A groundbreaking study released today reveals the alarming state of African elephant populations over the last 50 years. Both forest and savanna elephant species have experienced widespread declines due to overexploitation and habitat loss, mirroring the global trend affecting large-bodied animals.

Education is only becoming a bigger issue for both political parties. Questions and discussions surrounding the role of parents and their children's education as well as funding and the use of school vouchers remain top of mind as we prepare for a new administration. President-elect Donald Trump could make significant changes to the U.S. Department of Education, as questions loom about the future of the department under Trump. Josh Cowen is a professor of education policy in Michigan State University's College of Education. He has worked across the country on policy issues related to school choice, teacher quality and education reform. Cowen is the author of the new book The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers (Harvard Education Press). Here, he answers questions on what changes could come to education and what vouchers could mean for the U.S.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) announced that they have developed an advanced disease diagnosis and treatment system based on nanomaterials.

A research team has identified 2,586 orphan genes (OGs) in Rosa chinensis, offering new insights into the role of these unique genes in flower development, stress response, and environmental adaptation.

Barbara Brizuela, who has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, is a big believer in interdisciplinary research. "Knowledge-seeking has no disciplinary boundaries," says Brizuela. "We're going to need broad and connected perspectives to be able to solve the world's biggest problems." The dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and professor of education served as the school's dean ad interim since July. Her appointment to lead the School of Arts and Sciences builds on a long and distinguished career as a teacher, mentor, researcher, and administrator.

Global public debt may soon collectively catch up to the worldwide gross domestic product (GDP), likely matching it by 2030. New research from a Notre Dame economist suggests that this could happen even sooner, thanks to countries' hidden debts. This misreported debt can lead to higher interest rates for borrowers and lower recovery rates for lenders, suggesting indirect adverse effects on global financial stability and consumer welfare.

[Domestic] :
Memorial events are taking place across the country to honor the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the tragedy.  Earlier in the day, a memorial event at the National Assembly brought together survivors, members of the bereaved families, the National Assembly ...

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[Domestic] :
Medical students will be allowed to take a leave of absence as long as the request is for personal reasons.   The education ministry revealed the decision on Tuesday after holding a closed-door meeting with the presidents of 40 universities that have medical schools.   Previously, medical students were ...

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[Domestic] :
Ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test(CSAT), several companies have been caught illegally distributing medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) and posting misleading advertisements for the pills.  According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday, an intensive ...

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[Domestic] :
The defense ministry’s website fell victim to a cyberattack Tuesday, prompting the military to take response measures.  According to the ministry on Wednesday, the distributed denial-of-service(DDoS) attack struck at about 5:30 p.m. the previous day, adding that the website is currently back ...

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[Domestic] :
Two people are dead and 12 others are missing after a fishing boat sank in waters off Jeju Island on Friday morning.  The Jeju branch of the Korea Coast Guard said it received a distress call around 4:46 a.m. on Friday, indicating that a 129-ton vessel Geumseong was sinking 24 kilometers northwest of ...

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[Domestic] :
The prosecution has sought a pretrial detention warrant for Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political consultant, and former ruling People Power Party(PPP) lawmaker Kim Young-sun, as part of its probe into a 2022 political funding case. The Changwon District Court said it received such a request from ...

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[Domestic] :
A death from whooping cough or pertussis has been reported in South Korea for the first time since the government began compiling related data in 2011. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Tuesday, an infant less than two months old died from the disease on November 4. The ...

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[Politics] :
Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political consultant and a key figure in a high-profile scandal involving the president and first lady, appeared for questioning for the second consecutive day. Prior to interrogation by the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office on Saturday, Myung once again denied ...

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[Politics] :
John Bolton, former national security advisor under the first Donald Trump administration, warned that U.S. isolationism is expected to further intensify as Trump returns to office for a second term. In an interview with Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun a day before the election on Monday and published on ...

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[Politics] :
Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political consultant and a key figure in a high-profile scandal involving the president and first lady, was questioned by the prosecution for the second consecutive day on Saturday. The Changwon District Prosecutors' Office grilled Myung for over 12 hours on Saturday ...

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[Politics] :
President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged efforts to overcome polarization in South Korean society, as he passes the halfway point of his five-year presidency. According to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon on Monday, Yoon, during a meeting with his aides, called for forward-looking efforts to resolve ...

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[Politics] :
Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Monday reiterated that sending an observation team to Ukraine is necessary for protecting national interest. During a National Assembly National Defense Committee session, Minister Kim said sending an observation team differs from troop deployment. He explained that a ...

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[Politics] :
If the opposition unilaterally passes a bill mandating a special counsel investigation targeting first lady Kim Keon-hee, ruling People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho has said he will strongly recommend a presidential veto.  At a party Supreme Council meeting Monday, Choo said the ruling party ...

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[Politics] :
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has ordered officials to prepare for potential policy changes in the United States upon Donald Trump’s reelection. The prime minister issued the instruction Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting, saying the U.S. is expected to seek “considerable policy shifts” in foreign ...

