Author: Starvision News Desk

Seoul, July 27 (IANS) South Korea’s total population fell for a second consecutive year in 2022 amid the country’s critically low births, with seniors taking up a larger portion of the population, data showed Thursday.The country’s total population dropped to 51.69 million in November, down 46,000, or 0.1 per cent, from the previous year, according to the 2022 census by Statistics Korea. In 2021, South Korea experienced the first on-year decline in its population since 1949, reports Yonhap News Agency.The total population is calculated based on childbirth and death data and cross-border movements of foreigners living in South Korea for…

Denver, July 27 (IANS) A Colorado businessman was sentenced to five years and three months in jail after being convicted of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars and defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors using an online fundraiser to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.Timothy Shea was sentenced in New York by federal court judge Analisa Torres, who presided over an October 2022 trial that ended with his conviction on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice, reports Xinhua news agency.Shea, 52, of Castle Rock, Colorado, was ordered to forfeit…

Islamabad, July 27 (IANS) The Pakistan Health Ministry said that wild poliovirus has been detected in an environmental sample collected from Peshawar city.In a statement late Wednesday, the Ministry said that the virus was detected in a sewage sample collected from Naray Khuwar area on July 4 and “is genetically linked to poliovirus in circulation in neighboring Afghanistan”, reports Xinhua news agency.”It is imperative that parents and caregivers get their children vaccinated in all polio campaigns and ensure that their routine immunizations are also complete for stronger immunity,” Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel was quoted as saying in the statement.The…

Niamey, July 27 (IANS) Soldiers in Niger announced a coup on national TV, adding that President Mohamed Bazoum was being held hostage with his wife at his residence in the capital Niamey after negotiations with the head of the presidential guard stalled.Soldiers from the presidential guard in the West African nation reportedly barricaded Bazoum in his presidential palace on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.In the TV announcement on Wednesday, Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, alongside nine other uniformed soldiers behind him, said: “We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime you know. This follows…

Kiev, July 27 (IANS) For the first time, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has acknowledged its involvement in the October 22 attack on the Kerch Bridge that connects the occupied Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland.“SBU officers have been destroying the enemy in the hottest spots and doing everything to liberate our land as soon as possible. The destruction of the Crimean bridge is one of our achievements,” CNN quoted the Security Service’s chief Vasyl Malyuk as saying at a ceremony here on Wednesday.The SBU head’s remark comes after Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar became the first Ukrainian official…

Washington, July 27 (IANS) The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point Wednesday, making it the 11th in the last 16 months in its continuing efforts to tame inflation. The new hike, which was announced after a two-day meeting of the Fed’s top decision-making body, take the rate to the highest level in 22 years — to between 5.25 and 5.50 per cent. “Tighter credit conditions for households and businesses are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring and inflation,” the Fed said in a statement, adding: “The extent of these effects remains uncertain. The committee…

Wellington, July 26 (IANS) New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese met here on Wednesday for their first annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting and the celebration of several anniversaries.The meeting took place as both countries celebrate the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER), the 50th anniversary of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, and the 80th anniversary of diplomatic representation, said a New Zealand government statement.”It was great to meet again with Prime Minister Albanese to celebrate our closest international relationship, mark this special year of anniversaries and work towards an even better future,” Xinhua news…

Manila, July 26 (IANS) The Philippines’ national disaster agency on Wednesday said it has so far tallied at least one dead as typhoon Doksuri continued to batter the country with rain and strong winds.In a preliminary report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the victim drowned in a flood that inundated a province east of Metro Manila, reports Xinhua news agency. At least two others were injured in typhoon-related incidents in Luzon island and central Philippines.”We are still verifying (the casualties),” NDRRMC spokesperson Edgar Posadas told a local radio channel.Doksuri has affected eight regions across Luzon…

Phnom Penh, July 26 (IANS) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday announced that he would step down on August 22 after serving in the post for more than 38 years in the Southeast Asian nation, and would pass the reins of power to his eldest son Hun Manet.”Hun Manet will become the prime minister in just more than three weeks,” the world’s longest serving living Prime Minister said in a televised address on the state-run National Television of Cambodia (TVK).Hun Sen said the National Assembly would convene for the first time on August 21 under the auspices of Cambodian…

Dhaka, July 26 (IANS) The dengue outbreak in Bangladesh has killed 201 people so far this year, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported.The total number of dengue fever cases has reached 37,688 since January in the South Asian country, reports Xinhua news agency.From January 1 to July 25 this year, DGHS said 29,560 dengue patients returned home after receiving treatment from various hospitals across the country.In order to fight the rising number of dengue cases, Bangladeshi health authorities have strengthened measures to check the breeding of mosquitoes and conduct anti-larval operations.–IANSksk