US Fed keeps key lending rate unchanged for 4th straight time

The US Federal Reserve held its benchmark lending rate steady for a fourth consecutive time during a monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, amid expectations that it would start lowering rates later this year. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced its decision to keep the rate between 5.25 and 5.50 percent, as Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that a rate cut in March is "probably not the most likely case." The bank has maintained the rate at the

Feb. 1, 2024

'Expats,' starring Nicole Kidman, was filmed in Hong Kong, but you can't watch it there

HONG KONG — Nicole Kidman's latest project is set in Hong Kong, but people who live there are blocked from seeing it, prompting speculation about censorship in a city where civil liberties are shrinking fast . The first two episodes of “Expats,” a six-episode drama about expat women, were released on Amazon Prime on Jan. 26. But when viewers in Hong Kong try to watch it, they instead get a message saying that “this video is currently unavailable to watch in your loca

Jan. 30, 2024

X restores Taylor Swift searches after deepfake explicit images triggered temporary block

LONDON — Elon Musk's social media platform X has restored searches for Taylor Swift after temporarily blocking users from seeing some results as pornographic deepfake images of the singer circulated online. Searches for the singer's name on the site Tuesday turned up a list of tweets as normal. A day earlier, the same search resulted in an error message and a prompt for users to retry their search, which added, “Don’t fret — it’s not your fault.” U

Jan. 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Key dates for US presidential race

　Former US President Donald Trump easily won New Hampshire’s primary over former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, seizing the lead in the race for the Republican nomination. He also made a November rematch against President Joe Biden feel nearly inevitable. 　Out of the Republican candidates, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis suspended his campaign before the New Hampshire primary. Poor finishes in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses also ended the White House bids of biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy an

Jan. 30, 2024

Why are EU leaders struggling to unlock a 50-billion-euro support package for Ukraine?

Almost two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the war has ground to a virtual stalemate. Ukraine desperately needs support to keep its economy afloat, but political infighting in the European Union and the United States are depriving it of the financial lifeline it needs. As Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to oppose a 50 billion-euro ($54 billion) support package for Ukraine, other EU leaders are losing patience. Ahead of a crucial meeting for the future of the war-torn country

Jan. 29, 2024

More countries pause funds for UN Palestinian agency

LONDON -- Six European countries paused funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Saturday, following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency, a critical source of support for people in Gaza, after the allegations by Israel. "Palestinians in Gaza did not need this

Jan. 28, 2024

Trump stokes opposition to Biden border plan

Donald Trump on Saturday underlined his opposition to a bipartisan immigration plan that President Joe Biden has promised to use to "shut down" the border with Mexico if it becomes overwhelmed, while at the same time criticizing the Democrat for "open borders." With immigration one of the hottest electoral issues in what increasingly looks like a Trump-Biden rematch for the White House this year, the fate of the bill being negotiated by the Senate has become a high-stakes bat

Jan. 28, 2024

Yemen Houthi rebels fire missile at US warship

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile Friday at a United States warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to shoot down the projectile, and struck a British vessel as their aggressive attacks on maritime traffic continue. The attack on the US warship, the destroyer USS Carney, marked a further escalation in the biggest confrontation at sea the US Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades, as Houthi missile fire set another commercial vessel ablaze Friday night. Early Saturday l

Jan. 27, 2024

India, France agree on joint defence production

India and France have agreed to work together on the joint production of defence equipment including helicopters and submarines for the Indian armed forces and production for friendly countries, New Delhi said. The deal was reached during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended a state banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu, the government said in a statement late on Friday. Macron and Modi agreed to expand bilateral ties in defence pr

Jan. 27, 2024

Trump cruises in New Hampshire primary election

Former President Donald Trump easily won New Hampshire's primary on Tuesday, seizing command of the race for the Republican nomination and making a November rematch against President Joe Biden feel all the more inevitable. The result was a setback for former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who finished second despite investing significant time and financial resources in a state famous for its independent streak. She's the last major challenger after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ended his presi

Jan. 24, 2024

Americans cast ballots in Republican New Hampshire primary

American voters in the northeastern state of New Hampshire began to cast their ballots in the Republican Party's second presidential nomination contest on Tuesday, with former President Donald Trump angling for another decisive victory following his blowout win in the Iowa caucuses. The contest to select the Republican standard bearer for the Nov. 5 general election has effectively narrowed to a duel between Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dr

