• GM, 반도체 부족에 생산 차질

  미국 자동차회사 제너럴모터스(GM)가 반도체 부족 여파로 생산에 차질을 빚고 있다. GM은 1일(현지시간) 올해 2분기 반도체를 비롯한 특정 부품이 모자라 해당 부품만 빼고 만든 미완성 자동차 재고가 9만5천 대에 이른다고 밝혔다고 월스트리트저널(WSJ)과 AP통신 등이 전했다. 9만5천 대의 미완성차는 GM의 2분기 전체 판매량 58만2천 대의 16%에 해당한다. 산 차질은 GM의 2분기 실적에 상당한 타격을 줄 전망이다. GM이 이날 예상한 2분기 순이익은 16억∼19억달러로 금융정보업체 팩트셋이 집계한 시장 전망치 24억6천만달러를 크게 밑돌았다. 그러나 자동차 업계는 인플레이션 장기화와 경기침체 전망에도 소비자들의 신차 선호는 계속 강력할 것으로 보고 있어 완성차 업계의 수급불균형에 대한 고민은 깊어질 전망이다.

• Religious whipping marks Good Friday in the Philippines

  BULACAN: Catholic zealots in the Philippines whipped their backs bloody and raw on Good Friday, as the fervently religious country marked Easter with gruesome displays of faith. Scores of men — their faces covered — walked barefoot as they flogged themselves with bamboo whips under a blazing sun near the capital Manila, while others carried wooden crosses as they were beaten, in a ritual frowned upon by the Church, PH Iinquirer reported.Roy Balatbat, his skin still bearing fresh wounds from a public flailing on Thursday, walked for about a kilometer, striking himself and stopping to prostrate in prayer on the hot ground. “It’s punishing but if you have a wish, you will endure the pain,” Balatbat, 49, told AFP in Hagonoy municipality, Bulacan province. “I have been doing this for 30 years since I was a young man. My devotion is that I will only stop when I can’t do it anymore.” While most devotees in the mainly Catholic nation spend Good Friday at church or with family, others go to these extreme lengths to atone for sins or seek divine intervention.Before the grisly flogging begins, the men’s barebacks are deliberately punctured to make them bleed. Veterans of the gory spectacle display scars of previous whippings, while others endure the punishing act for the first time.

• 5% of Japan firms based overseas impacted by Ukraine crisis: poll

  [Blazing fire and black smoke rise from an oil storage facility in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 26, 2022, following missile strikes in the war against Russia. (Photo by=Kyodo)] TOKYO: Fifty-five percent of Japanese companies based overseas have had their business operations impacted, or foresee they will be impacted, by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a recent survey by a Japanese staffing firm showed, Kyodo reported.The online survey of 699 Japanese entities across 10 economies, conducted by Pasona Group Inc. in mid-March, found that firms based in France were by far the most affected with 92.3 percent responding they had been impacted in some way. As the only European country included in the survey, this was followed by Malaysia at 72.0 percent and Singapore at 66.7 percent. Of the 55 percent of the overseas-based firms, 43.2 percent said they already feel the effects of the conflict, while 22.7 percent said they expect to do so within a month and 26.8 percent within three months. The most cited impact among the 43.2 percent was soaring costs of raw materials including oil, chemicals and metals. This was followed by rising logistics costs and energy prices.The economies covered by the March 11 to 16 survey were the United States, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. The manufacturing sector made up the biggest group of companies at 43.6 percent, followed by trading houses at 20.7 percent and retailers and wholesalers at 9.9 percent.

• China reports highest COVID-19 new daily cases since Feb 2020

  [Police and security members in protective suits stand outside cordoned off food stores following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China March 29, 2022. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China on Sunday (Apr 3) reported a total of 13,287 new daily cases for Apr 2, the highest level since February 2020, with the majority in northeastern Jilin province and the financial hub of Shanghai which has virtually locked down the entire city. The country reported 1,506 confirmed coronavirus cases in the previous day, the national health authority said on Sunday, down from 2,129 a day earlier. But the number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, surged to 11,781 on Saturday compared with 7,869 a day earlier. Of the new confirmed cases, 1,455 were locally transmitted, with 956 detected from Jilin and 438 from Shanghai. Shanghai, home of 25 million people, will carry out city-wide antigen testing on Sunday and mass nucleic acid testing on Monday, a senior official from the Shanghai health authority said at a press conference on Sunday.Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday also urged Shanghai city to "make resolute and swift moves" to curb the pandemic. The city has been striving to stop the outbreak by imposing a two-stage lockdown, prompting manufacturers to halt operations and causing severe congestion at Shanghai port, the world's biggest container transporting hub.

