The number of airport bus passengers in Seoul increased by 2.6 times during the past six months, the city government said, as the demand for air travel has spiked after the lifting of almost all COVID-19 social distancing restrictions in April. 　The number of rides performed by foreign tourist taxis has also rebounded and exceeded 5,000 in only three months after they resumed operations in April, the government said. 　The number of airport bus users was 57,420, or a daily average of 1,914, i

　Tesla founder Elon Musk joined the ranks of celebrities who have more than 100 million Twitter followers, in early July, according to a US media tracker. 　Musk had 100.6 million followers on July 8, placing 6th after former US President Barack Obama, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Social Blade. The business magnate’s topping of 100 million came 13 years after he opened his Twitter account in June 2009 . 　With his account, the billionaire Tesla CE

　Apple reclaimed its title as the world’s most valuable brand, according to a survey from Kantar BrandZ, knocking rival Amazon off the top spot for the first time in three years. 　The iPhone maker’s brand value reached $947 billion this year, while Amazon slipped to third, according to Kantar’s survey published June 15. Apple was last ranked the most valuable brand in 2015. 　Louis Vuitton became the first luxury brand to reach the top 10 after experiencing 64 percent growth

　The Austrian capital Vienna has made a comeback as the world’s most livable city, according to an annual report from the Economist. 　Vienna snatched the top spot from Auckland, New Zealand, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, according to the report by the Economist Intelligence Unit. 　Europe boasted six out of the top 10 cities. The Austrian capital was followed by the Danish capital Copenhagen and Switzerland’s Zurich. Fellow Swiss city Ge

　The number of adolescents treated for gambling addiction spiked last year as they spent more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, data showed. 　Rep. Kim Do-eup of the ruling People Power Party released the statistics from the state-run Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service that showed 7,063 adolescents received treatment for gambling addiction between 2017 and 2021. 　The number steadily increased from 837 in 2017 to 1,032 in 2018, 1,328 in 2019 and 1,597 in 2020. It surged

　Seoul National University ranked 29th overall in the 2023 QS World University Rankings 2023, scoring its highest placement so far. 　SNU received particularly good reviews in academic reputation (98.6 points) and graduate reputation (97.8 points). 　Massachusetts Institute of Technology remained at the top place for the 11th consecutive year, followed by the University of Cambridge, Stanford University, Oxford and Harvard. 　The QS rankings were based on academic reputation, employer reputatio

　Seven out of 10 South Koreans believe the government should only provide nonmilitary aid to Ukraine, a survey showed.  　In the survey of 1,000 people aged 18 or above conducted by Gallup Korea from June 21-23, 72 percent said the government of President Yoon Suk-yeol should only send medical, food and other nonlethal aid.  　Only 15 percent said the government should also provide weapons. 　Eighty-four percent said they are interested in the Ukraine-Russia war while 13 percent said

　Fifty-three migrants died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering Texas heat on June 27, one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the US. 　The deaths were the latest in what has become a global series of mass deaths occurring during human trafficking attempts.

　Hong Kong is the world’s most expensive city to live in as an expat for the second year in a row, according to a new study. New York and Geneva took second and third place in the rankings. 　Higher prices and a stronger currency over the past year kept the Asian city at the top of the tree, according to ECA International, which carried out its research in March this year. London and Tokyo round out the top five. 　Seoul, capital city of South Korea, stays 10th most expensive location in

　A CBS News poll suggested that a majority of Americans disapprove of the US Supreme Court’s decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, which is inflaming a partisan divide on display in comments by senior lawmakers. 　The poll, conducted June 25-26, found 59 percent disapproved of the ruling, including 67 percent of women. While 78 percent of Republicans were in favor of the decision, 83 percent of Democrats disapproved. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minu

　South Korea’s global competitiveness ranking fell four notches this year from the previous year, amid the economic slowdown and a continued rise in the national debt, a report showed. 　South Korea ranked No. 27 in terms of global competitiveness among 63 countries surveyed, according to the 2022 report by the International Institute for Management Development. 　The IMD, a Switzerland-based international institution, has released the report every year since 1989 based on a country&rsquo

　Apple reclaimed its title as the world’s most valuable brand, according to a survey from Kantar BrandZ, knocking rival Amazon off the top spot for the first time in three years. 　The iPhone maker’s brand value reached $947 billion this year, while Amazon slipped to third, according to Kantar’s survey published June 15. Apple was last ranked the most valuable brand in 2015. 　Louis Vuitton became the first luxury brand to reach the top 10 after experiencing 64 percent growth

　More than half of soccer players playing at the European Championship and African Cup of Nations suffered online abuse, a study published by FIFA revealed. 　Much of the abuse came from fans of the players’ home nations. 　“Homophobic (40 percent) and racist (38 percent) comments provided the majority of the abuse,” said the independent report published to coincide with the United Nations International Day for Countering Hate Speech. 　Using artificial intelligence to track o

　About 6 in 10 Americans believe Trump should be charged for the Jan. 6, 2021 riot in the US Capitol, a poll published by ABC News and Ipsos revealed.  　Opinions differed greatly based on the political party respondents supported.  　Nevertheless, 58 percent of the total respondents replied that they believe Trump should be legally charged for the riots. Sixty percent of the total respondents replied they believe the hearings held by the House 1/6 committee was “fair and unbias

　More than 46,000 people reported losing a total of over $1 billion in cryptocurrency scams since the start of 2021, the US Federal Trade Commission said in a report. 　Nearly half the people who reported losing digital currencies in a scam said it started with an ad, post or a message on a social media platform, according to the FTC. 　The craze for cryptocurrencies was at a fever pitch last year, with bitcoin hitting a record high of $69,000 in November. 　Reports point to social media and cr