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Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
South Korea sees record birth rate growth for January to May
The number of South Korean newborns rose by 3.6% from the previous year in 2024. (EPA Images pic) SEOUL : South Korea registered record birth rate growth during the first five months of the year, a statistics agency official told AFP today. The country has one of the world's longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates – a combination that presents a looming demographic challenge. Seoul has poured billions of dollars into efforts to encourage women to have more children and maintain population stability. 'The number of newborns for the January to May period stood at 106,048, a 6.9% increase, the highest growth rate since such data collection began in 1981,' said Kang hyun-young from Statistics Korea. The surge follows South Korea's first annual increase in the number of births in more than a decade, driven by a rise in marriages. In 2024, the number of newborns rose by 8,300, or 3.6%, to 238,300 from the previous year. April in particular saw a spike, with year-on-year growth reaching 8.7% and the number of births totalling 20,717 that month. The latest figure marks a sharp turnaround from early 2024, when the number of births for the January to May period dropped by 2.7% from the previous year. The fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, for May stood at 0.75. The country needs a fertility rate of 2.1 children in order to maintain the country's population of 51 million. At current rates, the population will nearly halve to 26.8 million by 2100, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. Marriage correlation The increase is attributable 'to a rise in the number of women in their early 30s, leading to an overall increase in marriages', Kang told AFP. 'In South Korea, there is a strong correlation between marriage and childbirth, which has driven the increase in births during the first five months,' she added. In 2024, the country saw a 14.8% on-year increase in the number of marriages, with more than 220,000 couples tying the knot. Many government benefits designed to support child-rearing do not cover parents who are not legally married. Analysts say there are multiple reasons for the low birth rate, from high child-rearing costs and property prices to a notoriously competitive society that makes well-paid jobs difficult to secure. The double burden for working mothers of managing the brunt of household chores and childcare while also maintaining their careers is another key factor, they say. In a bid to reverse the trend, the South Korean government offers cash subsidies, babysitting services, and support for infertility treatment. Neighbouring Japan is grappling with the same issue – it has the world's second-oldest population after Monaco, and the country's relatively strict immigration rules mean it faces growing labour shortages.
Daily Express
a day ago
- Climate
- Daily Express
Philippines flooding displaces thousands, 2 missing
Published on: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 22, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Residents wade in floodwaters in the flood-hit city of Marikina, Metro Manila. (EPA Images pic) MANILA: Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday, with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region's Marikina River burst its banks. More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated overnight, sheltering in schools, village halls and covered courtyards. Another 25,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area's Quezon and Caloocan cities. 'Usually these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks (feeding into the river),' according to Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18m (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen creek as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations centre assistant supervisor. 'Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven't found either of them,' he said. 'The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape.' Floodwaters were receding on Tuesday morning, though thousands of people remained unable to return to their homes. Ongoing monsoon rains have killed at least three people and left another seven missing in the central and southern Philippines since Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the national disaster risk reduction and management council. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. 'This is hard, because if the rain will continue… the river will swell,' Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. 'The floods are dangerous.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
US says Taiwan's president's transit would be routine
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te is expected to visit Paraguay, likely transiting through US territory. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON : The US said Thursday that there would be no change in its Taiwan policy if the self-ruled island's president transits through US soil, as China issued a warning. Paraguay, one of a dwindling number of countries to recognise Taipei rather than Beijing, announced Monday that Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te would visit in August, likely meaning he would need to fly through US territory. State department spokesman Tammy Bruce did not confirm Lai would transit but played down any political implications. 'Transits of the US by high-level Taiwan officials, including presidents, are in line with past practice and fully consistent with our long-standing policy,' she told reporters. 