China's Xi tells Trump he hopes for 'good start' to ties in new

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday he hopes for a "good start" to relations with the United States in a phone call with president-elect Donald Trump, state media reported. "We both attach great importance to mutual interaction (and) hope that China-US relations will have a good start in the new term of the US president", Xi said according to CCTV.

Jan. 18, 2025

Release of Gaza hostages expected to begin Sunday: Israel PM office

The release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel is expected to begin on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. "Subject to the approval of the cabinet and the government, and the implementation of the agreement, the release of the hostages can proceed according to the planned framework, with the hostages expected to be released as early as Sunday," the office said in a statement. During the initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire

Jan. 17, 2025

Israel set to approve Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal, Netanyahu's office says

The Israeli cabinet will meet to give final approval to a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release of hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. In Gaza itself, Israeli warplanes kept up intense strikes, and Palestinian authorities said late on Thursday that at least 86 people were killed in the day after the truce was unveiled. With longstanding divisions apparent among ministers, Israel delayed meetings expected on Thurs

Jan. 17, 2025

Israel, Hamas reach ceasefire deal to end 15 months of war in Gaza

Hamas and Israel reached a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza that mediators said would take effect on Sunday and include a release of hostages held there during 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the Palestinian enclave and inflamed the Middle East. The complex phased accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages taken by militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, would be freed in

Jan. 16, 2025

Russia, Iran to sign 'comprehensive strategic partnership' treaty on Jan 17: Kremlin

Russia and Iran will sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty on Friday during a visit to Russia by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said Monday. Raising concerns in the West, Moscow and Tehran have boosted their military and political cooperation amid Russia's full-scale military offensive on Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East. "On 17 January, Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, who will come to Rus

Jan. 13, 2025

[Graphic News] Seoul 6th in global city competitiveness in Japanese ranking

South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, has ranked sixth on the Global Power City Index, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The annual ranking, compiled by Japan’s Mori Memorial Foundation, evaluates 48 major global cities based on six categories: Economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and accessibility. The evaluation uses 26 criteria and 70 indicators to determine each city’s overall competitiveness. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon had initially aimed t

Jan. 13, 2025

Biden to deliver prime-time farewell to nation on Wednesday from Oval Office

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation Wednesday from the Oval Office, five days before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. The president's remarks at 8 p.m. Eastern are set to be his last significant opportunity to speak to Americans and the world before he leaves office at noon Jan. 20. They will follow a speech Monday at the State Department, where he will deliver an address focused on his foreign policy legacy. On Friday, speaking from the

Jan. 11, 2025

Trump gets no-penalty sentence in his hush money case, while calling it 'despicable'

NEW YORK (AP) -- President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment in his historic hush money case, a judgment that lets him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. With Trump appearing by video from his Florida estate, the sentence quietly capped an extraordinary case rife with moments unthinkable in the US only a few years ago. It was the first criminal prosecution and first conviction of a former US president and major presidential candi

Jan. 11, 2025

Biden cancels trip to Italy, meant as final foreign visit of presidency, as fires rage in California

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden canceled the final overseas trip of his presidency just hours before he was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican, choosing to remain in Washington to monitor the response to devastating fires raging in California . Biden was scheduled to leave Thursday, after eulogizing former President Jimmy Carter at a memorial service in Washington, for the three-day trip to meet with Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Jan. 9, 2025

[Graphic News] Average approval ratings of recent US presidents

The passing of former US President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29, at the age of 100, has sparked reflection on his legacy in diplomacy and humanitarian work. While widely celebrated for his efforts after leaving office, Carter’s presidency faced significant challenges, earning him an average approval rating of 45.5 percent. This ranks the second-lowest among post-World War II presidents, just above Harry Truman’s 45.4 percent. Donald Trump recorded the lowest first-term average at 41.1 percent. In sta

Jan. 7, 2025

Boeing still needs a culture change to put safety above profits, according to the head of the FAA

A year after a panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during flight, the nation’s top aviation regulator says the company needs "a fundamental cultural shift” to put safety and quality above profits. Mike Whitaker, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an online post Friday that his agency also has more work to do in its oversight of Boeing. Whitaker, who plans to step down in two weeks to let President-elect Donald Trump pick his own FAA administrator, looked back on his decision la

Jan. 3, 2025

At least 30 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as stalled ceasefire talks set to resume

At least 30 people, including children, were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes overnight and into Friday morning, said hospital staff, as air sirens sounded across Israel and stalled ceasefire talks were set to resume. Staff at the Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital said more than a dozen women and children were killed in strikes that hit various places in Central Gaza, including Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al Balah. Dozens of people were also killed across the enclave the previous day, bringing t

Jan. 3, 2025

Israeli airstrikes kill at least 37 across Gaza, medics say

CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli airstrikes killed at least 37 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 11 people in a tent encampment sheltering displaced families, medics said. They said the 11 included women and children in the Al-Mawasi district, which was designated as a humanitarian zone for civilians earlier in the war between Israel and Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group, now in its 15th month. The director general of Gaza's police department, Mahmoud Salah, and his aide, Hussa

Jan. 2, 2025

10 dead, 30 injured after car plows into a crowd in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS -- Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' famed Canal and Bourbon Street in the first hours of New Year's Day, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency. New Orleans police earlier said they were responding to a mass casualty incident, including fatalities. NOLA Ready advised people to stay away from the area. It said the injured had been taken to five local hospitals. The incident came toward the end of New Yea

Jan. 1, 2025

Former US President Jimmy Carter dies at 100

Former US President Jimmy Carter -- a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and statesman noted for his interest in peace efforts for the Korean Peninsula -- died at his home in Georgia on Sunday, the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization, said. He was 100. Surrounded by his family, the longest-lived president in US history passed away in the Peach State's countryside town of Plains, according to the center. He had reportedly suffered some health issues, including melanoma, and received hospice care. "My

Dec. 30, 2024