Opinion: Boeing's Starliner launch – delayed again – will be an important milestone for commercial spaceflight

SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - Already years late, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft continues to face delays as it prepares to launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams into space. The latest delay came as a problem with its ride to orbit, an Atlas V rocket, caused the first launch attempt late on May 6, 2024, to be scrubbed. When it does launch from the Kennedy Space Center, no earlier than May 17, this last crucial test for Starliner will try out the new spacecraft an

May 9, 2024

Opinion: War games risk stirring up troubled waters as Philippines − emboldened by US − squares up to Beijing at sea

SEOUL, May 08 (AJU PRESS) - U.S. Marines joined Filipino counterparts on May 5, 2024, for a mock battle at a telling location: a small, remote territory just 100 miles off the southern tip of the contested island of Taiwan. The combat drill is part of the weekslong Exercise Balikatan that has brought together naval, air and ground forces of the Philippines and the United States, with Australia and France also joining some maneuvers. With a planned "maritime strike" on

May 8, 2024

Opinion: What a second Trump presidency might mean for the rest of the world

SEOUL, May 07 (AJU PRESS) - Just over six months ahead of the U.S. election, the world is starting to consider what a return to a Trump presidency might mean. While Americans might be weighing up the difference between the two candidates domestic policies, the rest of the globe is more interested in what foreign policy decisions he might make. Donald Trump has already hinted at some areas he is particularly likely to address: China, NATO, Ukraine and Gaza among them. Recent statem

May 7, 2024

Opinion: Global auditions are changing the 'K' in K-pop

SEOUL, May 07 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop giant JYP Entertainment recently launched VCHA, an all-female idol group composed entirely of members from Canada and the United States, who had passed auditions held in North America. The band says its members' backgrounds include Korean, white, Latino, Black, Vietnamese and Hmong ancestries. The once-novel idea of a K-pop group without Korean members, which caught the attention of the BBC and CNN, now seems on the brink of becoming the norm.

May 7, 2024

Africa represents important, often overlooked security challenge

KENOSHA, May 03 (AJU PRESS) - The United States is being unceremoniously evicted from the African nation of Niger. Meeting in Washington D.C., Niger Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine informed Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell that all 1,000 U.S. special operations troops and other personnel must vacate the country. This is a major setback, during a time of general instability in that region. Last year, the leader of Gabon, Ali Bongo, was removed in a sudden military coup on A

May 3, 2024

Opinion: High interest rates aren't going away anytime soon – business economist explains why

SEOUL, May 02 (AJU PRESS) - The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at its May 1, 2024, policy meeting, dashing the hopes of potential homebuyers and others who were hoping for a cut. Not only will rates remain at their current level – a 23-year high – for at least another month, there's little reason to believe the Fed will start tapering until the fall. Indeed, if inflation starts to heat back up, it's plausible – though at the moment unlikely &ndas

May 2, 2024

Opinion: China set to blast off to far side of the Moon – here's what it could discover

SEOUL, May 02 (AJU PRESS) - China is attempting to recover the first ever soil and rock samples from the lunar far side. The surface mission, Chang'e 6, named after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e, is a predecessor to the successful sample return mission, Chang'e 5, and a part of the Chinese lunar exploration programme. The mission is set for launch using a long March 5 rocket at the Wenchang satellite launch center in Hainan province on May 3. The spacecraft due to l

May 2, 2024

Opinion: Electric cars pile up at European ports as Chinese firms struggle to find buyers

SEOUL, May 01 (AJU PRESS) - China's automotive industry has revolutionized over the past decade, from producing basic western clones to making cars that equal the world's best. As the manufacturing powerhouse of the world, China is also producing them in huge volumes. However, Chinese cars are facing difficulties in finding buyers in Europe. Imported cars, many of which are Chinese electric vehicles, are piling up at European ports, with some spending up to 18 months in po

May 1, 2024

Opinion: Japan's diplomatic charm offensive in US aims to keep Washington in committed relationship

SEOUL, May 01 (AJU PRESS) - April 2024 proved to be a busy month in Japanese-U.S. diplomacy. The month saw a state visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that included a White House sit-down with President Joe Biden on April 10. The next day, both men were joined by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the first-ever U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit. Then on April 23, a former prime minister and leading figure in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic

May 1, 2024

Opinion: Vaping now more common than smoking among young people – and risks go beyond lung and brain damage

SEOUL, April 29 (AJU PRESS) - Vaping is now more common than cigarette smoking among young people, according to a new report coordinated by the University of Glasgow and commissioned by the World Health Organization. This echoes research that has found the popularity of vaping among young people in the U.K. has surged in recent years. The number of children experimenting with vapes increased from 7.7 percent in 2022 to 11.6 percent in 2023, according to a survey conducted by anti-

April 29, 2024