• China to cut paper and wood tariffs from New Zealand from April 7

  [Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai, China October 19, 2020. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China will implement an upgrade to the free trade agreement between Beijing and Wellington to eliminate tariffs of 12 wood and paper products imported from New Zealand from Apr 7, the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday (Apr 3), Reuters reported.The move follows the deal signed by the two governments in January to upgrade their existing free trade pact, allowing 99 per cent of New Zealand's US$3 billion wood and paper trade to China to receive tariff-free access over a 10-year implementation period. Import tariffs for products such as toilet or facial tissue stock and paper used for writing will be reduced to 6.8 percent and 4.5 percent from April 7 from current rates of 7.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, and will be gradually cut over the next 10 years to reach zero."2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand and April 7th is the 14th anniversary of the signing of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," the finance ministry said in the statement. China has eliminated or reduced tariffs on 75 wood and paper tariff lines for New Zealand products since the existing FTA entered into force in 2008.

• Taliban bans drug cultivation, including lucrative opium

  [An Afghan man works on a poppy field in Jalalabad province April 17, 2014. (File photo by=REUTERS/ Parwiz )] KABUL: The Taliban announced on Sunday (Apr 3) a ban on the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer, Reuters reported."As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country," according to an order from the Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to the Sharia law," the order, announced at a news conference by the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, said. The order said the production, use or transportation of other narcotics was also banned. Drug control has been one major demand of the international community of the Islamist group, which took over the country in August and is seeking formal international recognition in order to wind back sanctions that are severely hampering banking, business and development.The Taliban banned poppy growing towards the end of their last rule in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash and later mostly changed their stance, according to experts.

• Religious whipping marks Good Friday in the Philippines

  BULACAN: Catholic zealots in the Philippines whipped their backs bloody and raw on Good Friday, as the fervently religious country marked Easter with gruesome displays of faith. Scores of men — their faces covered — walked barefoot as they flogged themselves with bamboo whips under a blazing sun near the capital Manila, while others carried wooden crosses as they were beaten, in a ritual frowned upon by the Church, PH Iinquirer reported.Roy Balatbat, his skin still bearing fresh wounds from a public flailing on Thursday, walked for about a kilometer, striking himself and stopping to prostrate in prayer on the hot ground. “It’s punishing but if you have a wish, you will endure the pain,” Balatbat, 49, told AFP in Hagonoy municipality, Bulacan province. “I have been doing this for 30 years since I was a young man. My devotion is that I will only stop when I can’t do it anymore.” While most devotees in the mainly Catholic nation spend Good Friday at church or with family, others go to these extreme lengths to atone for sins or seek divine intervention.Before the grisly flogging begins, the men’s barebacks are deliberately punctured to make them bleed. Veterans of the gory spectacle display scars of previous whippings, while others endure the punishing act for the first time.

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  2022-04-17

• 5% of Japan firms based overseas impacted by Ukraine crisis: poll

  [Blazing fire and black smoke rise from an oil storage facility in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 26, 2022, following missile strikes in the war against Russia. (Photo by=Kyodo)] TOKYO: Fifty-five percent of Japanese companies based overseas have had their business operations impacted, or foresee they will be impacted, by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a recent survey by a Japanese staffing firm showed, Kyodo reported.The online survey of 699 Japanese entities across 10 economies, conducted by Pasona Group Inc. in mid-March, found that firms based in France were by far the most affected with 92.3 percent responding they had been impacted in some way. As the only European country included in the survey, this was followed by Malaysia at 72.0 percent and Singapore at 66.7 percent. Of the 55 percent of the overseas-based firms, 43.2 percent said they already feel the effects of the conflict, while 22.7 percent said they expect to do so within a month and 26.8 percent within three months. The most cited impact among the 43.2 percent was soaring costs of raw materials including oil, chemicals and metals. This was followed by rising logistics costs and energy prices.The economies covered by the March 11 to 16 survey were the United States, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. The manufacturing sector made up the biggest group of companies at 43.6 percent, followed by trading houses at 20.7 percent and retailers and wholesalers at 9.9 percent.

