Opinion: Fears that English is 'disappearing' in England are misplaced – history shows the island has always been multilingual

SEOUL, May 29 (AJU PRESS) - A common lament among those opposed to immigration is that "in many parts of England, you don't hear English spoken any more." But it has never been the case that English was the only language spoken on this island. Old English, the earliest ancestor of the modern English language, was a relative newcomer to Britain. Its speakers, the Anglo-Saxons, came from different regions across what is now northern Germany to an island where many Celt

May 29, 2024

From backseat to spotlight: US vice presidency's modern relevance

KARACHI, May 28 (AJU PRESS) - In his scathing appraisal, John Adams famously dismissed the role of Vice President as "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." Similarly, John Nance Garner, who served as Vice President under Franklin D. Roosevelt, succinctly captured the prevailing sentiment of the time, declaring the office as "not worth a bucket of warm spit." However, contemporary politics challeng

May 28, 2024

Opinion: Norway, Spain and Ireland have recognized a Palestinian state – what's stopping NZ?

SEOUL, May 28 (AJU PRESS) - Norway, Spain and Ireland will formally recognize the state of Palestine today (May 28). While 143 of the 193 United Nations member states already recognize Palestine, this is a significant moment – and leaves New Zealand in an even smaller group of countries yet to follow suit. The latest move is important because it makes a clear statement that members of the international community can no longer wait for the Middle East peace process to conclud

May 28, 2024

Opinion: Are some routes more prone to air turbulence? Will climate change make it worse?

SEOUL, May 27 (AJU PRESS) - A little bit of turbulence is a common experience for air travelers. Severe incidents are rare – but when they occur they can be deadly. The recent Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore shows the danger. An encounter with extreme turbulence during normal flight left one person dead from a presumed heart attack and several others badly injured. The flight diverted to land in Bangkok so the severely injured passengers could receiv

May 27, 2024

Opinion: Scarlett Johansson's row with OpenAI reminds us identity is a slippery yet important subject

SEOUL, May 24 (AJU PRESS) - OpenAI will be removing access to one of its ChatGPT voices, following objections by actor Scarlett Johansson that it sounds "eerily similar" to her own. Earlier this week, the company said it was "working to pause" the voice of Sky, which is one of a few options users can choose when conversing with the app. Johannson said OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, had approached her in September and again in May, asking if she would allow he

May 24, 2024

Opinion: U.K. election called for 4 July – what happens next?

SEOUL, May 23 (AJU PRESS) - On a rainy afternoon in London, an increasingly damp Rishi Sunak confirmed what many had been speculating for most of the day in a speech outside 10 Downing Street – that the U.K. is heading for an election earlier than anticipated. Here's what to expect in the weeks ahead. When is the U.K. having an election? Election day has been confirmed for 4 July – in just over six weeks' time. The U.K. has to have an election at least every

May 23, 2024

Opinion: Why Chile has a Palestinian football team – the bigger history

SEOUL, May 22 (AJU PRESS) - Club Deportivo Palestino, a football team, play in a uniform of white, green and red. Their stadium flies Palestinian flags and their social sports club boasts an open-air pool in the shape of pre-1948 Palestine. But this football team does not play in Palestine, or even the Middle East. Better known as Palestino, they actually play in Chile's top football league, the Primera División de Chile. Chile is home to the largest population of Pales

May 22, 2024

Opinion: Europe's climate laws could spell the end to low-cost flights - but what about private jets?

SEOUL, May 22 (AJU PRESS) - The era of low-cost air travel in Europe may be over for good, thanks in part to recent EU environmental policies. All in all, this is good news for the climate. But many low- and middle-income people who used to travel around the EU will no longer be able to do so, or at least will be able to do so much less often. Yet the same policies will have little or no impact on the use of much more polluting private jets, which typically cover distances served by

May 22, 2024

Opinion: What could President Raisi's death mean for stability in Iran and beyond?

SEOUL, May 21 (AJU PRESS) - A helicopter carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials crashed in the mountainous north-west reaches of Iran on May 19, sparking a rescue operation in thick fog and driving rain. On Monday, search and rescue teams reached the crash site and "found no signs of the helicopter's occupants being alive." The death of Raisi and his foreign minister will shake up Iranian politics. Who was Rai

May 21, 2024

Opinion: California is about to tax guns more like alcohol and tobacco − and that could put a dent in gun violence

SEOUL, May 21 (AJU PRESS) - Starting in July 2024, California will be the first state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition. The new tax – an 11-percent levy on each sale – will come on top of federal excise taxes of 10 percent or 11 percent for firearms and California's 6-percent sales tax. The National Rifle Association has characterized California's Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act as an affront to the Constitution. But the reaction fr

May 21, 2024