Station down
June 28, 2024, 1:35 pm
ISTANBUL – The National Aeronautics and Space Administraton (NASA) has awarded SpaceX a USD843 million contract to develop a spacecraft specifically designed to push the International Space Station (ISS) out of orbit when it reaches retirement around 2030, the agency announced Wednesday. "We… Read More
Biden, Trump set stakes for voters in first, chaotic pres'l debate
June 28, 2024, 1:16 pm
WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump sought to set the stakes for America's voters Thursday night as they sparred during their first presidential debate that repeatedly broke down into personal attacks and meandering, stream-of-consciousness diatribes. Biden… Read More
Initial jobless claims in US fall by 6,000
June 28, 2024, 1:08 pm
ISTANBUL – The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell 6,000 last week to 233,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The figure came in slightly lower than market estimates of 236,000. The previous week's reading was revised up by 1,000 from 238,000 to… Read More
US, Russia, Ireland latest to warn against travel to Lebanon
June 28, 2024, 1:05 pm
ANKARA – The United States, Russia, and Ireland were the latest countries to recommend against travel to Lebanon on Thursday amid fears of a possible war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. In a statement, the US Embassy in Beirut asked its nationals to strongly reconsider travel to… Read More
South Korea records its hottest June as temperature soars
June 28, 2024, 12:07 pm
ANKARA – South Korea is experiencing its hottest June as the East Asian nation recorded an average of 2.4 heat wave days from June 1 to 20. The previous record was set in 2018 when there was an average of 1.5 heat wave days but this year, the country recorded 33°C (91°F) or above temperatures… Read More
ASEAN vows to strengthen cooperation to tackle transnational crime
June 27, 2024, 6:21 pm
VIENTIANE – The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledged to toughen their stance against transnational crime, with closer cooperation being emphasized during the 24th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) in Vientiane, Laos. According to… Read More
UN Tourism welcomes UAE-based New Perspective Media as member
June 27, 2024, 6:15 pm
DUBAI, UAE – The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has welcomed New Perspective Media (NPM Group) to its expanding network of affiliate members alongside 38 other entities worldwide. The new members represent a diverse range of backgrounds, including for-profit companies,… Read More
Finland: 1st country to start bird flu vaccinations for humans
June 27, 2024, 5:46 pm
HELSINKI – Finland plans to offer preemptive bird flu vaccination as soon as next week to some workers with exposure to animals, health authorities said on Tuesday, making it the first country in the world to do so, according to Reuters. The Nordic country has bought vaccines for 10,000 people,… Read More
2 killed, 40 hurt as train derails in Russia
June 27, 2024, 5:19 pm
MOSCOW – Two people were killed and 40 others injured when a passenger train derailed in the Russian northern region of Komi, the Russian Railways company said on Thursday. Two bodies were found at the site of the derailment of the Vorkuta-Novorossiysk passenger train, the company said in a… Read More
Iran hopes cooperation with ASEAN could lead to int’l stability
June 27, 2024, 4:14 pm
TEHRAN – Iran’s ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi has expressed hope that the cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other countries will bring about international stability. Boroujerdi, who is Iran’s representative in the meeting of members of… Read More
