China lodges serious representations with S. Korea over joint statement with US

China expressed "strong dissatisfaction" to South Korea over its joint statement with the United States about the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a foreign ministry statement said on Friday. Department of Asian Affairs Director-General Liu Jinsong met with South Korean Embassy Minister Kang Sang-wook on Thursday evening to emphasise China's stance on Taiwan and urged South Korea to strictly adhere to the "One-China" principle, the ministry said. South

April 28, 2023

Zelenskyy says held 'meaningful' talks with China's Xi

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a "long and meaningful" phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday -- the first between the two leaders since the start of Russia's invasion. "I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping," Zelenskyy said on Twitter. "I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of

April 26, 2023

[Graphic News] India’s population to overtake China

India is poised to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation, with almost 3 million more people than its neighbor by the middle of this year, data released by the United Nations showed. India’s population by mid-year is estimated at 1.4286 billion, against 1.4257 billion for China - 2.9 million fewer - in the United Nations Population Fund’s “State of World Population Report” for this year. The United States is a distant third, with an estimated population

April 25, 2023

[Ana Palacio] Urgent for US to restore its position in Middle East

Perhaps no image better captures the shifting dynamics in the Middle East than that of Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s security council, and Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban, Saudi Arabia’s minister of state, shaking hands in Beijing, with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, smiling between them. The officials were celebrating a China-mediated deal restoring diplomatic ties between the two rivals. In the process, China solidified its reputation as a global powerbroker and under

April 24, 2023

[Graphic News] Over 400 human rights activists murdered in 2022

A total of 401 human rights activists were killed in 2022, and about half of the killings took place in Colombia, according to the Guardian. The UK daily quoted Front Line Defenders, a human rights group, and said Colombia’s 186 killings were followed by Ukraine (50), Mexico (45), Brazil (26) and Honduras (17) in that order. The figure of 401 deaths across 26 countries in 2022 was a jump from 358 deaths in 30 countries the previous year. Colombia saw more than three times the number of suc

April 19, 2023

Shooting at Alabama birthday party kills 4 people, wounds 28

DADEVILLE, Alabama -- Alabama law enforcement officers Sunday were imploring people to come forward with information about a shooting that killed four people and injured 28 others during a teenager’s birthday party. Among those killed was a high school senior who planned to play college football and was celebrating his sister’s 16th birthday. The shooting erupted Saturday night at a dance studio in downtown Dadeville. During two news conferences Sunday, Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the A

April 17, 2023

[Graphic News] Russia’s murder rate rises for first time in 20 years

　The rates of murder and attempted murder in Russia increased last year for the first time in 20 years in what some analysts suggest is a knock-on effect of the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant. 　The number of murders and attempted murder cases in Russia in 2022 was 7,628, up 4 percent from 7,332 in the previous year. 　The data showed a significant rise in murder rates in the Russian regions that border Ukraine. 　The number of c

April 13, 2023

[Graphic News] Nearly 70% of Americans are ‘afraid’ of self-driving cars: survey

Despite recent advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, Americans are growing increasingly wary of the safety of self-driving cars. AAA released the results of its annual automated vehicle survey, finding that nearly 70 percent of respondents were afraid of self-driving cars, while less than 10 percent fully trusted them. These numbers represent a significant shift from last year’s survey results, with the number of respondents fearful of self-driving cars spiking by 13 percentage po

April 12, 2023

[Graphic News] Americans divided over criminal charges against Trump

The prosecution of former President Donald Trump has evenly divided Americans but appears to have boosted his chances of winning the Republican nomination for the 2024 election, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll was conducted between April 5-6, following the indictment of Trump by prosecutors in New York City on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The survey found that 49 percent of all Americans think it was right for prosecutors to pursue the indictment, the first

April 11, 2023

[Graphic News] Lahore is most polluted city, Chad worst among countries: survey

Lahore in Pakistan jumped more than 10 places to become the city with the worst air quality in the world in 2022, according to an annual global survey by a Swiss air purifier manufacturer. The report published by IQAir also said that Chad in central Africa had replaced Bangladesh as the country with the most polluted air last year. IQAir measures air quality levels based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5. Its annual survey is widely cited by researchers and

