Author: Reporter

In its first direct criticism of the Trump administration, North Korea lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling it a “rogue” state and warned that such “coarse and nonsensical remarks” will never contribute to U.S. interests. The statement is the latest in a series of North Korean signals that it is not interested in resuming diplomacy with the United States anytime soon, though Trump has said he will reach out to its leader Kim Jong Un. Many experts say that Kim, preoccupied with his deployment of troops to Russia, is likely concentrating on developments in...

The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad government were located in January by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass graves unearthed since the fall of the Assad government in December. The remains, which are believed to include men, women and children, showed evidence of gunshot wounds and burning. Members of Syria’s White Helmets, a volunteer civil defense group, exhumed the fragmented, weathered skeletal remains from the basement of two properties in the town of Sbeneh, southwest of the capital. Wearing...

South Koreans are repurposing flower wreaths and K-pop light sticks as political protest tools amid the nation’s deepest political crisis in decades, sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration in December. Hundreds of wreaths, predominantly directed at Yoon himself, have been sent to his residence and government buildings connected to the impeachment proceedings. Some have targeted other officials involved in the martial law controversy. Local media estimate the number of wreaths delivered to government offices as several thousand. While many wreaths carry moderate messages supporting Yoon or opposing impeachment, several contain extreme rhetoric directed at recipients....

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has become the country’s first leader to be indicted, less than two weeks after he was the first to be detained. The impeached, jailed president, who had been holed up in his presidential compound for weeks after issuing a shocking martial law decree in December, faces rebellion charges that are punishable by the death penalty or life in prison. It is part of a tortuous saga that has plunged South Korea into political turmoil and further split an already divided society. And it is not the only legal headache Yoon faces. A separate...

Polio was eliminated from most parts of the world as part of a decades-long effort by the World Health Organization and partners to wipe out the disease. But polio is one of the world’s most infectious diseases and is still spreading in a small number of countries. The WHO and its partners want to eradicate polio in the next few years. Until it is gone from the planet, the virus will continue to trigger outbreaks anywhere children are not fully vaccinated. The recent polio infection in an unvaccinated baby in Gaza is the first time the disease has been...

In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans were a lifeline for small businesses. But now some small businesses are having trouble paying them off. And a Small Business Credit Survey report from the 12 Federal Reserve banks shows that small businesses that haven’t paid off COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans are in worse shape than other small businesses. Dwayne Thomas, owner of events lighting company Greenlight Creative in Portland, Oregon, got a roughly $500,000 EIDL loan in 2020, when all events shut down, crippling his businesses. EIDL loans were designed to help small businesses stay afloat during...