[Graphic News] Close to half of Americans favor TikTok ban: poll

Close to half of American adults support a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey that also asked questions about national security concerns and China. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance and used by tens of millions of Americans, has faced calls from US lawmakers for a nationwide ban over concerns about possible Chinese government influence. Some 47 percent of respondents to the two-day poll, which concluded on Aug. 15, said they at l

World NewsAug. 23, 2023

[Graphic News] Hyundai, Kia’s US market share stays above 10% in H1

The combined US market share of Hyundai Motor and its smaller affiliate Kia inched up in the first half of the year from a year earlier, managing to stay above the 10 percent range amid the recovery in demand and output, data showed. Their combined share came to 10.6 percent in the January-June period, up 0.3 percentage point from the previous year, according to the data by the US-based Automotive News outlet. Hyundai and Kia saw their combined market share rise to double digits for the first ti

World BusinessAug. 22, 2023

Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Netherlands after US approved sending Dutch F-16 jets to Ukraine

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday, two days after the country said the United States had given its approval for Dutch and Danish authorities to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine's air force. Zelenskyy is meeting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a military air base in the southern city of Eindhoven. The Ukrainian leader was in Sweden a day earlier. The U.S. approval Friday for the Netherlands and Denmark to d

World NewsAug. 20, 2023

Thousands flee raging wildfire, turning capital of Canada's Northwest Territories into ghost town

The capital of Canada's Northwest Territories was virtually deserted after nearly all the residents of the city of just over 20,000 fled as a huge wildfire burned nearby. To the south, in British Columbia, thousands more people were told to leave their homes while firefighters battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze. Officials in Northwest Territories said Friday evening that about 19,000 people had left Yellowknife in less than 48 hours, with about 15,000 driving out in convoys and 3,

World NewsAug. 19, 2023

Biden goes west for his second vacation of the month

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Nevada late Friday for more rest and relaxation. The first couple is renting a private home on Lake Tahoe, the massive alpine lake that abuts California and Nevada and is a tourist attraction, particularly in the winter for its ski resorts. The president flew there from Camp David, where he hosted a summit Friday with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. The home in the Glenbrook community belongs to Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor. Steyer is

World NewsAug. 19, 2023

Survivors of Maui fires face power cuts and poor cell service as teams work to find and ID the dead

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Survivors of deadly wildfires on Maui contended with intermittent power and unreliable cell service as they sought help rebuilding their lives. Teams of people, meanwhile, labored to find the dead and identify them. With the death toll already at 106 , a mobile morgue unit with additional coroners arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday to help with the grim task of sorting through remains. The governor warned that a new storm could complicate the search and recovery. A week after

World BusinessAug. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] About 7 in 10 US adults believe in angels: poll

About 7 in 10 US adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding,” said Jack Grogger, chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments. People turn to angels for comfort, he said. They are familiar, regularly showing up in pop c

World NewsAug. 15, 2023

Russia downs 20 drones over Crimea following a spate of attacks on Moscow

Russia thwarted an attack by 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday. Fourteen drones were shot down by Russian air defenses and a further six were jammed electronically, the ministry said in a Telegram post. No casualties or damage were reported. Kyiv officials neither confirmed nor denied Ukraine’s involvement in the attacks. As videos circulated on Russian social media Saturday appearing to show smoke rising above a bridg

World NewsAug. 13, 2023

'It's gone': stunned residents find nothing but ashes in Hawaii wildfire town

When Anthony La Puente made it back to the place he had called home for the last 16 years, there was almost nothing left. His house, like most in Lahaina, had been razed by the wildfire that swept through this slice of Hawaiian paradise. "The only thing I can say is that it hurts. It takes a toll on you emotionally," the 44-year old said "It sucks not being able to find the things you grew up with, or the things you remember." La Puente was one of dozens of people who were al

World NewsAug. 12, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] How to fix the jamboree fiasco?

South Korea has been upgraded from the poorest to one of the wealthiest countries by making remarkable progress over the past 60 years. The people of Korea are proud of these achievements. However, the pride has been brutally shattered in the wake of the 25th World Scout Jamboree. This is because the big event is attracting international attention and has been ruined due to a lack of preparation. Participants of the jamboree, which was held in Saemangeum, a large portion of reclaimed land in Bua

World NewsAug. 10, 2023

[Graphic News] Global smartphone sales down 11% on-year, with Samsung leading market: report