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  2022-04-04

• China reports highest COVID-19 new daily cases since Feb 2020

  [Police and security members in protective suits stand outside cordoned off food stores following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China March 29, 2022. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China on Sunday (Apr 3) reported a total of 13,287 new daily cases for Apr 2, the highest level since February 2020, with the majority in northeastern Jilin province and the financial hub of Shanghai which has virtually locked down the entire city. The country reported 1,506 confirmed coronavirus cases in the previous day, the national health authority said on Sunday, down from 2,129 a day earlier. But the number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, surged to 11,781 on Saturday compared with 7,869 a day earlier. Of the new confirmed cases, 1,455 were locally transmitted, with 956 detected from Jilin and 438 from Shanghai. Shanghai, home of 25 million people, will carry out city-wide antigen testing on Sunday and mass nucleic acid testing on Monday, a senior official from the Shanghai health authority said at a press conference on Sunday.Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday also urged Shanghai city to "make resolute and swift moves" to curb the pandemic. The city has been striving to stop the outbreak by imposing a two-stage lockdown, prompting manufacturers to halt operations and causing severe congestion at Shanghai port, the world's biggest container transporting hub.

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  2022-04-04

• China to cut paper and wood tariffs from New Zealand from April 7

  [Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai, China October 19, 2020. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China will implement an upgrade to the free trade agreement between Beijing and Wellington to eliminate tariffs of 12 wood and paper products imported from New Zealand from Apr 7, the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday (Apr 3), Reuters reported.The move follows the deal signed by the two governments in January to upgrade their existing free trade pact, allowing 99 per cent of New Zealand's US$3 billion wood and paper trade to China to receive tariff-free access over a 10-year implementation period. Import tariffs for products such as toilet or facial tissue stock and paper used for writing will be reduced to 6.8 percent and 4.5 percent from April 7 from current rates of 7.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, and will be gradually cut over the next 10 years to reach zero."2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand and April 7th is the 14th anniversary of the signing of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," the finance ministry said in the statement. China has eliminated or reduced tariffs on 75 wood and paper tariff lines for New Zealand products since the existing FTA entered into force in 2008.

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  2022-04-04

• Taliban bans drug cultivation, including lucrative opium

  [An Afghan man works on a poppy field in Jalalabad province April 17, 2014. (File photo by=REUTERS/ Parwiz )] KABUL: The Taliban announced on Sunday (Apr 3) a ban on the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer, Reuters reported."As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country," according to an order from the Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to the Sharia law," the order, announced at a news conference by the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, said. The order said the production, use or transportation of other narcotics was also banned. Drug control has been one major demand of the international community of the Islamist group, which took over the country in August and is seeking formal international recognition in order to wind back sanctions that are severely hampering banking, business and development.The Taliban banned poppy growing towards the end of their last rule in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash and later mostly changed their stance, according to experts.

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  2022-04-04

• Pakistan heads for early election amid move to remove PM Imran Khan

  [Imran Khan, elected in July 2018 vowing to tackle corruption and fix the economy, remains popular with some voters, even though a lot of his public support has been lost as a result of rocketing inflation and ballooning foreign debt. (Photo by= Getty Images)] Pakistan's president has dissolved parliament - a step towards early elections - following an attempt to remove PM Imran Khan from office, BBC reported. It comes after parliament's deputy speaker refused to hold a vote of no-confidence the PM was expected to lose. Mr Khan claims the US is leading a conspiracy to remove him because of his criticism of US policy and other foreign policy decisions he has taken.Opposition politicians ridicule the allegation, and the US has denied it. Imran Khan visited Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin as Russia was launching the invasion of Ukraine, He has previously criticised America's "War on Terror". The BBC's Secunder Kermani says prime minister is widely regarded as having come to power with the help of Pakistan's army, but now observers say they have fallen out. In public, however, both the military and Mr Khan deny there has been any falling out. His political opponents seized the opportunity to demand the no-confidence vote after persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect to them.There have been only two previous instances in Pakistan's political history when sitting prime ministers faced a vote of no confidence, and both times Benazir Bhutto, in 1989, and Shaukat Aziz, in 2006, emerged unscathed.

