BALLATER -- Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and an icon instantly recognisable to billions of people around the world, died at her Scottish Highland retreat on Thursday. She was 96. The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 is the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately. Royal officials confirmed he is now known as King Charles III -- the first king of that name to sit on the throne since 1685. His mother's

　Global TV sales fell more than 6 percent from a year prior in the first half of this year on slow demand and macroeconomic woes, research showed, as Samsung Electronics remained the top player in the TV segment. 　Across the globe, 92.6 million TVs were sold, down 6.6 percent from a year earlier. By value, the decrease was sharper at 12.5 percent, according to industry tracker Omdia. 　Consumer electronics companies have been struggling to combat lackluster demand after two years of a pandemic

　Marijuana use by young Americans reached record levels last year, and the use of hallucinogens is also on the rise, according to a new study. 　Forty-three percent of 5,000 young adults between 19 and 30 years old surveyed reported marijuana use within the past year in 2021, up from 34 percent in 2016 and 29 percent in 2011, the Monitoring the Future study by the University of Michigan found. 　Twenty-nine percent reported using marijuana in the past month in 2021, up from 21 percent in 2016 a

BEIJING (AP) -- Cities in eastern China suspended ferry services and classes and flights were canceled in Japan on Sunday as Typhoon Hinnamnor, the strongest global storm this year, blew its way past Taiwan and the Koreas with fierce winds and heavy rains.    Shanghai grounded ferry services and deployed more than 50,000 police officers to aid with rescues and guide traffic away from danger areas. The eastern business hub of Wenzhou ordered all classes suspended on Monday.  &n

　Nearly 9 out of every 10 South Koreans hold a favorable view of the United States, the second-highest rating among 17 countries surveyed, a poll showed. 　In the poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 89 percent of Koreans surveyed said they hold a favorable view toward the US, the second-highest rating after Poland with 91 percent. 　The survey showed more than 80 percent of South Koreans think the US is a reliable partner. 　South Koreans also showed a high level of confidence in US Pres

　Foldable smartphone shipments are expected to hit 16 million units this year, growing 73 percent from 9 million units last year, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Research. 　South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics continued to lead the foldable category it created with the first Galaxy Fold device. China’s Huawei and Oppo came in a distant second and third. 　Samsung’s share of the foldable market was 62 percent in the first half of this year which is expected to jump

　South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group said it ranked third in first-half global vehicle sales on the strength of high-end model sales, despite difficulties in the global supply of automotive chips. 　Hyundai Motor, its independent Genesis brand and Hyundai’s smaller affiliate Kia sold a combined 3.299 million vehicles in global markets in the January-June period, trailing only Toyota Motor’s 5.138 million units and Volkswagen’s 4.006 million units, according to their sales

　After half a year of war in Ukraine, a slim majority of Americans agree that the United States should continue to support Kyiv until Russia withdraws all its forces, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. 　The polling suggests continued support for US President Joe Biden‘s policy of backing Ukraine, despite economic worries and domestic political developments grabbing Americans’ attention in recent months. 　Out of 1,005 people in the United States who took part in an online p

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country's climate minister called the deadly monsoon season "a serious climate catastrophe.'' Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages and crops as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to the safety of relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis. Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority report

　Massachusetts has been named the best state to live in the United States in a recent survey. 　WalletHub, a Washington-based personal finance website, has ranked the 50 states’ “livability” according to their affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life and safety in 2022. 　Massachusetts topped the list garnering 62.65 points out of 100. The state ranked first in “education and health,” fourth in “safety” and sixth in “quality o

　The global market share of major South Korean battery makers fell in the first half of this year from a year earlier amid strong growth of Chinese rivals, a report showed.  　LG Energy Solution, SK On and Samsung SDI together accounted for a combined 25.8 percent share for the January-June period in terms of the total amount of battery energy registered, according to the report by market tracker SNE Research.  　That marks a 9.1 percentage point decline from the previous year’s

BEIJING (AFP) -- China’ thunderous response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit brought cross-Strait tensions to their highest level in years and sparked an outpouring of nationalist zeal online, but the mood on the streets in mainland China is a little more circumspect. Enraged by Pelosi’s trip, Beijing last week launched some of its largest-ever military drills encircling the island while suspending cooperation with the United States on issues including climate

　Manchester United duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire were the most abused players on Twitter last season, according to a new report. 　Nearly three quarters of Premier League soccer players received abusive messages with some of them receiving daily abuse. 　The report, carried out by The Alan Turing Institute and Ofcom and using a new machine-learning technology, analyzed 2.3 million messages directed at Premier League players over the first five months of the 2021-22 season. 　It found

　Efforts to close the global gender gap improved slightly this year after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed gender equality by at least three decades, the World Economic Forum said. 　In its 16th Global Gender Gap Report, the WEF said overall gender disparity across politics, work, health and education improved and it will now take 132 years to reach full parity compared with 136 years last year. Before the pandemic, the gap was set to close within 100 years. 　Iceland topped the ranking for the 13

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Uber on Friday said it will let drivers in the United States see trip details before deciding whether to accept them -- a new feature long sought by drivers. A common lament by drivers at the app-summoned ride platform has been that they have to accept a request before learning where trips will take them, or how profitable they will be. "Our new trip request screen makes it easier for drivers to decide if a trip is worth their time and effort by providing all the de