Passengers had seconds to react as turbulence hit Singapore flight

BANGKOK -- A Malaysian woman whose six relatives and a friend were injured on a Singapore Airlines flight hit by deadly turbulence this week said on Friday they had only seconds to react before the plane started to plunge. One passenger died and more than 100 were injured when the Boeing 777-300ER fell 1,800 meters in just a few minutes during the final hours of its journey from London to Singapore on Tuesday. Passengers and crew on the flight sustained skull, brain, and spine injuries as they w

May 24, 2024

[Graphic News] Before Raisi, other leaders killed in aviation disasters

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in a helicopter crash was announced Monday, is the latest major political leader to die in an aviation accident. Here are some of the most well-known incidents.

May 24, 2024

Chinese coal group cuts 2024 output forecast

BEIJING (Reuters) -- The deputy chairman of the China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association told a seminar on Wednesday that annual output growth would be in a range of -1 percent to 1 percent this year, having previously forecast expansion of 1 percent. China, the world's biggest coal producer, mined 4.66 billion metric tons of the fuel in 2023, up 2.9 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. CCTD deputy chairman Li Xuegang said it will be "extr

May 22, 2024

Unlike N. Korea and Iran, China is not sending arms to Russia: Blinken

The United States has not seen China sending actual weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine though North Korea and Iran have engaged in arms transactions with Moscow, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday. Blinken made the distinction, while reiterating concerns over China's "overwhelming" support for Russia's defense industrial base. He vowed to continue to sanction entities engaged in the transfers to Russia of "dual-use" it

May 22, 2024

One dead, 30 reported injured as Singapore Airlines flight hit by turbulence

BANGKOK -- A Singapore Airlines flight from London made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday due to severe turbulence, officials said, with one passenger on board dead and local media reporting multiple injuries. Singapore Airlines did not say at what point the injuries and death took place, but a passenger who spoke to Reuters said turbulence led to those not wearing seatbelts hitting overhead cabins. Thai media reports said there were 30 injuries, while Singapore Airlines did not specify

May 21, 2024

US voices condolences over death of Iranian president in helicopter crash

The United States expressed condolences Monday over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a recent helicopter crash, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin portrayed as "very unfortunate." Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the State Department, issued a condolence message after the helicopter carrying the president and Iran's top diplomat crashed into the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. The crash came amid tensions between the US and Iran in the midst of

May 21, 2024

ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu

JERUSALEM — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with their actions during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas. Karim Khan said that he believes Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders — Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — are responsible for war crimes and crimes agains

May 20, 2024

Iran mourns president Raisi's death in helicopter crash

TEHRAN -- Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after search and rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded mountain region, sparking mourning in the Islamic republic. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate authority in Iran, declared five days of mourning and assigned vice president Mohammad Mokhber, 68, to assume interim duties ahead of elections within 50 days. Earlier Monday, state TV announced that "the servant of the Iranian nat

May 20, 2024

Taiwan's new President Lai in his inauguration speech urges China to stop its military intimidation

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, said in his inauguration speech Monday that he wants peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats and intimidation of the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. “I hope that China will face the reality of (Taiwan)’s existence, respect the choices of the people of Taiwan, and in good faith, choose dialogue over confrontation,” Lai said after being sworn into office. Lai ple

May 20, 2024

Iranian President Raisi: Hard-liner on morality, protests, nuclear talks

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain in northern Iran on Sunday, became a contender to be Iran's next supreme leader with a clampdown on morality questions and a bloody crackdown on the nationwide protests it triggered. Raisi's victory in an election in 2021, after heavyweight conservative and moderate rivals were disqualified by a hard-line oversight body, brought all branches of power under the control of hard-liners loyal to Supreme Leader

May 20, 2024

Iran’s president found dead at helicopter crash site

  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63. The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missi

May 20, 2024

Search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter goes missing

TEHRAN -- Search and rescue teams were scouring a fog-shrouded mountain area of northwest Iran Monday after President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter went missing in what state media described as an accident. Fears grew for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the aircraft carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, reports said. After hours of searching, state TV reported early Monday that a Turkish

May 20, 2024

Heavy rains set off flash floods in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 47 people

More heavy rains in Afghanistan have triggered flash floods, raising the death toll to 47 in the country's north following weeks of devastating torrents that had already left hundreds dead and missing, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday. The new round of heavy rains and floods hit three districts in Faryab province Saturday night, destroying houses and farmlands, said Shamsuddin Mohammadi, the provincial director of information. Earlier reports from Faryab put the death toll at 18 but official

May 19, 2024

Putin concludes a trip to China by emphasizing its strategic and personal ties to Russia

BEIJING — Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded a two-day visit to China on Friday, emphasizing the countries’ burgeoning strategic ties as well as his own personal relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as they sought to present an alternative to US global influence. Putin praised the growth in bilateral trade while touring a China-Russia Expo in the northeastern city of Harbin. He met students at the Harbin Institute of Technology, known for its defense research and its

May 18, 2024

Israeli army finds bodies of 3 hostages in Gaza killed at Oct. 7 music festival

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Friday its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack, including German-Israeli Shani Louk. A photo of 22-year-old Louk's twisted body in the back of a pickup truck ricocheted around the world and brought to light the scale of the militants’ attack on communities in southern Israel. The military identified the other two bodies as those of a 28-year-old woman, Amit Buskila, and a 56-year

May 18, 2024

[Graphic News] UK tops global chart for child alcohol use

One in three 11-year-olds in England has tried alcohol (34 percent of girls, 35 percent of boys), according to a World Health Organization report, which warned it is a “serious public health threat” to the country. The organization examined data from 280,000 children aged 11, 13, and 15 from 44 countries, and the England topped the list of child alcohol use. Romania, Slovenia and Greece also placed high on the list. Even worse for the England, by the time children reach 13 years

May 16, 2024

Singapore inaugurates new PM as Lee makes way after 20 years in charge

SINGAPORE -- Singapore was to inaugurate Lawrence Wong on Wednesday as its new prime minister and fourth leader since independence six decades ago, completing a carefully calibrated power transfer designed to guarantee continuity in the wealthy city-state. Wong, 51, comes from among a crop of so-called "4G" leaders, a new generation of politicians hand-picked by the long-ruling People's Action Party to take over the reins of the key Asian trade and financial center. Wong will retain hi

May 15, 2024

OpenAI gives ChatGPT new powers to see, hear

SAN FRANCISCO -- OpenAI on Monday released a higher performing and even more human-like version of the artificial intelligence technology that underpins its popular generative tool ChatGPT, making it free to all users. The update to OpenAI's flagship product landed a day before Google is expected to make its own announcements about Gemini, the search engine giant's own AI tool that competes with ChatGPT head-on. "We're very, very excited to bring GPT-4o to all of our free use

May 14, 2024

Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday, as villagers buried their dead and aid agencies warned of widening havoc. Thousands of homes were damaged and livestock wiped out, the Taliban-run refugee ministry said, while aid groups warned of damage to health care facilities and vital infrastructure, such as water supply, with streets left coated in mud. In the Nahrin district of B

May 12, 2024

Pentagon refuses to comment on whether Korea should offer lethal arms support to Ukraine

A Pentagon spokesperson refused Thursday to comment on whether the United States wants Seoul to provide lethal arms support to Ukraine, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed his administration's policy against any provision of offensive weapons to the war-torn country. Seoul has maintained a stance to offer humanitarian and non-lethal defense assistance to Ukraine, such as protective suits, demining equipment and other military supplies, though pressure has continued for arm

May 10, 2024