Yellen says it's 'critical' to maintain US-China ties after Biden's 'dictator' remarks

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday that it’s “critical” the US and China maintain a relationship so they can “work together” on global challenges, coming just after President Joe Biden’s remarks calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “dictator” drew condemnation from Beijing. Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Yellen said that “with respect to the comments, I think President Biden and I both believe it’s critical to main

World NewsJune 22, 2023

[Graphic News] Global airlines more than double 2023 profit outlook

  Global airlines more than doubled their 2023 industry profit forecast to $9.8 billion from $4.7 billion, spurred on by strong travel demand as the sector recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic years are behind us and borders are open as normal,” Director General Willie Walsh of the International Air Transport Association said. But profit margins, clocking in at 1.2 percent, were still too thin to ensure the industry’s long-term financial robustness, he added

World BusinessJune 22, 2023

Blinken says he urged China to encourage N. Korea to act responsibly

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on China to use its influence on Pyongyang to stop the reclusive country from making further provocations, he said Monday, amid anticipation that North Korea may soon launch a space rocket in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Blinken insisted China is in a "unique" position to encourage North Korea to act responsibly. "We also spoke about North Korea's increasingly reckless actions and rheto

World NewsJune 19, 2023

Four Palestinians killed as Israel deploys helicopters in West Bank

JENIN, Palestinian Territories -- Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank killed four Palestinians including a militant on Monday, in a raid that saw seven Israeli security personnel wounded and rare helicopter fire. The sound of gunfire was heard across Jenin as wounded Palestinians continued to arrived by ambulance to the northern West Bank city's Ibn Sina hospital into the early afternoon, an AFP journalist said. The Palestinian health ministry said four people had been killed and at le

World NewsJune 19, 2023

Europe is world's fastest warming continent: climate report

PARIS -- Europe should brace for more deadly heatwaves driven by climate change, said a sweeping report on Monday, noting the world's fastest-warming continent was some 2.3 degrees Celsius hotter last year than in pre-industrial times. Crop-withering drought, record sea-surface temperatures and unprecedented glacier melt are among the consequences laid out in a report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The continent, whi

World NewsJune 19, 2023

Chinese online shoppers are enticed by deep discounts, payment plans as zest for spending lags

HONG KONG — Chinese shoppers were treated to deep discounts, new products and payment plans as online merchants sought to revive their sluggish appetite for spending during China’s first major online shopping festival after the end of zero-COVID policies. For the first time, e-commerce retailer JD.com did not release the results of its 618 shopping festival, which ended Sunday, making it hard to know just how much was spent. A bigger shopping festival, Single's Day, held on Nov.

World NewsJune 19, 2023

US-China pledge to stabilize deteriorating ties, resume high-level talks after Blinken visit

BEIJING — The United States and China have pledged to stabilize their badly deteriorated ties during a critical visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi pronounced himself satisfied with progress made during talks in Beijing. But, Blinken told media, China refused to resume military to military communications, a US priority. It remains to be seen whether the two countries can resolve their most important disagreements, m

World NewsJune 19, 2023

Soccer project tracking social media abuse identifies 300 people from World Cup posts

A project using artificial intelligence to track social media abuse aimed at players at the 2022 World Cup identified more than 300 people whose details are being given to law enforcement, FIFA said Sunday. The people made “abusive, discriminatory, threatening posts or comments” on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, soccer’s governing body said in a report detailing efforts to protect players and officials during the tournament played in Qatar. The

World NewsJune 18, 2023

Militant attack kills 41 at Ugandan school

MPONDWE, Uganda -- Militants linked to the Islamic State group massacred at least 41 people, mostly students, in western Uganda, the country's deadliest such attack in over a decade, officials said Saturday. The military said it was pursuing the attackers from the Allied Democratic Forces, who also abducted six people during a raid on a school late Friday before fleeing back towards the Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials and witnesses said guns and knives were used in a grisly late-nig

World NewsJune 18, 2023

US, Japan, Philippines discuss S. China sea, North Korea

The national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday discussed regional security issues and ways to strengthen the trilateral alliance, they said in a joint statement. It was the first meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his counterparts, Akiba Takeo of Japan and Eduardo Ano of the Philippines. "The three (advisers) discussed a wide range of regional security challenges, including with respect to the South China Sea and

