Latest news with #governmentprograms
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
South Korea sees record birth rate growth
South Korea recorded the highest birth rate in more than a decade in May, as a government push for women to have more children shows early signs of success. A total of 20,309 babies were born in May, an increase of nearly 4 per cent from the year before and the sharpest increase in births since May 2011. The country has one of the lowest birth rates and longest life expectancies, which has prompted the government and private companies to inject billions of pounds into programmes that encourage women to have more children. The South Korean government offers cash subsidies, babysitting services and support for infertility treatment, while some companies even offer dating programmes to bring people together. 'The number of newborns for the January-May period stood at 106,048, a 6.9 per cent increase, the highest growth rate since such data collection began in 1981,' said an official at Statistics Korea, which released the data. Surge in marriages The recent surge in the number of births follows a similar increase in the number of marriages. 'The rise in births appears to be influenced by a continued increase in marriages and the growth in the population of women in their early 30s,' the Statistics Korea official said. 'In South Korea, there is a strong correlation between marriage and childbirth, which has driven the increase in births during the first five months.' The number of marriages in May rose 4 per cent to 21,761, which was the 14th consecutive month of growth. May also marked the second consecutive month in which monthly births exceeded the 20,000 mark, with 20,717 births recorded in what was the 11th straight month of growth since last July. The current trend marks a shift from early 2024 when the number of births between January and May had dropped by nearly 3 per cent. However, while the number of births is increasing, South Korea's fertility rate, the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, remains at 0.75 – the lowest in the world. The country's low birth and fertility rates are believed to be a direct result of the high costs of living where good-paying jobs are hard to find and many cannot afford to pay the skyrocketing rent. These same factors were the inspiration for the hit-TV show, Squid Game. In order to maintain the current population of 51 million, South Korea's fertility rate would need to rise to 2.1 children per woman. Life expectancy in the country is 86.7 years for women and 80.7 years for men. At current rates, the population will be nearly cut in half by 2100, according to the University of Washington in the US.
Fox News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem House leader Hakeem Jeffries still withholds endorsement after meeting with Zohran Mamdani
After meeting with leading New York City mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani, Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., issued a lukewarm statement through a spokesperson about the meeting and did not endorse his party's nominee. Mamdani, a New York state assemblyman and self-proclaimed socialist who has promised to overhaul New York City and launch massive new government programs, has been endorsed by progressive politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Despite winning the Democratic Party's nomination over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by a wide margin, Mamdani has yet to be endorsed by the party's top leaders, Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Jeffries and Mamdani met in New York City for about an hour Friday. After the meeting, Politico reporter Nicholas Wu posted a statement from Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol that called it "constructive" but did not include any mention of an endorsement. Chermol said "the meeting between Leader Jeffries and Assemblyman Mamdani was constructive, candid and community-centered, with particular focus on affordability. "Leader Jeffries and Assemblyman Mamdani discussed a variety of other important issues, including public safety, rising antisemitism, gentrification and the importance of taking back the House in 2026." According to Chermol's statement, the two "agreed to reconvene shortly, alongside other members of the New York City congressional delegation and a few high-level community leaders." Mamdani is seen by many as a controversial candidate, partially due to his socialist policy proposals and heavy criticism of the state of Israel. Mamdani, who is Muslim, has declined to say whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state and his initial refusal to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada." However, he recently began distancing himself from the phrase. On Thursday, Jeffries told reporters "as has been the case with every single high-profile endorsement decision that I've made in the past, I have a sit-down conversation, and then I take it from there." The meeting with Jeffries comes after Mamdani's recent visit to Washington, D.C., where he attended a breakfast hosted by Ocasio-Cortez and mingled with some of the party's most powerful players. Since then, he secured the endorsement of Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who serves as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. Mamdani is running to unseat the current mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent. He is also facing off against Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and activist Curtis Sliwa, who is the Republican Party nominee.