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  2022-04-04

실시간 국제 기사

• Jeffrey Epstein's private islands put up for sale

  [The Wall Street Journal reported that the two islands could sell for about $125m, although some estimates place the value at closer to $86m. An aerial view of Jeffrey Epstein’s Island Little St. James. (Photo by= Reuters)] Private Caribbean islands owned by the deceased sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein are up for sale and could fetch up to $125m (£94.7m). A lawyer for Epstein's estate confirmed to the BBC that the two islands, Little St James and Great St James, have been listed. Lawyer Daniel Weiner said some proceeds from the sale will be used to settle outstanding lawsuits. Epstein died in jail in 2019, awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The financier bought the 90-acre Little St James, the more developed of the two, nearly 25 years ago for almost $8m (£6m). He then acquired the larger Great St James in 2016 for $22.5m and had drawn up plans to develop the 161-acre island by building homes, an amphitheater, and an underwater office and pool. The Wall Street Journal reported that the two islands could sell for about $125m, although some estimates place the value at closer to $86m. Epstein was accused by US Virgin Islands attorney general Denise George of sexually abusing girls as young as 12 years old on Little St James. Mr. Weiner, a partner at New York law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed, said the sale is taking place with the support of Ms. George and that the proceeds "will be used by the estate for the resolution of outstanding lawsuits and the regular costs of the estate's operations".

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  2022-03-25

• LGBT people in Iraq live in fear of lives - HRW

  [HRW called on the Iraqi government to take action to protect LGBT people. "Iraqi authorities should start by publicly condemning violence against LGBT people and safeguarding their right to access protection in their own country,"Ms Younes added. (Photo by= Getty Images)] Armed groups in Iraq, including the police and one of the country's most powerful militias, attack LGBT people with impunity, a new report says. Cases include abductions, torture, rape, and murder, with LGBT people living in fear of their lives, campaigners Human Rights Watch (HRW) and IraQueer found, BBC reported. HRW said the Iraqi government had failed to hold perpetrators accountable. Iraq's interior ministry has denied any such attacks by its security forces. The 86-page report includes interviews with 54 LGBT Iraqis carried out between June and November last year. Accounts paint a harrowing picture of life as an LGBT person in Iraq, where the community is disproportionately affected by laws against extra-marital sex and undefined "immodest acts" in public. Those interviewed described being arbitrarily arrested by security officials and subjected to physical and verbal abuse. They said that in detention they were denied food, water, and medical treatment, and not allowed to contact a lawyer or family members. Some said police forced them to sign statements saying they hadn’t been mistreated. HRW's LGBT rights researcher Rasha Younes said: "LGBT Iraqis live in constant fear of being hunted down and killed by armed groups with impunity, as well as arrest and violence by Iraqi police, making their lives unlivable. Both the interior ministry and an official described as a "mid-level commander" within the PM denied their forces involvement the AP reported.

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  2022-03-25

• Russian warship destroyed in occupied port of Berdyansk, says Ukraine

  [The Orsk unloading at the port a few days ago as seen on Russian TV. Ukrainian officials said the attack on the Orsk had further symbolic value, suggesting that it may have taken part in Russia's original capture of Crimea in 2014, pointing to medals apparently awarded to the ship's commander and a crewman. (Photo from The Sun)] A Russian landing ship has been destroyed and two other boats have been damaged in the occupied Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk, say, Ukrainian officials. The Ukrainian military posted footage early on Thursday and said the Orsk had been hit by its forces, BBC reported. Details of what caused the explosion and fire onboard the ship are unclear. Berdyansk, which is west of the besieged port of Mariupol, was seized four days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia says it has used the port as a base to ferry equipment for its troops. Russian army TV hailed the arrival of the Orsk in Berdyansk last week as an "epic event" as it was the first Russian warship to dock there. Drone footage filmed by Russian state TV reporter Murad Gazdiev showed an armored personnel carrier being offloaded from the Orsk in the port. The armored vehicles were to be used to reinforce Russian troops; the TV report added. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told Ukrainian TV that the military had hit a "huge target", capable of carrying 20 tanks, 45 armored vehicles, and 400 troops. Meanwhile, the BBC cannot independently verify the claim. Earlier this week Gazdiev, who works for Russia-backed media outlet RT, reported that Ukrainian missiles had repeatedly targeted Berdyansk port, and every missile had been intercepted by Russian anti-air defense.

