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  Opinion: U.K. election called for 4 July – what happens next? SEOUL, May 23 (AJU PRESS) - On a rainy afternoon in London, an increasingly damp Rishi Sunak confirmed what many had been speculating for most of the day in a speech outside 10 Downing Street – that the U.K. is heading for an election earlier than anticipated. Here's what to expect in the weeks ahead. When is the U.K. having an election? Election day has been confirmed for 4 July – in just over six weeks' time. The U.K. has to have an election at least every May 23, 2024
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  Opinion: Why Chile has a Palestinian football team – the bigger history SEOUL, May 22 (AJU PRESS) - Club Deportivo Palestino, a football team, play in a uniform of white, green and red. Their stadium flies Palestinian flags and their social sports club boasts an open-air pool in the shape of pre-1948 Palestine. But this football team does not play in Palestine, or even the Middle East. Better known as Palestino, they actually play in Chile's top football league, the Primera División de Chile. Chile is home to the largest population of Pales May 22, 2024
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  Opinion: Europe's climate laws could spell the end to low-cost flights - but what about private jets? SEOUL, May 22 (AJU PRESS) - The era of low-cost air travel in Europe may be over for good, thanks in part to recent EU environmental policies. All in all, this is good news for the climate. But many low- and middle-income people who used to travel around the EU will no longer be able to do so, or at least will be able to do so much less often. Yet the same policies will have little or no impact on the use of much more polluting private jets, which typically cover distances served by May 22, 2024
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  Opinion: What could President Raisi's death mean for stability in Iran and beyond? SEOUL, May 21 (AJU PRESS) - A helicopter carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials crashed in the mountainous north-west reaches of Iran on May 19, sparking a rescue operation in thick fog and driving rain. On Monday, search and rescue teams reached the crash site and "found no signs of the helicopter's occupants being alive." The death of Raisi and his foreign minister will shake up Iranian politics. Who was Rai May 21, 2024
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  Opinion: California is about to tax guns more like alcohol and tobacco − and that could put a dent in gun violence SEOUL, May 21 (AJU PRESS) - Starting in July 2024, California will be the first state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition. The new tax – an 11-percent levy on each sale – will come on top of federal excise taxes of 10 percent or 11 percent for firearms and California's 6-percent sales tax. The National Rifle Association has characterized California's Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act as an affront to the Constitution. But the reaction fr May 21, 2024
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  Opinion: Iranian President Raisi reported dead – what that might mean for country and region SEOUL, May 20 (AJU PRESS) - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who has been reported dead after the helicopter he was in crashed on May 19, 2024, is a consummate loyalist whose passing will be a severe blow to the country's conservative leadership. While search and rescue teams – hampered by rain, fog, forests and mountains – searched for wreckage, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the nation "should pray" for Raisi. As an expert on I May 20, 2024
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  Opinion: History says tariffs rarely work, but Biden's 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs could defy trend SEOUL, May 20 (AJU PRESS) - In June 2019, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted: "Trump doesn't get the basics. He thinks his tariffs are being paid by China. Any freshman econ student could tell you that the American people are paying his tariffs." Fast-forward five years to May 2024, and President Biden has announced a hike in tariffs on a variety of Chinese imports, including a 100-percent tariff that would significantly increase the price of Chinese-made May 20, 2024
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  Opinion: Dow tops 40,000 as stock indexes continue to cross milestones − making many investors feel wealthier SEOUL, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - The Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 40,000 for the first time on May 16, 2024. It spent the next few hours hovering around that mark, occasionally dipping under. But the breakthrough, even if fleeting, nonetheless marks another symbolic milestone in a monthslong bull market, coming three months after the S&P 500 index surpassed 5,000 for the first time. The Conversation asked Alexander Kurov, a financial markets scholar, to explain what stock in May 17, 2024
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  British local government elections have national – and international - implications KENOSHA, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - Britain’s local elections do not receive much international attention. That is a mistake. Generally, they are an excellent indicator of how the parties will do in the national elections. In the May 2 elections, the Liberal Democrats won big, with 768 gains. The Labour Party gained 545, the Greens 480, while the governing Conservative Party lost a massive 1783. This is the third successive year of significant Liberal Democrat advance. May 17, 2024
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  Opinion: From Barbie to Thomas the Tank Engine: How entertainment brands are adapting to Generation Alpha SEOUL, May 16 (AJU PRESS) - Growing up, did you play with hyper-sexualized Barbie dolls, boys-only Thomas the Tank Engine trains, or slim, white Disney princesses? If so, you're not alone, but this is no longer the case for Generation Alpha. Brands like Mattel, once criticized for promoting unrealistic body standards and gender stereotypes, now portray themselves as feminist and progressive. The recent Barbie movie serves as a prime example of this shift. Millennial parents May 16, 2024