[Photo News] Palestinians pray on the holiest month of Muslim religion

Palestinians attend prayers on the 27th day of Ramadan at Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem. Ramadan is a sacred month of the year for Muslims, in which they fast every day of the month, from sunrise to sunset. It is a month of self-reflection, as well as practicing generosity and positivity.  The 27th day of Ramadan is called “Laylat al -Qader.” According to Muslim tradition, the Koran, Islam’s holy book, was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed during the night of Laylat al-Qad

April 30, 2022

Possible mass graves near Mariupol shown in satellite images

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine -- New satellite images show apparent mass graves near Mariupol, where local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians to conceal the slaughter taking place in the ruined port city that's almost entirely under Russian control. The images emerged just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol, despite the presence of an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters who were still holed up at a giant ste

April 22, 2022

[Newsmaker] 'I feel so lost': The elderly in Ukraine, left behind, mourn

MYKULYCHI, Ukraine (AP) -- This was not where Nadiya Trubchaninova thought she would find herself at 70 years old, hitchhiking daily from her village to the shattered Ukrainian town of Bucha, trying to bring her son's body home for burial. The questions wore her down, heavy like the winter coat and boots she still wears against the chill. Why had the 48-year-old Vadym gone to Bucha, where the Russians were so much harsher than the ones occupying their village? Who shot him as he drove on Yabluns

April 17, 2022

Russia renews strikes in Kyiv, hits other cities

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces accelerated scattered attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond Saturday in an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains under threat despite Moscow's pivot toward mounting a new offensive in the east. Stung by the loss of its Black Sea flagship and indignant over alleged Ukrainian aggression on Russian territory, Russia's military command had warned of renewed missile strikes on Ukraine's capital. Official

April 17, 2022

Ukraine girds for renewed Russian offensive on eastern front

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine was bracing to battle for control of its industrial east and appealing for more help from the West after Russian forces withdrew from the shattered outskirts of Kyiv to regroup. Authorities were urging people to immediately evacuate from the Donbas region before Russia intensifies its offensive. In Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged NATO to provide more weapons for his war-torn country to help prevent further atrocities like those reported in the ci

April 7, 2022

Killings of Ukrainian civilians could bring more sanctions

BUCHA -- Police and other investigators walked the silent streets of ruined towns around Ukraine's capital, documenting widespread killings of unarmed civilians and other alleged war crimes by Russian forces that could draw tougher Western sanctions as soon as Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has kept up demands for war-crimes trials for Russian troops and their leaders, while warning they were regrouping for fresh assaults on Ukraine's east and south. Overnight, Russian forces

April 6, 2022

[Newsmaker] In Bucha, Ukraine, burned, piled bodies among latest horrors

BUCHA -- One blackened body had arms raised in supplication, the face contorted in a horrible scream. The skull of another had a bullet hole in the left temple. The small blackened foot of a child could be seen in the tangle of charred bodies piled together in Bucha, the town outside of Kyiv where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces. The six burned and blackened corpses were just the latest gruesome scene to emerge from Bucha as world l

April 6, 2022

Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

PARIS (AFP) -- Scientists have discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time, warning that the ubiquitous particles could also be making their way into organs. The tiny pieces of mostly invisible plastic have already been found almost everywhere else on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains as well as in the air, soil and food chain. A Dutch study published in the Environment International journal on Thursday examined blood samples from 22 anonymous, healthy volu

March 27, 2022

Russia will only accept rubles for gas deliveries to Europe: Putin

MOSCOW (AFP) -- President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Russia will only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to "unfriendly countries", which include all EU members, after Moscow was hit by unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine. "I have decided to implement a set of measures to transfer payment for our gas supplies to unfriendly countries into Russian rubles," Putin said during a televised government meeting, ordering the changes to be implemented within a week.