World NewsJune 16, 2023

[Graphic News] Canadian fires in context of century’s catastrophic wildfires

In the throes of Canada’s raging wildfires, a glance at this century’s major blazes paints a troubling picture of a globe marked by climate change. The 21st century has seen many of these destructive events, with Australia’s 2019-20 season and Russia’s 2021 wildfires scorching immense tracts of land. The fire seasons of 2009 and 2015, one in Australia and another in Russia, saw an alarming loss of life, unlike most other major fires. The current Canadian situation, althou

World NewsJune 14, 2023

Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-scarred ex-Italian leader, dies at 86, according to his TV network

MILAN — Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy's longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, died Monday, according to his television network. He was 86. Mediaset announced his death with a smiling photo of the man on its homepage and the headline: “Berlusconi is dead.” Berlusconi was admitted to the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan on Friday, his second recent hospitalization for treatm

World NewsJune 12, 2023

[Graphic News] Elon Musk again world’s richest man

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reclaimed the title of the world’s wealthiest person, surpassing LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault. Musk and the luxury tycoon have been neck-and-neck for the top spot this year in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a listing of the world’s 500 richest people. LVMH shares have tumbled about 10 percent since April, at one point wiping $11 billion from Arnault’s net worth in a single day. Musk’s rise in the position was due to the shares of Tesla

World BusinessJune 12, 2023

4 kids found alive after 40 days in Amazon

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Four Indigenous children survived an Amazon plane crash that killed three adults and then braved the jungle for 40 days before being found alive by Colombian soldiers, bringing a happy ending to a search-and-rescue saga that captivated a nation but also prompted questions about their extraordinary survival. Officials in the South American country announced their rescue Friday, following days of highs and lows as searchers frantically combed through the rainforest hunting for

World NewsJune 11, 2023

Man City beats Inter Milan 1-0 to win first Champions League title and complete 3-trophy sweep

ISTANBUL — Manchester City won the Champions League title for the first time by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday. Rodri struck in the 68th minute to see the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners complete a treble of trophies this season. "Today we made history," City captain Ilkay Gundogan said. "We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there but this team is built to handle the pressure in the b

SoccerJune 11, 2023

Trump blasts federal indictment as 'baseless' at first events since charges were unsealed

GREENSBORO -- Former President Donald Trump blasted his historic federal indictment as "ridiculous" and "baseless" Saturday during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed, painting the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage and project a sense of normalcy. Speaking at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump cast his indictment by the Department of Justice as a

World NewsJune 11, 2023

Trump indicted: What to know about the documents case and what's next

Donald Trump's indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate has brought renewed attention to one of the most notable cases in Justice Department history. The federal charges represent the biggest legal jeopardy so far for Trump, coming less than three months after he was charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Here's a look at the charges, the special counsel's investigation and how Trump's case differs from

World NewsJune 9, 2023

Former Wall Street exec named head of Turkey central bank

ISTANBUL (AFP) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed former Wall Street executive Hafize Gaye Erkan as central bank governor on Friday, signalling a possible shift from his unconventional policies to fight soaring inflation. Erkan -- a former chief executive of US real estate finance firm Greystone, co-CEO of First Republic Bank and managing director at Goldman Sachs -- will be the first woman to head the central bank. She takes over from Sahap Kavcioglu, who lowered rates even tho

World BusinessJune 9, 2023

[Graphic News] World’s major train collisions from 2013

At least 275 people were killed and hundreds more injured in a train collision in the city of Balasore, India, Friday. After two passenger trains collided, one struck a stationary freight train at full speed and derailed itself. This particular train crash is one of the worst train crashes in India in 20 years. According to India’s railways minister, the derailment was caused by an error in the train signaling system. Other deadly train collisions since 2013 include a crash in the Indian s

World NewsJune 6, 2023

Indonesia kicks off multilateral naval exercise amid Asia-Pacific tension

Indonesia on Monday launched a multilateral naval exercise in its waters, alongside navies from countries including the United States, Britain, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, amid simmering tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. Indonesia's navy said in a statement the routine Komodo drills were a "non-war" exercise that aims to "strengthen relationships between the navies" of 36 countries. The drills come as China and the United States ramp up military diplomacy in

World NewsJune 5, 2023