Pope sends prayers to Moscow victims of 'cowardly' attack

Pope Francis on Sunday sent prayers to the victims of the concert hall attack in Moscow, calling the violence "inhuman acts" that offended God. "I assure my prayers for the victims of the cowardly terrorist attack carried out the other evening in Moscow," said the 87-year-old pope, following a Palm Sunday mass in Saint Peter's Square. "May the Lord welcome them in his peace and comfort their families, and convert the hearts of those... who organise and carry out the

March 24, 2024

Biden and Trump win Louisiana's presidential primary having already clinched nominations

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won Louisiana's primary on Saturday, collecting more delegates after they already clinched their party nominations. Biden also appeared in Missouri's Democratic primary, with results not expected to be reported until next week. None of the races were in suspense. Biden and Trump have already beaten their major competitors . But the primary races are still closely watched by insiders for turnout and signs of prot

March 24, 2024

Putin says gunmen who raided Moscow concert hall tried to escape to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement

The suburban Moscow music hall where gunmen opened fire on concertgoers was a blackened, smoldering ruin Saturday as the death toll in the attack surpassed 130 and Russian authorities arrested four suspects. President Vladimir Putin claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement in Friday's assault on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility. Putin did not mention IS in h

March 24, 2024

Two suspects in Moscow attack detained after car chase: lawmaker

Two people suspected of carrying out a deadly attack near Moscow on Friday have been detained in Russia's Bryansk region following a car chase, lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram on Saturday. Other suspects fled into a nearby forest on foot, Khinshtein said. Camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers near Moscow on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 145 in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

March 23, 2024

Russia says 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a large concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100 and setting fire to the venue in a brazen attack just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media. A US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US intell

March 23, 2024

Vietnamese president resigns amid major graft purge

Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong has resigned after just one year in the job, the ruling Communist Party announced Wednesday, as the country mounts a sweeping anti-graft purge. The party said Thuong was guilty of "violations and shortcomings" and his resignation was accepted by the central committee. The 53-year-old's dramatic fall comes as Vietnam undergoes major political upheaval, with his predecessor forced out in an anti-corruption drive that has seen several ministers

March 20, 2024

Planet 'on brink,' with new heat records likely in 2024: UN

GENEVA -- Global temperatures "smashed" heat records last year, as heat waves stalked oceans and glaciers suffered record ice loss, the United Nations said Tuesday -- warning 2024 was likely to be even hotter. The annual State of the Climate report by the UN weather and climate agency confirmed preliminary data showing that 2023 was by far the hottest year ever recorded. And last year capped off "the warmest 10-year period on record," the World Meteorological Organization sai

March 20, 2024

[Graphic News] History of moon landings

The successful landing of lunar probe Odysseus, developed by Houston, Texas-based private space company Intuitive Machines, on the moon on Feb. 22 has rekindled a race of space powers to explore the moon. With Odysseus’ successful landing, the United States began its Artemis program to reestablish a human presence on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Odysseus will collect data necessary to send astronauts to the region in the next few years. So far, the US, the former So

March 20, 2024

[Graphic News] Immigration is most important problem facing US: survey

Over a quarter of Americans - 28 percent - perceive immigration to be the most important problem facing the US, now surpassing the “government” as the most often cited problem. The figure marks the first time since 2019 that Americans consider immigration the country’s most important problem. More than half of the US adult respondents said “large numbers of immigrants entering the United States illegally” is a critical threat to US vital interests, the survey said

March 19, 2024

Putin wins election in landslide with no serious competition

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine. Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or in peace, for many more y

March 18, 2024

China says US TikTok vote follows 'logic of a bandit'

China blasted Washington's "bandit" mentality Thursday after the US House passed a bill that would ban TikTok unless it splits from its Chinese owner, and vowed to "take all necessary measures" to protect the interests of its companies overseas. The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance -- and alleged subservience to Beijing's ruling Communist Party -- has fuelled concern in Western capitals. On We

March 14, 2024

Biden is coming out in opposition to plans to sell US Steel to Japanese company

President Joe Biden is coming out in opposition to the planned sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan, saying in a statement to be released Thursday that the US needs to "maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steel workers.” In a statement obtained in advance by The Associated Press, Biden adds: “US Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically own

March 14, 2024

[Graphic News] Internet use common worldwide but not everyone is online

While internet use is nearly ubiquitous in many countries, not everyone is online. Divides still exist in technology usage between people in some advanced economies and those in some emerging economies, according to Pew Research Center data from 27 countries in 2022 and 2023. Smartphone ownership and social media use also vary around the world. While most adults in the countries surveyed own smartphones and use social media, there are still pockets where many do not. In addition, there are div

March 14, 2024

EU parliament adopts 'historic' rules on AI

STRASBOURG, France -- The European Parliament gave final approval on Wednesday to wide-ranging EU rules to govern artificial intelligence, including powerful systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Senior European Union officials say the rules, first proposed in 2021, will protect citizens from the possible risks of a technology developing at breakneck speed, while also fostering innovation on the continent. Brussels has sprinted to pass the new law since OpenAI's Microsoft-backed ChatGPT arriv

March 13, 2024

Denmark wants to conscript more people for military service - including women, for the first time

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark wants to increase the number of young people doing military service by extending conscription to women and increasing the time of service from 4 months to 11 months for both genders, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday. “We do not rearm because we want war. We are rearming because we want to avoid it,” Frederiksen told a press conference. She said the government wants ”full equality between the sexes.” Denmark curre

March 13, 2024

US House to vote on TikTok ban

WASHINGTON -- The US House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a bill that would force TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese owner or get banned in the United States. The legislation is the biggest threat yet to the video-sharing app, which has surged to huge popularity across the world all while causing intense nervousness amongst governments and security officials about its Chinese ownership and its potential subservience to the Communist Party in Beijing. The vote is likely to occur at 10

March 13, 2024

[Graphic News] NATO expands to 32 countries

NATO marked Sweden’s entry into the alliance Monday with a flag-raising ceremony in Brussels as the 32nd member two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under the alliance’s security umbrella. Hungary’s president signed in early March the law on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, a final technical step before the Nordic country becomes the alliance’s 32nd member. Hungary’s parliament ratified Sweden&

March 13, 2024

[Graphic News] 5,750 Russian nationals seek asylum in Korea

More than 5,000 Russian nationals submitted asylum applications in Korea in 2023, according to a government report. The Ministry of Justice said a total of 18,838 refugee applications were reported last year, a 63 percent increase from the previous year. Russians accounted for over 30 percent, followed by Kazakhstan nationals, Chinese, Malaysian and Indian nationals. The annual record for Russian nationals marks a fivefold surge from a year earlier, 1,038, and is tantamount to the aggregate nu

March 11, 2024

France inscribes the right to abortion in its constitution as world marks International Women's Day

France inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution Friday, a powerful message of support for women’s rights on International Women’s Day. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti used a 19th-century printing press to seal the amendment in France’s constitution at a special public ceremony. Applause filled the cobblestoned Place Vendome as France became the first country to explicitly guarantee abortion rights in its national charter. The measure was overwhelmingl

March 8, 2024

Biden rebukes Trump over NATO remarks, other issues in State of the Union address

US President Joe Biden launched a diatribe against former President Donald Trump over his stance on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, abortion rights, immigrants and other hot-button issues during the State of the Union address Thursday. Referring to Trump as "my predecessor," not by name, Biden used the bully pulpit to criticize Trump and highlight his economic and other achievements, as he is gearing up for an all-but-certain rematch with Trump, now the only key Republican pres

March 8, 2024