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[Politics] :
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said he is confident that the South Korea-U.S. alliance will continue to grow stronger under the incoming Donald Trump administration. At a press conference on Tuesday, Cho said President-elect Trump’s foreign policy, which prioritizes U.S. allies’ expanded role and ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
North Korea’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, has reportedly left Pyongyang to visit Russia amid international criticism over the North’s participation in the war between Russia and Ukraine.  According to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Tuesday, a delegation led by Choe ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
South Korea's intelligence agency assessed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has begun to upgrade his security due to concerns over a potential assassination attempt. According to rival political parties on the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, the assessment was made by the ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have condemned the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia in the “strongest” terms with “one voice.” Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued the condemnation on Wednesday in a joint statement after ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
Defense minister Kim Yong-hyun said Wednesday that South Korea is not considering sending troops to support Ukraine.  The minister made the remarks during a meeting with reporters in Washington, while visiting the United States to attend the annual Security Consultative Meeting. When asked how the ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has defended Thursday’s intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) test, calling it an appropriate military action that shows other countries the North is serious about counteracting threats to its security.  The state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said Kim made the ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
President Yoon Suk Yeol has instructed the National Security Council(NSC) to respond strongly to North Korea’s provocations and prepare thoroughly so the North cannot carry out any surprise provocations. Yoon gave the instructions Thursday after being immediately informed by the National Security ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
A group representing families of South Koreans abducted by North Korea called off plans to send anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets north of the border, amid opposition from residents and the presence of law enforcement officers. Choi Seong-ryong, the head of the association, announced the decision Thursday ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
Incheon’s Ganghwa County, near the inter-Korean border, has designated itself a “danger zone” effective Friday and issued an administrative order banning the dissemination of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets north of the border. According to county officials on Thursday, the decision stems from ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
North Korea said Friday that the missile it launched the previous day was the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) and declared the test a success. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said the Missile Administration conducted the test under the guidance of North ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, declared that the regime will continue to bolster its nuclear capabilities in protest of criticisms from the international community. In a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Saturday, Kim ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
After demolishing sections of the inter-Korean roads and railways, North Korea has deployed troops to install anti-tank trenches there. The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) announced on Monday that the North’s military recently installed concrete anti-tank trenches where the Gyeongui and Donghae roads and ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday morning, just hours before the start of the U.S. presidential election.   South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said it detected the launches around 7:30 a.m. from the Sariwon area in North Hwanghae ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
The South Korean military says it believes more than ten-thousand North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia in support of the military offensive in Ukraine. At a press briefing Tuesday, defense ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said intelligence authorities in South Korea and the U.S. believe a ...

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[Sports] :
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says it has uncovered evidence of financial misconduct at the Badminton Korea Association(BKA). During a briefing on an ongoing investigation Tuesday, the ministry said it suspects the head of the association and another top official improperly distributed 150 ...

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[Sports] :
South Korea defeated Oman three to one, achieving its first win in the current World Cup qualifying campaign.  The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, played Oman on Tuesday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat in the second Group B match in the third round of the ...

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[Sports] :
The North Korean women's football team defeated the world's top ranked U.S. squad in the semifinals of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup under way in Colombia, moving a step closer to winning their third World Cup title. North Korea claimed a one-nil victory over the U.S. in the ...

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[Sports] :
Culture minister Yu In-chon has reiterated that he will not approve the fourth term of Korea Football Association(KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu.  Yu revealed the stance on Monday during the parliamentary culture committee’s inspection of government agencies when asked whether he will grant approval ...

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[Science] :
The number of ozone alert days in Seoul posted a ten-fold increase over the past decade.  According to the city government on Wednesday, the number of days when the ozone alerts were issued in the city jumped to 31 through August this year, up from just three days in 2015. The total number of ozone ...

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[Science] :
The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency says it has developed, for the first time in the world, a differential diagnosis technology for lumpy skin disease(LSD), a viral disease that affects cattle. With the technology, jointly developed with Median Diagnostics, it can be determined within eight hours if a ...

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[Science] :
Rain is in the forecast nationwide on Tuesday, with downpours expected along the southern coastal areas of South Jeolla Province, in the southeastern Gyeongsang region and on the southernmost island of Jeju. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, over 100 millimeters could fall on the ...

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[Science] :
South Korea will launch its third military spy satellite in December from the United States. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Wednesday that it plans to launch the satellite in the third or fourth week of December, adding that it is discussing the schedule with SpaceX, an American ...

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[Science] :
More than a third of all tree species around the world face extinction due largely to climate change and deforestation. Citing a report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN), CBS News said 38 percent of tree species are at risk, threatening ecosystems, plants, animals and ...

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[Science] :
The Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute are set to proceed with the development of a lunar module after signing an agreement on the second phase of the nation’s moon exploration project. According to the state agency on Monday, some 530 billion won, or around 386 ...

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[Politics] :
National security adviser Shin Won-sik said South Korea is no longer the sole beneficiary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, pledging to defend the country’s core interests as a partner state that contributes to regional and global security and prosperity. In a keynote speech at the 2024 Global Dialogue ...

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