'Such transits are undertaken with consideration for the safety, comfort, convenience and dignity of the passenger,' she said. China's foreign ministry warned both Paraguay and the US about Lai's travel. 'We oppose any visit to the US by leaders of the Taiwan authorities under whatever reason or pretext,' the foreign ministry said in a statement on X. China claims Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as its territory and has threatened to annex it by force. The US only recognises Beijing but sells weapons to Taiwan. Secretary of state Marco Rubio, a long-time critic of Beijing, met last week in Malaysia with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in what he called 'very constructive and productive' talks. Rubio said after the meeting that 'obviously we understand their viewpoints on Taiwan', but that there was no discussion about potential transit by Lai.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Taiwan says it will not provoke confrontation with China
Taiwanese vice-president Hsiao Bi-khim said China's military posturing is counter-productive. (EPA Images pic) TAIPEI : Taiwan does not seek conflict with China and will not provoke confrontation, but Beijing's 'aggressive' military posturing was counter-productive, vice-president Hsiao Bi-khim said today. China considers democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and calls president Lai Ching-te a 'separatist'. Taiwan's government disputes China's claim. Speaking to the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club in the capital Taipei, Hsiao said that Chinese pressure on Taiwan had only escalated over the past few years but that the island's people were peace-loving. 'We do not seek conflict; we will not provoke confrontation,' she said, reiterating Lai's offer of talks between Taipei and Beijing. For decades, Taiwan's people and business have contributed to China's growth and prosperity, which has only been possible under a peaceful and stable environment, Hsiao added. 'Aggressive military posturing is counter-productive and deprives the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait of opportunities to pursue an agenda of growth and prosperity,' she said. 'Defending the status quo (with China) is our choice, not because it is easy, but because it is responsible and consistent with the interests of our entire region.' Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer, is facing another international challenge at the moment – tariff talks with the US. Taiwan remains in negotiations with Washington, following US President Donald Trump's April announcement that the island would be subject to a 32% tariff, which was subsequently suspended to facilitate talks. 'With the US, our negotiators are literally working around the clock to strive to reach an agreement on reciprocal tariffs to achieve trade balance while also promoting further bilateral cooperation in technology, investments and other areas,' Hsiao said.
Free Malaysia Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
LA28 unveils Olympic competition schedule, marks PlayLA milestone
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is ready to serve as the official venue for the closing ceremony of the 2028 Olympic Games. (EPA Images pic) LOS ANGELES : Organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on Monday released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule, highlighting a historic reshuffling of key events and the most ambitious sports lineup in Games history. The announcement comes as the city marks three years to go until the Opening Ceremony and celebrates a major legacy milestone: more than one million enrolments in the PlayLA youth sports programme. For the first time in nearly three decades, the Summer Olympics will return to the US, with Los Angeles hosting for the third time after 1932 and 1984. The 2028 Games are set to feature 844 ticketed events designed to maximise both domestic and international viewership. Organisers revealed that the Opening Ceremony will take place on July 14, 2028, at 8.00pm ET (5.00pm PT), split between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for July 30 at the Coliseum. In a notable departure from tradition, the LA28 schedule swaps the usual order of athletics and swimming competitions. Track and field events will open the Games in the first week, with swimming moving to the second week, culminating in its finale on the penultimate day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The first Olympic champion of LA28 will be crowned at Venice Beach in the triathlon event, while the marathon will close out athletics on the final weekend. Day 15 is expected to be the busiest for medal events, with 16 team sport finals and 19 individual sport finals taking place. 'The Olympic competition schedule has been meticulously developed to ensure the world's best athletes can compete in LA,' LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement. 'We are energised by today's milestones and remain focused on the work ahead as the Road to 2028 continues.' Organisers said the schedule will continue to be refined, with a more detailed breakdown to be released later this year. 'When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighbourhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy,' LA mayor Karen Bass said. Meanwhile, Hoover joined city officials on Monday at an event at the Coliseum to celebrate PlayLA surpassing one million programme enrolments. The initiative, backed by up to US$160 million in investment from LA28, the city's recreation and parks department, and the IOC, provides affordable and inclusive sports programming for children aged 3-17 across more than 40 Olympic and adaptive sports.
