International News

WASHINGTON/WAM Scientists from Northwestern University in the United States have developed a pacemaker so tiny that it can fit inside the tip of a syringe and be non-invasively injected into the body. Although it can work with hearts of all sizes, the pacemaker is particularly well-suited to the tiny, fragile hearts of newborn babies with congenital heart defects. Smaller than ...

GENEVA/WAM The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that children are among the most affected by the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, describing the situation as one of deep trauma and widespread destruction. Julia Rees, UNICEF Representative in Myanmar, said in a video press conference from Geneva that entire communities have been destroyed by what is considered the strongest earthquake ...

TOKYO/WAM Japan’s real wages fell 0.3 percent in November from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline, government data showed Thursday. Kyodo News quoted the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as saying that nominal wages, or the average total monthly cash earnings per worker including base and overtime pay, increased 3.0 percent to 305,832 yen ($1,900), rising ...

GENEVA/WAM The World Economic Forum (WEF) said that job disruption will equate to 22 percent of the jobs by 2030. In a report released on Tuesday titled ‘Future of Jobs Report 2025’ WEF said tht 170 million new jobs will be created and 92 million jobs will be displaced resulting in a net increase of 78 million jobs by 2030. ...

NEW DELHI/WAM Ninety-four percent of standardised Indian products have been harmonised with the qualities prescribed by International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), India’s Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, has said. As silver gains in investment among consumers worldwide, Joshi has asked the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to begin hallmarking ...

BEIJING / WAM The International Energy Agency (IEA) has emphasised the critical role of smaller and affordable electric vehicles (EVs) in driving global adoption, particularly in emerging and developed markets. While EVs often offer lower lifetime ownership costs due to reduced fuel and maintenance expenses, high upfront prices remain a barrier. The IEA’s Global EV Outlook revealed that up to ...

BEIJING/WAM China’s logistics sector expanded at a steady pace in November, offering the latest sign that domestic demand is picking up and the country’s economic recovery is gaining further momentum, analysts said. According to China Daily, the logistics performance index stood at 52.8% last month, representing an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to October, based on data released earlier ...

BEIJING / WAM China’s foreign exchange reserves totalled $3.2882 trillion as of the end of August, up by $31.8 billion, or 0.98 percent compared to the end of July, official data showed. Xinhua News Agency quoted the State Administration of Foreign Exchange as saying that China’s foreign exchange reserves have remained stable above $3.2 trillion for nine consecutive months. The ...

SHANGHAI / WAM The Chinese financial hub of Shanghai announced the establishment of a CN¥10 billion (about $1.41 billion) fund to nurture future industries. Xinhua News Agency quoted the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality as saying the fund is fully financed by the Shanghai government and has a term of 15 years that can be extended by an ...

SEOUL / WAM The Republic of Korea recorded a 19.9 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase in the number of international flight passengers during the summer vacation season, fully recovering to the pre-pandemic level, data showed on Sunday. Offering data compiled by the Korea Airports Corp and the Incheon International Airport Corp, Yonhap News Agency reported that a total of 15.69 million ...