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  2022-03-25

• Singapore, Malaysia agrees to work towards fully resuming air, land travel for vaccinated people: Ong Ye Kung

  [Malaysia is fully reopening its borders on Apr 1 as it begins to transition to a COVID-19 endemic phase. A bus carrying passengers crosses the Causeway linking Singapore and Malaysia on Nov 29, 2021. (Photo by=AFP/Vincent Thian)] SINGAPORE: Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to start working towards resuming full air and land travel for vaccinated people, said Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday (Mar 23).Mr. Ong is in Kuala Lumpur for a working visit at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Khairy Jamaluddin, CNA reported. "We had a fruitful and frank discussion. We agreed that Singapore and Malaysia enjoy excellent and longstanding bilateral relations, our peoples have many linkages and ties, but they were all disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mr Ong in a Facebook post. "We also agreed that the COVID-19 situation has stabilized and is improving in both countries, and we should now work towards the full resumption of air and land travel for vaccinated persons." Mr. Ong added that a full resumption of air and land travel for vaccinated people would help rebuild people-to-people connections that were disrupted by COVID-19. Singapore first launched land and air vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) with Malaysia in November last year, after nearly two years of being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the land VTL, travelers are able to commute between Singapore and Johor Bahru by taking designated bus services across the Causeway. After their meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Khairy tweeted: "Malaysia & Singapore reconnecting & Reopening Safely.

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  2022-03-25

• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on first visit to Afghanistan

  [Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his AFP interview in Paris. (Photo: AFP/Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt)] KABUL: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kabul on Thursday (Mar 24), a week before Beijing hosts a meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors to see how they can help the country following its takeover by the hardline Islamist group, AFP reported. "Chinese Foreign Minister arrives in Kabul for talks with Islamic Emirate leaders," tweeted Ahmad Yasir, a top Taliban government official. Yi arrived in Kabul from Islamabad where he attended a two-day meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). China shares a rugged 76km sliver of a border with Afghanistan, but Beijing has long feared its neighbor could become a staging point for minority Muslim Uyghur separatists from Xinjiang. Even before the Aug 15 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, Beijing sought to maintain ties with the group as US-led forces withdrew.

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  2022-03-25

• China plane crash: Human remains found amid wreckage

  [Recovery workers found the cockpit recorder and some human remains amid wet weather on Wednesday. (Photo by= CGTN/Reuters)] Recovery teams have found human remains at the crash site of the China Eastern jet which plunged into mountains this week, say state media. Authorities have yet to declare the number of victims, but there has been no sign so far that any of the 132 people on board had survived, BBC reported. Investigators still do not know why the plane suddenly entered a near-vertical dive in southern China on Monday. But the recovery of the intact cockpit voice recorder is hoped to yield clues. The black box was found damaged on the outside but its internal records appeared to be fine, officials said. It has been sent to Beijing for its data to be analyzed. Search teams found the first of the crucial black boxes in difficult circumstances on Wednesday. Heavy rains have flooded the steep and rugged landscape of the crash site in Wuzhou, making efforts harder for hundreds of rescuers and volunteers, who have so far also found scattered plane debris and the charred remains of personal belongings. Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping swiftly ordered a full-scale investigation into the tragedy, dispatching Vice Premier Liu He and hundreds of personnel to the rural hillside region in Guangxi province. But none of the knowledge released so far about the flight indicates any technical problems or anything amiss with environmental factors.

