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  Opinion: Inflation is cooling, but not fast enough for Fed: Policymakers now expect only one rate cut in 2024 SEOUL, June 13 (AJU PRESS) - It was a double-whammy Wednesday for economic-data enthusiasts. During the morning of June 12, 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published its latest inflation figures. The news was relatively good, showing that inflation rose 3.3 percent in the year to May 2024 – less than some analysts had expected. A few hours later, the Federal Reserve concluded its June meeting by holding interest rates steady – as forecasters expected – and r June 13, 2024
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  Opinion: Australia's expanding military importance KENOSHA, June 12 (AJU PRESS) - Outside Sydney Australia, a major development is unfolding. A nondescript building will house the first factory outside the United States to build the Lockheed Martin Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, known as GM-LRS. This weapon is proving crucial in Ukraine’s defense. Wider deterrence roles also are promising. Australia is increasingly important in the growing, multifaceted contest with China. This development follo June 12, 2024
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  Opinion: A brief history of tragic presidential relatives, from Alice Roosevelt to Hunter Biden SEOUL, June 12 (AJU PRESS) - A Delaware jury found Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, guilty on June 11, 2024, of three felony counts related to lying on a federal firearms application in 2018 – making him the first child of a president to be convicted of a felony. While Hunter Biden marked on the application that he was not using illegal drugs at the time, the jury determined that he was, in fact, lying about his drug use. Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, issued June 12, 2024
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  Opinion: Snap elections in France: political scientist lays out what's at stake SEOUL, June 11 (AJU PRESS) - Speaking at a surprise address to the nation on Sunday evening, French president Emmanuel Macron told French citizens he had "decided to give back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote." These words, pronounced in reaction to the historic surge of the far-right National Rally at the European elections, triggered the dissolution of France's parliament and snap elections on June 30 and July 7. Clea Chakraverty of Th June 11, 2024
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  Opinion: Chinese journalist who raised alarm over COVID is in hiding: is the world noticing? SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - China has finally "freed" citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who was jailed in 2020 for filming and writing about the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan. The charity Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which had campaigned for her release, said it continued to be concerned by her situation, as she remains under strict surveillance by the authorities. RSF added that "partial freedom is not freedom at all." It called for diplomatic intervention &q June 10, 2024
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  Opinion: Cryptocurrencies use massive amounts of power – but eco-friendly alternatives come with their own risks SEOUL, June 7 (AJU PRESS) - As the urgency of climate change ramps up, focus is increasing on digital currencies to address their environmental impact. According to industry forecasts, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surge to US$4.94 billion by 2030. But the process of mining digital currencies such as Bitcoin requires immense computational power – causing a significant drain on energy resources. "Miners" use sophisticated hardware to solve compl June 7, 2024
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  Opinion: Modi's narrow win suggests Indian voters saw through religious rhetoric, opting instead to curtail his political power SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, had hoped for a landslide victory in the country's six-week general election – the largest display of democracy, by far, in a year of voting around the world. But with results still coming in on June 4, 2024, the party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, looked to be heading to only a narrow parliamentary majority. The BJP needs 272 seats to form a government on its own, failing which it wil June 5, 2024
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  Opinion: Mexico has elected its first female president. Claudia Sheinbaum inherits a country ravaged by violence – and searching for hope SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - On Oct. 17, 1953, constitutional reform granted women the right to vote in Mexico, and two years later, women cast ballots for the first time in a federal election. Now, nearly 70 years later, Mexico has elected a woman president for the first time, according to an official quick count. Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City with a PhD in energy engineering, is also the first Jewish person to lead Mexico, where 70 percent of the populatio June 4, 2024
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  Opinion: Why we should care about this week's European Parliament elections SEOUL, June 03 (AJU PRESS) - The European Parliament (EP) elections being held this week will likely alter the political orientation of the European Union's main legislative and budgetary authority, the only directly elected EU body. Parties that are skeptical about European integration, along with populist right-wing politicians, are expected to gain ground, while centre-left and Green parties are poised to lose votes and seats. The outcome will have a big impact on EU pol June 3, 2024
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  Opinion: Is Ireland, not Germany, now the model for Korean reunification? SEOUL, May 31 (AJU PRESS) - At the beginning of this year, when Kim Jong-un announced he had abandoned reunification and considered South Koreans to be foreign enemies, South Koreans were not sure how to react. Some thought he was preparing for nuclear war. Others thought he was angry with President Yoon Suk-yeol. But it is possible he was distracting us from something else. I wonder, is he making the long-awaited change to Chinese-style economic growth and acting tough against May 31, 2024