Global smartphone shipments fell 11 percent on-year in the second quarter, a report showed, as the market continued to face headwinds of slower consumer demand amid macroeconomic uncertainties. Market research firm Canalys said the continued market slump impacted market leaders, like Samsung Electronics and Apple, which had to reduce their sell-in, or shipments to retailers. Samsung led the market with a 21 percent market share, followed by Apple at 17 percent, Xiaomi at 13 percent and Oppo at 1

World BusinessAug. 8, 2023

[Graphic News] Most Asian Americans have unfavorable views of China, prefer Taiwan

A new poll conducted amid rising tensions between mainland China and Taiwan, as well as with the United States, has found that most Asian Americans view China unfavorably. The poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center, surveyed 7,006 Asian adults living in the US from July 2022 to January 2023. The poll found that 78 percent of Asian adults in the US view the nation unfavorably but just 20 percent view China favorably. Only 11 percent viewed the US unfavorably while the majority, 52 percent, vi

World NewsAug. 3, 2023

As the summer breezes fade, sweltering Europeans give air conditioning a skeptical embrace

MILAN -- During Europe's heat wave last month, Floriana Peroni’s vintage clothing store had to close for a week. A truck of rented generators blocked her door as they fed power to the central Roman neighborhood hit by a blackout as temperatures surged. The main culprit: air conditioning. The period -- in which temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius -- coincided with peak electricity use that came close to Italy’s all-time high, hitting a peak load of more than 59 gigawatts on Jul

World NewsAug. 2, 2023

Pope calls for 'courageous courses of peace' for Ukraine

Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Europe to find "courageous courses of peace" to end the war in Ukraine as he opened a five-day visit to Portugal for a major Catholic youth festival. The 86-year-old pontiff has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and has sought to play a mediating role, though his efforts have yet to yield results and he has faced criticism for failing to blame Russia for the war. "We are sailing amid storms on the ocean of history, and we sense the need for cou

World NewsAug. 2, 2023

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang removed from office: state media

BEIJING -- China's foreign minister Qin Gang was removed from office on Tuesday, state media reported, after not being seen in the public eye for a month. "China's top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as foreign minister... as it convened a session on Tuesday," state media outlet Xinhua said. "Qin Gang was removed from the post of foreign minister." The report did not give a reason for Qin's removal but said President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order

World NewsJuly 25, 2023

Algeria battles raging wildfires that have killed 34

ALGIERS -- Algerian firefighters were Tuesday battling blazes that have killed 34 people across the tinder-dry north, destroyed homes and coastal resorts and turned vast forest areas into blackened wastelands. Witnesses described fleeing walls of flames that raged "like a blowtorch," and TV footage showed charred cars, burnt-out shops and smouldering fields and scrubland as thousands of residents were evacuated. Severe fires raged through the mountain forests of the Kabylia region on t

World NewsJuly 25, 2023

Musk rebrands Twitter, replacing bird logo with X

SAN FRANCISCO -- Elon Musk killed off the Twitter logo on Monday, replacing the world-recognized blue bird with a white X as the tycoon accelerates his efforts to transform the floundering social media giant. The Twitter owner and the company's new chief executive Linda Yaccarino announced the rebranding Sunday, scrapping one of technology's most iconic logos in the latest shock move since the tycoon took over Twitter nine months ago. Musk said that under the site's new identity,

World BusinessJuly 25, 2023

China to review appointments, dismissals of officials at Tuesday meeting: state media

China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, a powerful body that enacts and amend laws when parliament is not in session, will review appointments and dismissals of officials at a meeting on Tuesday, state media reported. The announcement comes one month since Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang was last seen, with China's government saying he was off for unspecified health reasons. The NPC committee, which meets roughly every two months to deliberate legislation and pass

World NewsJuly 24, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 43rd most peaceful country in world

　South Korea has been ranked as 43rd most peaceful country in the world, while North Korea is positioned at the 149th spot out of the 163 surveyed countries. 　According to the 2023 Global Peace Index conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the top 10 most peaceful countries are predominantly in Europe and Asia. Iceland claimed the top spot, maintaining its position since 2008, followed by Denmark, Ireland and New Zealand. 　On the other hand, Afghanistan ranked the least peaceful c

World NewsJuly 21, 2023

[Graphic News] Record number of 40-year-old Americans have never married

The proportion of 40-year-olds in the US who are not married is at an all-time high, according to a survey. As of 2021, 25 percent of those aged 40 had never been married. This figure was a significant increase from 20 percent in 2010. The percentage of Americans at age 40 who have never married has increased steadily since 1980. Only 6 percent of 40-year-old Americans were unmarried at that time. Pew Research Center said people born after the 1960s are increasingly delaying marriage, and the pe

World NewsJuly 19, 2023