April 10, 2023

[Graphic News] French bulldog is favorite dog breed in US

The American Kennel Club said registration data from 2022 revealed French bulldogs are now the most popular variety of purebred dogs in the US, ending the Labrador retriever’s 31-year reign. The AKC said Labrador retrievers have topped its yearly list of the most popular dog breeds in the United States for 31 consecutive years, but French bulldogs clinched the top spot for the first time. French bulldogs were the second most popular breed in 2021, and Labrador retrievers were booted down t

March 31, 2023

[Graphic News] Major school shootings in US

A 28-year-old woman shot dead three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, before police killed her. The incident is one of the latest mass shootings at US schools. In January, a first grader shot and killed his teacher in Virginia, and on March 22, two school administrators were shot dead during a Denver high school shooting.

March 30, 2023

Montenegro charges crypto fugitive Do Kwon with forgery

PODGORICA -- Prosecutors in Montenegro on Friday charged fugitive cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon with forgery and South Korean officials vowed to press for his extradition. The Terraform founder is accused of fraud over his company’s dramatic collapse last year, which wiped out about $40 billion of investors’ money and shook global crypto markets. Kwon, whose full name is Kwon Do-hyung, was arrested with a companion on Thursday at the airport in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica

March 25, 2023

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, prophet of the rise of the PC, dies at 94

SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel Corp co-founder Gordon Moore, a pioneer in the semiconductor industry whose "Moore's Law" predicted a steady rise in computing power for decades, died Friday at the age of 94, the company announced. Intel and Moore's family philanthropic foundation said he died surrounded by family at his home in Hawaii. Co-launching Intel in 1968, Moore was the rolled-up-sleeves engineer within a triumvirate of technology luminaries that eventually put "Intel Insi

March 25, 2023

[Graphic News] List of world leaders who have visited Ukraine

　Japan’s Fumio Kishida met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on March 21 during a rare, unannounced visit by the Japanese leader that underscored Tokyo’s emphatic support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. 　The Japanese prime minister had been the only leader of the Group of Seven rich nations yet to visit Ukraine, which has seen an outpouring of popular support in Japan following the Russian invasion. 　On Feb. 20, US President Joe Biden also swept unann

March 24, 2023

[Graphic News] Hate crimes in US surged 11.6% in 2021, fueled by racial, ethnic bias

Hate crimes in the United States surged 11.6 percent in 2021, with the largest number motivated by bias against Black people, followed by crimes targeting victims for ethnicity, sexuality and religion, the FBI said in a report. The FBI said reported hate crime incidents rose to 9,065 in 2021 from 8,120 in 2020. The bureau said 64.5 percent of hate crime victims in 2021 were targeted because of their race, ethnicity or ancestry bias, while 15.9 percent were targeted because of sexual-orientation

March 22, 2023

‘I’M BACK!’: Trump returns to Facebook after reinstatement

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has returned to Facebook after a more than two-year ban. “I’M BACK!” Trump posted on the site weeks after his personal account was reactivated. Trump, who is running his third campaign for the White House, also shared an old video clip in which he said: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business.” He posted the same clip on YouTube, which announced Friday that it, too, was welcoming him back. Facebook parent Met

March 18, 2023

International court issues war crimes warrant for Putin

THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The ICC said in a statement that Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (c

March 18, 2023

Lance Reddick, ‘The Wire’ and ‘John Wick’ star, dies at 60

Lance Reddick, a character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including “The Wire,” “Fringe” and the “John Wick” franchise, has died. He was 60. Reddick died “suddenly” Friday morning, his publicist Mia Hansen said in a statement, attributing his death to natural causes. No further details were provided. Wendell Pierce, Reddick’s co-star on “The Wire” paid tribute on Twitt

March 18, 2023

[Graphic News] Major rail accidents since 2013

At least 57 people were killed after a collision between two trains caused a derailment near the Greek city of Larissa on Feb. 28. The passenger train, carrying more than 350 people, had been traveling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki. A stationmaster was charged with negligent homicide and jailed pending trial, while the prime minister apologized for any responsibility Greece's government may bear for the tragedy. Here are the world's worst train disasters:

March 8, 2023