Hamas releases more hostages, says it will seek to extend deal

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third exchange under a four-day truce that the US said it hoped would be extended. In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners. Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said

World NewsNov. 27, 2023

[Graphic News] Beer imports from China plunge 43% after worker urination video at Tsingtao

South Korea’s beer imports from China plunged more than 40 percent last month from a year earlier following the release of a viral video showing a man urinating into a tank at Tsingtao Brewery, the customs office said. The amount of beer imports from China fell 43 percent on-year to 2,281 metric tons in October, and the value of beer purchases from the neighboring country declined 38 percent to $1.93 million, according to the Korea Customs Service. The video released on Oct. 19 shows a uni

World BusinessNov. 27, 2023

China ministry seeks more fever clinics to combat respiratory illness surge

China's health ministry on Sunday urged local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics as the country grapples with a surge in respiratory illnesses in its first full winter since easing COVID-19 restrictions. The spike become a global issue last week when the World Health Organization asked China for more information, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children by the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases. China and the WHO have faced questions about the

World NewsNov. 26, 2023

Shoppers click 'buy' as retailers slash prices ahead of Cyber Monday

Holiday shoppers in the U.S. are seeking out the best deals and strategically nabbing the deepest discounts ahead of Cyber Monday, according to data from retailer websites aggregated by third parties. Cyber Monday, as the first Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday has become known as merchants step up online promotions, is set to be the biggest online shopping day of the year in the United States. Strong online traffic on Black Friday demonstrated a notable pattern of shoppers putting time and

World BusinessNov. 26, 2023

Hamas frees Israeli, Thai hostages in temporary truce

GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel on Sunday in the second release of hostages from Hamas captivity in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in a deal briefly endangered by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza. Although overcome by the mediation of Egypt and Qatar, the dispute that threatened the truce to free captives underscored the fragility of the pact meant to release 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant groups and 150 prisoners held in Isra

World NewsNov. 26, 2023

On Day One of Gaza cease-fire, Hamas and Israel carry out first swap of hostages and prisoners

Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages it held captive in Gaza for weeks, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison in the first stage of a swap under a four-day cease-fire that offered a small glimmer of relief to both sides. Israel -- wrenched by the abduction of nearly 240 people in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war -- cheered as 13 Israeli women and children emerged free from Gaza. Most were in their 70s or 80s, and the youngest was a 2-year-old. Also released were 10 pe

World NewsNov. 25, 2023

Voters offers clean slate in election to replace Netherlands' longest-serving leader

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- There's one thing that's certain for Dutch voters casting ballots Wednesday in a general election: Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister, is on the way out . All the rest is up in the air in a knife-edge vote. Rutte's replacement after 13 years in office could be the country’s first female premier or a social democrat who left his job as the European Union's climate czar to return to national politics. The next p

World NewsNov. 22, 2023

[Graphic News] Japan ranks last globally in employee well-being

Japan came in last in a global ranking of employee well-being, measured by assessing workers’ physical, mental, social and spiritual health, the results of a survey conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute showed. Employee well-being in Japan was at 25 percent in the poll of more than 30,000 workers across 30 countries, according to the study. Turkey ranked the highest at 78 percent, followed by India and China. South Korean employee well-being came in below the average at 48 percent to

World NewsNov. 22, 2023

[Graphic News] Hyundai stands as No. 2 EV player in US market

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group stands as the second-largest player in the US market for electric vehicles despite concerns surrounding Washington’s protectionism policy, data showed. Hyundai Motor took up 4.8 percent of the US EV market in the January-September period, with its smaller sister Kia accounting for 2.7 percent, according to US magazine Automotive News. Their combined market share came to 7.5 percent, taking up the second-largest slice of the US EV market following Tes

World BusinessNov. 21, 2023

At least 30 premature babies evacuated from Gaza's main hospital, health officials say

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) -- At least 30 premature babies were evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital on Sunday and will be transferred to facilities in Egypt, the territory’s Health Ministry said. Medhat Abbas, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the evacuation in a phone call with The Associated Press. A World Health Organization team that visited Shifa Hospital on Saturday said 32 babies were among scores of critically ill patients stranded at the hospital, where Israeli force

World NewsNov. 19, 2023

Trump vows to kill Asia trade deal being pursued by Biden if elected

Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, said on Saturday that he would kill off a Pacific trade pact being advanced by US President Joe Biden if he were to win the 2024 election and return to the White House. Speaking to supporters in Iowa, Trump said he was against the regional trade deal being negotiated by the Biden administration with 13 other countries, arguing that it would hollow out US manufacturing and trigger job losses. Talks on the trade sections of

World NewsNov. 19, 2023

OpenAI CEO's ouster was over "breakdown of communications," not "malfeasance" -memo

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's firing was over a "breakdown in communication between Sam and the board," and not "malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices," Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap wrote in an internal company memo Saturday morning, viewed by Reuters. The board of OpenAI, the company behind hit product ChatGPT, on Friday pushed out its high-profile CEO Altman, sending shock waves across the tech industry. Th

IndustryNov. 19, 2023

Biden says Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern Gaza and West Bank

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday the Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the Israel-Hamas war. "As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution," Biden said in an opinion article in the Washington Post. "There must be no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no

World NewsNov. 19, 2023

Patients and staff leave Gaza's biggest hospital, and dozens are killed at a crowded refugee camp

Hundreds of patients, medical staff and people displaced by Israel's war against Hamas left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, with one evacuee describing a panicked and chaotic scene as Israeli forces searched and face-scanned men among those leaving and took some away. Israel’s military has been searching Gaza City's Shifa Hospital for a Hamas command center that it alleges is located under the facility — a claim Hamas and hospital staff deny . The evacuation, which

World NewsNov. 19, 2023

China, Japan reaffirm 'strategic relationship' in rare leader talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said they would pursue mutually beneficial relations in their first face-to-face talks in a year, putting emphasis on shared economic interests amid a series of diplomatic disputes. The leaders of Asia's two largest economies discussed thorny issues such as China's ban on Japanese seafood and the case of a Japanese businessman detained in China on suspicion of espionage during hour-long talks at a hotel in San Fra

World NewsNov. 17, 2023

Biden, Xi's 'blunt' talks yield deals on military, fentanyl

WOODSIDE, California -- US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday to open a presidential hotline, resume military-to-military communications and work to curb fentanyl production, showing tangible progress in their first face-to-face talks in a year. Biden and Xi met for about four hours on the outskirts of San Francisco to discuss issues that have strained US-Chinese relations. They plan to resume military contacts that China severed after then-House of Representat

World NewsNov. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] Afghanistan opium poppy supply plummets 95% after Taliban ban: UN

Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world’s top supplier, has plummeted since the Taliban administration banned the cultivation of narcotics last year, a United Nations report said. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said opium cultivation fell throughout the country to just 10,800 hectares in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous year, slashing supply by 95 percent to 333 tons. This was putting pressure on farmers in the war-torn country, where most people depend on agri

World NewsNov. 16, 2023