By Alex Vuocolo
Headlines out of China were a drag on world markets Tuesday morning.
The country recorded 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than the previous year. While China's rate of population growth has been slowing for years, most experts were not expecting a decline for at least another decade. This is the first drop since the 1950s, when the Communist Party's attempts to rapidly industrialize and collectivize farming led to a massive famine.
It's unclear how much the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the decline, given the lack of transparency around the country's reporting practices. What is clear is that one million fewer babies were born in 2022 than the year before, while deaths jumped from 10.14 to 10.41 million.
China's leaders have long considered overpopulation a problem, but in 2016 the government ended its controversial one-child policy in an effort to bolster birth rates.
Meanwhile, the country also reported its second-lowest growth rate in at least four decades.
The second-largest economy in the world grew by 3 percent in 2022, which is less than half the 2021 rate of 8.1 percent — though slightly higher than the 2.4 percent rate in 2020, when countrywide coronavirus shutdowns essentially ground the country to a halt.
In the fourth quarter of last year, the country reported zero growth.
Notably the country in recent months has eased up on its Zero-COVID policies, which reinstated lockdowns whenever there was an outbreak, sending shockwaves through the global economy.
In the West, China is synonymous with rapid economic and population growth. But these reports point toward a new era for the developing country.
President Joe Biden said the U.S. will consider sanctioning those responsible for the "tragic violation" of human rights.
Their fate is being largely left up to a U.S. government app that is limited and unable to decipher and prioritize human suffering.
Some House Democrats will have to vote for McCarthy's bill if enough conservative Republicans keep their word to oppose any compromise.
According to the CDC, about 4,000 people die from drowning in the U.S. per year. Cheddar News reporter Ashley Mastronardi speaks with Red Cross lifeguard instructor Tyler Ranft about some best practices to stay safe in the water this summer.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday issued a warning that China is capable of cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure such as rail systems and oil and gas pipelines.
They are racing for an agreement this weekend.
A new study published on Wednesday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that taking daily multivitamins could boost memory in adults over the age of 60.
Zoo Miami has issued an apology to New Zealand for allowing guest to touch a kiwi, which is a national symbol for the country. "On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most profound and sincere apology for the stress initiated by a video on social media depicting the handling and housing of 'Paora,' the kiwi bird that is presently under our care," the zoo said in a statement.
An Arkansas man who propped his feet on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office in a widely circulated photo from the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in prison.
The typhoon is the strongest to hit the territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002.
