Blog with slideshow

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — The woman carries bananas, yams and vegetables in a knotted bag on her head as she wanders through a market in a suburban area of Jayapura in eastern Indonesia. Even in the Papua capital and bigger cities of the province, a noken bag where people carry their daily essentials is a common sight. The distinctive bag, handcrafted from natural fibers like tree bark or leaves, is […]

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s population fell last year for the third straight year, its government said Friday, pointing to further demographic challenges for the world’s second most populous nation, which is now facing both an aging population and an emerging shortage of working age people. China’s population stood at 1.408 billion at the end of 2024, a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year. The figures announced by […]

The Louisiana State Police for years have used excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits, a statewide pattern of misconduct that places the public at “serious risk of harm,” according to a scathing report released Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department. A broad civil rights inquiry, announced in 2022 following an Associated Press investigation, found troopers’ use of stun guns “particularly concerning,” and that troopers have used force on people […]

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to meet with Donald Trump in Florida on Friday, another friendly overture to the president-elect by a Democrat awaiting trial on federal corruption charges. The purpose of the talk is to “discuss New Yorkers’ priorities,” the mayor’s spokesperson, Fabien Levy, said in a short statement Thursday. “The mayor looks forward to having a productive conversation with the incoming president […]

By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Thursday said it has found China’s targeted dominance of the global shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors is “unreasonable” and is “actionable” under U.S. trade law. The findings of a USTR probe, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, did not include a specific recommendation of penalties against Beijing, leaving next steps up to President-elect Donald Trump, who […]

Sonia Citron put up 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals to propel No. 3 Notre Dame past No. 17 Georgia Tech 81-66 on Thursday in South Bend, Ind. Maddy Westbeld added 20 points to help the Fighting Irish (15-2, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) notch their 10th consecutive victory while Player of the Year candidate Hannah Hidalgo missed her second straight contest with an ankle sprain. Cassandre Prosper […]

Seoul (Reuters) – Investigators found bird feathers and blood in the two engines of the Boeing jet that crashed in South Korea on Dec. 29, a person familiar with the probe told Reuters on Friday. Jeju Air 7C2216, which departed from the Thai capital Bangkok for Muan county in southwestern South Korea, belly-landed and overshot the regional airport’s runway on Dec. 29, bursting into flames after hitting an embankment. A […]

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s economy ended 2024 on better footing than expected helped by a flurry of stimulus measures, although the threat of a new trade war with the United States and weak domestic demand could hurt confidence in a broader recovery this year. For the full-year 2024, the world’s second-largest economy grew 5.0%, meeting the government’s annual growth target of around 5%. Analysts had forecast 4.9% growth. The economy grew […]

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Boeing resumed testing for its long-delayed 777X widebody jet on Thursday, with the first flight since the U.S. planemaker grounded the test fleet in August due to the failure of a key engine mounting structure.  The grounding came just five weeks after it had started certification flights for the 777-9 with officials from the U.S. aviation regulator onboard.  Federal Aviation Administration staff were not on board for […]

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2024, achieving Beijing’s target of “around 5%” growth helped by strong exports and recent stimulus measures. In quarterly terms, the economy grew 5.4% in October-December, the government reported Friday. Exports accelerated as companies and consumers rushed to beat potential tariff hikes incoming President-elect Donald Trump may impose on Chinese goods. The world’s second largest economy has struggled […]