Opinion: Cryptocurrencies use massive amounts of power – but eco-friendly alternatives come with their own risks

SEOUL, June 7 (AJU PRESS) - As the urgency of climate change ramps up, focus is increasing on digital currencies to address their environmental impact. According to industry forecasts, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surge to US$4.94 billion by 2030. But the process of mining digital currencies such as Bitcoin requires immense computational power – causing a significant drain on energy resources. "Miners" use sophisticated hardware to solve compl

June 7, 2024

Opinion: Modi's narrow win suggests Indian voters saw through religious rhetoric, opting instead to curtail his political power

SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, had hoped for a landslide victory in the country's six-week general election – the largest display of democracy, by far, in a year of voting around the world. But with results still coming in on June 4, 2024, the party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, looked to be heading to only a narrow parliamentary majority. The BJP needs 272 seats to form a government on its own, failing which it wil

June 5, 2024

Opinion: Mexico has elected its first female president. Claudia Sheinbaum inherits a country ravaged by violence – and searching for hope

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - On Oct. 17, 1953, constitutional reform granted women the right to vote in Mexico, and two years later, women cast ballots for the first time in a federal election. Now, nearly 70 years later, Mexico has elected a woman president for the first time, according to an official quick count. Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City with a PhD in energy engineering, is also the first Jewish person to lead Mexico, where 70 percent of the populatio

June 4, 2024

Opinion: Why we should care about this week's European Parliament elections

SEOUL, June 03 (AJU PRESS) - The European Parliament (EP) elections being held this week will likely alter the political orientation of the European Union's main legislative and budgetary authority, the only directly elected EU body. Parties that are skeptical about European integration, along with populist right-wing politicians, are expected to gain ground, while centre-left and Green parties are poised to lose votes and seats. The outcome will have a big impact on EU pol

June 3, 2024

Opinion: Is Ireland, not Germany, now the model for Korean reunification?

SEOUL, May 31 (AJU PRESS) - At the beginning of this year, when Kim Jong-un announced he had abandoned reunification and considered South Koreans to be foreign enemies, South Koreans were not sure how to react. Some thought he was preparing for nuclear war. Others thought he was angry with President Yoon Suk-yeol. But it is possible he was distracting us from something else. I wonder, is he making the long-awaited change to Chinese-style economic growth and acting tough against

May 31, 2024

Opinion: Trump found guilty in hush money trial, but will it hurt him in polls?

SEOUL, May 31 (AJU PRESS) - The jury in Donald Trump's hush-money payments trial has found the former U.S. president guilty of falsifying business records in relation to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The guilty verdict marks the first felony conviction of a U.S. president. Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Trump called the trial a "rigged decision, right from Day 1." He is likely to appeal the verdict. Trump had been facing 34 felony char

May 31, 2024

Opinion: D-Day lessons for today

KENOSHA, May 30 (AJU PRESS) - From ancient times, military professionals have rightly regarded amphibious invasions as especially challenging. We recognize and honor the eightieth anniversary of the greatest such operation, the Allies’ invasion of France in World War II, on June 6, 1944 – D-Day. The Normandy invasion combined thorough planning, mobilizing vast matériel, and great imagination. When the enormous operation underway was announced, a U.S. newspaper hig

May 30, 2024

Opinion: France's headscarf ban in 2024 Summer Olympics reflects narrow view of national identity, writes scholar of European studies

SEOUL, May 30 (AJU PRESS) - The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have sparked a discussion about whether female Muslim athletes who wear a headscarf should be allowed to compete. In September 2023, the International Olympic Committee, upholding freedom of religious and cultural expression for all athletes, announced that athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Games can wear a hijab without any restriction. French athletes, however, are bound by France's strict separation of

May 30, 2024

Opinion: Could Korea become a model for tackling illegal tiger trade?

SEOUL, May 30 (AJU PRESS) - The illegal wildlife trade is one of the greatest threats to all Asian big cats – tigers, leopards, snow leopards and Asiatic lions, as well as lesser-known species including clouded leopards and the Asiatic cheetah. For that reason, Asian big cats are some of the most strictly protected animals under international law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, better known as Cites. But the illegal tr

May 30, 2024

Opinion: Pronatalism is latest Silicon Valley trend. What is it – and why is it disturbing?

SEOUL, May 29 (AJU PRESS) - For Malcolm and Simone Collins, declining birth rates across many developed countries are an existential threat. The solution is to have "tons of kids," and to use a hyperrational, data-driven approach to guide everything from genetic selection to baby names and day-to-day parenting. They don't heat their Pennsylvania home in winter, because heating is a "pointless indulgence." Their children wear iPads around their necks. And a

May 29, 2024