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  2022-03-25

• Japan to start preparations for administering 4th COVID vaccine shots

  [Japan will start preparations to administer fourth doses of coronavirus vaccines, a health ministry subcommittee agreed Thursday. (Photo by=KYODO)] TOKYO: Japan will start preparations for the administration of fourth shots of coronavirus vaccines, a health ministry subcommittee agreed Thursday, after the government said it would procure additional doses from two U.S. pharmaceutical companies, Kyodo reported. The details, including whether to actually administer the additional booster shots and who would be eligible, will be determined later. The agreement of the subcommittee members came after the government said it had agreed to procure a total of 145 million vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. to prepare for the rollout of fourth shots. The subcommittee also approved the administration of third shots of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to children aged between 12 and 17, with vaccinations expected to begin as early as next month. Fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines are recommended in Israel and Britain, with recipients limited to medical staff and individuals at high risk of developing severe symptoms. Meanwhile, vaccinations for the coronavirus are currently free under the government's immunization law, but some members said fourth shots should be handled differently due to their nature, appearing to suggest that they be administered for a fee. According to government data released Thursday, currently over 46 million people in Japan, or 37 percent of the country's population, have received their third vaccine dose.

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  2022-03-25

• Japan sees record 5,400 cannabis offenders in 2021

  [A record 5,482 people were involved in cannabis cases in Japan last year with abuse of the drug seen mostly among young people. (Photo by= METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT / VIA KYODO)] TOKYO: Japan’s police said Thursday that a record 5,482 people were involved in cannabis cases in Japan last year, up 448 from the previous year and rising for the eighth consecutive year, drug abuse cases mostly involve young people, Kyodo reported. Offenders aged in their 20s or below accounted for 70 percent of the total, with 2,823 individuals in their 20s and 994 aged under 20, according to the National Police Agency data. Among the cannabis offenders in their teens, 186 were high school students and eight were junior high school students, with the youngest individuals aged 14. The agency found that more than 70 percent believed the drug didn't pose any harm or was not that harmful. The agency said those in their 20s or below obtained information about where to get cannabis via the internet, in a survey of 829 drug offenders for all ages. Overall, 5.6 individuals per 100,000 people were involved in cannabis offenses last year, nearly doubling from 3.0 in 2017. Among all cannabis offenders investigated in the country, there were 4,537 cases of possession, 273 of supply, and 230 of cultivation. Additionally, the agency believes the rise in offenders is due to an increase in drug deals for-profit and the number of users.

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  2022-03-25

• WFP extends North Korea aid project until 2023

  [The WFP last distributed its remaining aid supplies in North Korea from January to March last year, assisting 566,886 people. (Photo from wfp website)] SEOUL: With strict border restrictions against the COVID-19 pandemic in place there, the World Food Program (WFP) has extended its aid program for North Korea by one year until the end of 2023, its website showed Thursday. Under the U.N. agency's revised Interim Country Strategic Plan for North Korea posted on its website, it will provide additional food aid worth US$32.56 million for 803,134 North Koreans through next year. The WFP had planned to offer $182.43 million worth of aid to 3.6 million people in the country for four years from 2019. "Since the border closure, WFP has not been able to import food or non-food items and has suspended operations," the document read. "This revision will ... allow time for WFP to resume operations and for assessments on the food security and nutrition situation to take place to inform WFP's next program in the country." The North has maintained strict border controls since early 2020, hampering efforts by international aid organizations to send humanitarian supplies to the impoverished country. The WFP last distributed its remaining aid supplies in North Korea from January to March last year, assisting 566,886 people.

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  2022-03-25

• Duterte’s wing in PDP-Laban backs Presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos

  [“(Marcos) is the candidate whose vision of governance is most aligned with PDP-Laban’s 11-point agenda,” the party said. (Photo from Yahoo)] MANILA: President Duterte’s faction in the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) yesterday endorsed the candidacy of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, PhilStar reported.The national executive committee, led by party president and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, issued a resolution expressing support for Marcos, saying he is the “candidate whose platform is most aligned with the development program of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.” (Marcos) is the candidate whose vision of governance is most aligned with PDP-Laban’s 11-point agenda,” the party said. Among those on the party’s agenda is the campaign against illegal drugs and corruption, ending the communist insurgency, the Build, Build, Build program, and improving the country’s health care and education systems. Cusi’s wing also cited the support of their local chapters for Marcos’ candidacy as the basis for their decision to endorse him.The resolution, however, did not carry the signature of President Duterte, who is expected to make his own endorsement of a presidential candidate. The party had endorsed the candidacy of Marcos’ running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in December last year.

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  2022-03-24