Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal

JERUSALEM -- Hopes rose Monday for a long sought-after cease-fire and hostage release deal after almost seven months of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Washington's top diplomat said he was "hopeful" Hamas would accept the offer, which his British counterpart said could see the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. After meeting in Cairo, the Hamas delegation left Egypt and returned to Qatar "to discuss the ideas and the proposal ... and we are keen to respond as qu

World NewsApril 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Samsung tops global smartphone market in Q1

Samsung Electronics has reclaimed the top spot in global smartphone sales, surpassing Apple. According to market research firm IDC, Samsung Electronics ranked first in market share (20.8 percent), with 60.1 million smartphones sold, in the first quarter of this year. Apple, which sold 50.1 million smartphones, retreated to second place in Q1 with 17.3 percent of the market share. Samsung’s sales fell by 0.7 percent compared to the first quarter of last year, but Apple sales showed a shar

World BusinessApril 30, 2024

Hamas reviewing Israeli proposal for cease-fire

CAIRO -- Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the monthslong war and stave off a planned Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya gave no details of Israel's offer, but said it was in response to a Hamas proposal two weeks ago. Negotiations earlier this month centered on a six-week cease-fire proposal and the release of 40 ci

World NewsApril 28, 2024

US probes whether Tesla Autopilot recall did enough to make sure drivers pay attention

The US government's auto safety agency is investigating whether last year's recall of Tesla's Autopilot driving system did enough to make sure drivers pay attention to the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Friday that Tesla has reported additional crashes involving Autopilot since the recall, raising concerns at the agency about the effectiveness of the remedy. The recall involved more than 2 million vehicles, nearly

World BusinessApril 26, 2024

EU toughens safety rules for online retailer Shein

The European Union on Friday added Chinese-founded online retailer Shein to its list of digital companies that are big enough to come under stricter safety curbs. The company joins Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and others on a list of "very large online platforms" which have more than 45 million monthly active users in the European Union. From the end of August -- four months after the designation -- Shein will have to abide by tougher rules set out in the Digital Services Act (DSA),

World BusinessApril 26, 2024

[Graphic News] Exports of cosmetic products hit record high in Q1

South Korea’s exports of cosmetic goods rose more than 20 percent on-year to reach an all-time high in the first quarter of 2024, amid the growing popularity of Korean culture, data showed. Outbound shipments of cosmetics totaled $2.3 billion during the January-March period, up 21.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service. It marked the highest level ever for any first-quarter figure. Overseas sales of South Korean cosmetic goods reached a yearly h

World NewsApril 26, 2024

Taiwan rattled by dozens of quakes, but no major damage

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's quake-hit county of Hualien was rattled by dozens of aftershocks late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but only minor was damage reported and no casualties. Largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3 which killed at least 14 people and there have been more than 1,000 aftershocks since. Buildings shook across large parts of northern, eastern and western Taiwan, including in the capital Taipei, swayed throughout the n

World NewsApril 23, 2024

[Graphic News] Hallyu boosting image of Korea: survey

Two-thirds of overseas residents reported a positive change in their perception of Korea thanks to Korean cultural content, a government report showed. The 2024 report issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliate, the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, showed that 66.1 percent of respondents who had engaged with Korean content, such as TV dramas and films, said it had a favorable impact on their perception of Korea. The report was based on an onli

World NewsApril 22, 2024

Foreign Ministry denounces heightening tensions in Middle East

The Foreign Ministry expressed concerns Saturday over the escalating tensions in the Middle East, calling on all stakeholders to refrain from actions that could worsen the crisis. The ministry also said it condemns actions that led to recent explosions in Iran. "We strongly denounce any move that escalates regional tension, including the explosion that occurred in Iran on Friday," it said in a released statement. The statement comes after Israel reportedly staged attacks against Iran t

World NewsApril 20, 2024

Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan

Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It remained unclear if the country was under attack. However, tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. One government official suggested sites may have been targeted by drones. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. IRNA said the defenses fi

World NewsApril 19, 2024

Flights divert around western Iran as explosions and loud noise reportedly heard near Isfahan

