By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:22 PM
Chile formally began to build trenches and walls Monday at the Chacalluta border crossing with Peru as part of the president's a new security plan. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 11:36 AM
Iran stepped up its targeting of the oil facilities of Gulf neighbors, attacking and setting on fire a key hub on the "safe" side of the Hormuz Strait ... Read full Story
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage of water between Iran and Oman. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 9:17 AM
South Korea's Ministry of Intellectual Property has appointed former Go champion Lee Sedol as its first ambassador and to communicate policy. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 5:52 AM
The Israeli military announced Monday that soldiers were conducting ground operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, amid its larger war against the militant organization's backer, Iran. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 5:05 AM
The South Korean currency fell to a 17-year low against the U.S. dollar Monday as global oil prices surged amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 4:56 AM
President Lee Jae Myung congratulated Netflix's "K-Pop Demon Hunters" on winning Academy awards, expressing hope that the animated film's success would further expand the global reach of Korean culture. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 4:03 AM
North Korea-linked hackers carried out a spear-phishing campaign that used the South Korean messaging platform KakaoTalk to spread malware, according to a report Monday. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 3:11 AM
Dubai officials temporarily suspended all flights at the city's international airport Monday morning, as the United Arab Emirates was defending itself against a barrage of Iranian drone and missile strikes. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 2:08 AM
President Donald Trump late Sunday demanded nations that rely on oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz join his coalition to police the important transit route as oil prices surge worldwide. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 1:02 AM
A bold bet by a S. Korean shipping heir on ultra-large oil tankers is paying off handsomely as the war involving Iran and drives tanker demand higher. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:52 AM
Concerns surrounding South Korea's recently enacted judicial reform package are already beginning to materialize only days after the laws took effect. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:37 AM
S. Korea's currency are rising sharply as the Middle East conflict intensifies, raising growing concerns that the country could slide into stagflation ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:26 AM
S. Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission plans to investigate hundreds of overseas adoption cases involving adoptees living around the world ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:15 AM
Pope Leo XIV called for a cease-fire in the Middle East on Sunday, issuing his strongest and most direct demand to date for an end to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran as the conflict entered its third week. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:14 AM
South Korea's People Power Party said Sunday it will open an additional round of applications for its candidate in the upcoming Seoul mayoral race. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/16/2026 12:02 AM
S. Korean experts say any response to Trump's call for naval deployment to the Strait of Hormuz should focus on navigation freedom and energy security ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 3/15/2026 11:36 PM
N. Korea conducted large-scale rocket artillery test shortly after key U.S. air defense assets stationed in S. Korea were redeployed to Middle East ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 19, 2026 is:
nadir \NAY-deer\ noun
Nadir refers to the lowest or worst point of something. When used in astronomy, nadir describes the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer.
// Only once the novel’s protagonist reaches her nadir does she arouse the reader’s empathy, and we root for her to climb back to respectability.
“Sacrament dives right into the nadir of the 2020 health crisis, following a group of nurses who have moved into makeshift housing near a California hospital, to isolate from their families during the height of the case surge.” — James Folta, LitHub.com, 1 July 2025
Did you know?
Nadir is part of the galaxy of scientific words that have come to us from Arabic, a language that has made important contributions to the English lexicon especially in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. The source of nadir is naḍhīr, meaning “opposite”—the opposite, that is, of the zenith, the highest point of the celestial sphere which is positioned vertically above the observer. (The word zenith itself is a modification of another Arabic word that means “the way over one’s head.”) Though born of the heavens, both words are called upon to refer to earthy things too, especially a significant point or period of time, be it a high point or low one.