March 23, 2022

Asia News Network to hold webinar on war in Ukraine

The world has changed overnight with the war in Ukraine. As European nations and the US are expected to make respective gigantic shifts in re-armaments and foreign policies –- Asian countries are on high alert to assess the situation and interpret what these mean to them. The Korea Herald has co-organized a webinar with some of the members of the Asia News Network on the topic of “Europe’s Geopolitical Seismic Shift: What does it mean for Asia?” The webinar will take pl

March 23, 2022

'I don't have a future, I just have right now': Ukranian refugees speak out

It was constant message alarms that woke 28-year-old Olha Rumiantseva in the early morning of February 24th, the day Russia launched its first attack on Ukraine. “I will never forget this day. At 5 a.m., my phone rang from my colleagues' chat saying that they just heard explosions. Then, in half an hour, we heard sirens across Kyiv. I instantly knew something was wrong. We took our bags and left our home.” now the Ukrainian refugee said. Olha crossed the border last February with he

March 21, 2022

Biden to ask Congress for $2.6B to promote gender equity

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will ask Congress for $2.6 billion for foreign aid programs that promote gender equality worldwide, more than double the size of last year's request. Biden announced his intentions on International Women's Day, which is set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. Biden created the first-ever White House Gender Policy Council on International Women's Day last year to help promote gender equi

March 8, 2022

UK to sanction Russian banks, individuals

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain is slapping sanctions on five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals over Russia's latest military moves on Ukraine. Johnson told lawmakers that sanctions would hit Rossiya Bank, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Bank. He said three Russian oligarchs with interests in energy and infrastructure -- Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg -- will have their assets frozen and be banned from traveling to the U.K. All

Feb. 22, 2022

Germany suspends Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Germany has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday, as the West started taking punitive measures against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. Scholz said his government made the decision in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine that he said marked a ``serious break of international law.'' ``Now it's up to the international commun

Feb. 22, 2022

Russia recognizes Ukraine-held areas as part of rebel areas

Russia announced Tuesday that its recognition of independence for areas in eastern Ukraine extends to territory currently held by Ukrainian forces _ further raising the stakes amid Western fears that Moscow a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine  is imminent. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has recognized the rebel regions' independence ``in borders that existed when they proclaimed'' their independence in 2014. Ukrainian forces later reclaimed control of large part of both r

Feb. 22, 2022

[Photo News] Mexican journalists protest to reject violence against the union

Members Members of the Mexican press union staged a demonstration against violence against their colleagues, in Merida, Mexico, Jan. 25.  Thousands of journalists from all the states of the country demonstrated to demand justice for the recent murders of informants and the end of the violence against the union. A protester holds a picture of Mexican journalist Lourdes Maldonado who was killed in the northern border city of Tijuana, outside the Secretariat of the Interior in Mexico City. A g

Feb. 1, 2022

[Photo News] A makeshift memorial for a shooting in the Harlem neighborhood

A makeshift memorial is seen outside the New York City Police Department‘s 32nd Precinct near the scene of a shooting that occurred days earlier in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, Jan. 24, 2022. Calvin Hunt of Harlem pays his respects at the memorial, holding a photo of officer Jason Rivera, who the memorial is dedicated to. Jason Rivera was shot while responding to a domestic violence call. The incident ultimately took the life of the 22-year-old officer. New York City Poli

Jan. 31, 2022

[Interactive] Americans reading fewer books than in previous years: Gallup poll

Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, according to a new Gallup poll released. That represents the lowest number of books read compared to any previous survey dating back to 1990, Gallup said. In three polls conducted between 2002 and 2016, Gallup surveys showed that Americans read an average of 15.2 books per year.The results are based on a Dec. 1-16 poll of a random sample of 811 adults living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The participants were aske

Jan. 28, 2022

[Interactive] Number of Americans who identify as Christian further declines: poll

The percentage of Americans who identify as Christian dropped 15 percentage points over the past 14 years, while those who consider themselves religiously unaffiliated increased by 14 percentage points, a Pew study released indicates.Pew's National Public Opinion Reference Survey found that the majority of Americans - 63 percent - consider themselves Christian, down from 78 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, 29 percent of adults list their religion as “none,” meaning they consider themsel

Jan. 28, 2022