Jan. 24, 2024

[Graphic News] US suffered record number of billion-dollar climate disasters in 2023

The US endured a record number of 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, each causing $1 billion or more in damage and collectively killing at least 492 people. The disasters, which included major floods in California, the Northeast and Florida and wildfires in Hawaii, broke the previous mark of 22 such disasters set in 2020, the National Centers for Environmental Information reported. The number of deaths was the eighth-highest in records for the contiguous US going back to 1980. The disas

Jan. 24, 2024

Landslide in China buries 47 people in freezing temperatures and snow

BEIJING — A landslide buried 47 people in a remote village in mountainous southwestern China on Monday, state media said. Hours later, two survivors were rescued amid freezing temperatures and falling snow. The disaster struck just before 6 a.m. in the village of Liangshui in the northeastern part of Yunnan province. By evening, nine bodies were retrieved and about 500 people were evacuated from the area. Rescue crews continued to try and find victims who were buried in about 18 homes, t

Jan. 23, 2024

[Graphic News] War over Taiwan would cost world economy $10tr

　A war over Taiwan would have a cost so vast that even those unhappiest with the status quo have reason not to risk it. Bloomberg Economics estimates the price tag at around $10 trillion, equal to about 10 percent of the global gross domestic product. 　Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the semiconductor shortage as many countries reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns, provide a small glimpse of what would be at stake for the global economy. The impact of war in the Taiwan Strait would be far

Jan. 23, 2024

DeSantis ends campaign, endorses Trump over Haley

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his fading presidential campaign on Sunday and endorsed Donald Trump just two days before the pivotal New Hampshire primary, leaving former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as Trump's last long-shot challenger for the Republican nomination. DeSantis' decision, less than a week after his deflating loss to Trump in Iowa despite an enormous investment there, caps a stunning fall, after DeSantis had been seen as Republicans' most promising alternative to T

Jan. 22, 2024

Fire erupts at Russia's Novatek Baltic Sea terminal after suspected Ukrainian drone attack

A fire broke out at a Baltic Sea terminal belonging to Novatek, Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer, after a suspected Ukrainian drone attack, forcing the company to suspend some operations there. The Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, processes stable gas condensate into light and heavy naphtha, jet fuel, fuel oil and gasoil, according to Novatek's website. The port is used to ship processed products to interna

Jan. 21, 2024

[Graphic News] Seoul ranks as 14th top city destination in world

Seoul has become the 14th most visited city by foreign travelers in 2023, according to global market analyst firm, Euromonitor. It jumped 12 notches this year from 26th in 2022. Paris has once again been named the world’s most attractive city destination, followed by Dubai in second and Madrid in third. Tokyo came in fourth, while Amsterdam rounded up the top five, according to data. Seoul, ranked third in Asia after Tokyo and Singapore, is higher than competing Asian cities such as Osaka

Jan. 19, 2024

China's population falls for a 2nd straight year as births drop even after end of one-child policy

BEIJING -- China’s population fell by 2 million people in 2023 in its second straight annual decrease, as births dropped for the seventh straight year and deaths jumped following the end of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said Wednesday. The number of deaths rose by 690,000 to 11.1 million, more than double the previous year's increase. Demographers said the rise was driven by the aging of the population and the widespread COVID-19 outbreaks that started in December 2022 and con

Jan. 17, 2024

Korean Air plane bumps parked Cathay Pacific aircraft at a Japanese airport but no injuries reported

A Korean Air plane carrying 289 people hit a parked Cathay Pacific aircraft while taxiing to a runway at northern Japan's New Chitose Airport but caused no fire or injuries Tuesday, Japanese media reported. The incident happened only two weeks after a high profile collision between a Japan Airlines airliner and a coast guard plane on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Airline passengers had to make an emergency exit due to a fire and five of the six crew members on the smaller plane w

Jan. 16, 2024

Putin to meet N. Korean foreign minister later Tuesday: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Tuesday evening, the Kremlin said, amid the two nation's deepening military cooperation. Choe is currently visiting Russia for a three-day visit at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Choe and Lavrov are to meet at noon Tuesday before briefing Putin on the results of their bilateral talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. They will also update Putin on the progress of the agre

Jan. 16, 2024