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Commercial flights began diverting their routes over western Iran without explanation early Friday as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic reported “explosions” heard over the city of Isfahan. State television acknowledged “loud noise.” The incident comes as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began d

World NewsApril 19, 2024

[Graphic News] French bulldog most popular breed in US, Maltese most popular in Korea

The French bulldog has been chosen as America’s most popular dog breed for the second year in a row, according to the data collected by the American Kennel Club. The Labrador retriever, which held the top place for 31 years before being dethroned by the French bulldog in 2022, came in at second place once again. The French bulldog has seen a rapid rise in popularity since 2015, when it first entered the top 10 list in 100 years. The top 5 dog breeds in 2023 remained the same as 2022 with

World NewsApril 19, 2024

Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth

PARIS -- Climate change caused by carbon dioxide emissions already in the atmosphere will shrink global gross domestic product in 2050 by about $38 trillion, or almost a fifth, no matter how aggressively humanity cuts carbon pollution, researchers said Wednesday. But slashing greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible remains crucial to avoid even more devastating economic impacts after midcentury, they reported in the journal Nature. Economic fallout from climate change, the study shows, c

World NewsApril 18, 2024

Fed: Elevated inflation will likely delay rate cuts this year

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned Tuesday that persistently elevated inflation will likely delay any Fed interest rate cuts until later this year, opening the door to a period of higher-for-longer rates. “Recent data have clearly not given us greater confidence" that inflation is coming fully under control and "instead indicate that it’s likely to take longer than expected to achieve that confidence,” Powell said during a panel discussion at the Wilson Cen

World BusinessApril 17, 2024

Despite weather glitch, the Paris Olympics flame is lit at the Greek cradle of ancient games

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece — Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled Tuesday at the site of the ancient games in southern Greece. Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when an actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver torch — after offering up a symbolic prayer to Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god. Instead, a backup flame was used that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the fina

World NewsApril 16, 2024

Meta 'supreme court' takes on cases of deepfake porn

SAN FRANCISCO -- Meta's oversight board said Tuesday it is scrutinizing the social media titan's deepfake porn policies, through the lens of two cases. The move by what is referred to as a Meta "supreme court" for content moderation disputes comes just months after the widespread sharing of lewd artificial intelligence-generated images of megastar Taylor Swift on X, formerly Twitter. The Meta board picked its two cases, regarding images shared on Instagram and Facebook, to &q

World NewsApril 16, 2024

[Graphic News] Samsung took top spot in US home appliance market last year: data

Samsung Electronics was the most popular home appliance brand in the United States last year in terms of market share, data showed. Samsung Electronics took up 21 percent of the home appliance market share in the US in terms of sales in 2023, followed by Korean rival LG Electronics at 19 percent, General Electric at 18 percent and Whirlpool at 15 percent, according to data from market researcher TraQline. A survey by also showed that Samsung was the most considered brand when consumers purchas

World BusinessApril 16, 2024

Guterres urges maximum restraint after Iranian assault on Israel

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday warned members not to further escalate tensions with reprisals against Iran, while the US warned the Security Council it would work to hold Tehran accountable at the UN. Guterres, speaking to a meeting of the UN Security Council, told member states that the UN charter bars the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state as he also condemned Iran's attack on Israel. Iran launched a swarm of

World NewsApril 15, 2024

US working to prevent escalation across Mideast

The United States on Sunday highlighted its role in helping Israel thwart Iran's aerial attack as President Joe Biden convened leaders of the Group of Seven countries in an effort to prevent a wider regional escalation and coordinate a global rebuke of Tehran. The US assisted Israel in shooting down dozens of drones and missiles fired by Iran on Saturday in what was the first time it had launched a direct military assault on Israel. Israeli authorities said 99% of the inbound weapons were s

World NewsApril 15, 2024

World reactions to Iran strikes on Israel

Countries around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East. Here are some of the main reactions so far: US - US President Joe Biden promised "ironclad" support for Israel after holding an urgent meeting with top security officials. "I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran's attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its

World NewsApril 14, 2024