South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday he’s weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December 2024. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with North Korea. But asked about North Korea’s yearslong detentions of several South Korean nationals, Lee said he wasn’t aware...
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Released From Prison After Trump Pardon
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday. Hernández was released Monday from U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press. The bureau’s online inmate records also reflected his release. The release of Hernández — a former U.S. ally whose conviction prosecutors said exposed the depth of cartel influence in Honduras — comes just...
Video: Barbadian Singer And Actress Rihanna Fenty Talks About Partner A$AP Rocky’s Acting And Their Kids On ExtraTV
Rihanna; “I’m so proud of him. I get amazed. He’s such a great talent. […] The babies are amazing. They’re all getting bigger. I cannot take it. My sons… their faces are changing”
Austrian Police Say 2 Ukrainians Arrested After Body Found In Burnt-Out Car
Austrian police said Tuesday that two suspects have been arrested in Ukraine after the body of a 21-year-old man was found in a burnt-out car in Vienna last week. The police statement said the motive was unclear but “withdrawals from the victim’s crypto wallet were detected and a large amount of cash was seized from the suspects. A motive of greed therefore seems likely.” Police said they could not give further details on the victim’s identity due to privacy rules, but Austrian news agency APA said he was a Ukrainian citizen. Police described the suspects as Ukrainian men, aged 19...
President Tinubu Nominates General Christopher Musa As The New Minister Of Defence
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence. In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu conveyed General Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday citing health issue. According to Special Adviser to the President, Bayo Onanuga in a press release on Tuesday, part of the letter to the Senate expressed the president’s confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture. Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education...
Bulgaria’s Government Withdraws Controversial Budget After Major Protests
Bulgaria’s government said Tuesday it is withdrawing a controversial budget proposal after protests against it drew tens of thousands of people and saw clashes between police and protesters. Opposition and business groups have warned that plans for higher taxes, increased social security contributions and spending increases could hurt investment and expand the shadow economy as the country prepares to join the eurozone at the start of next year. The government first promised to withdraw the draft for thorough revision after protests last week, but later refused to do so, sparking protests in the capital, Sofia, and other major cities Monday night. Organizers said that 50,000...
Gunmen Kill A Government Official And 3 Others After Vehicle Ambush In Northwestern Pakistan
Suspected militants ambushed a vehicle carrying a government administrator in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing him, two of his guards and a passerby, officials said. The attack took place in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Alam Khan, a local police official. He identified the administrator killed as Shah Wali, who served in Miran Shah near the Afghan border. The ambush came a day after a suicide bombing near a police vehicle in the northwestern district of Lakki Marwat killed a senior police officer. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban,...
Afghanistan’s Taliban Rulers Carry Out Public Execution In Sports Stadium In Eastern City
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities carried out a public execution at a stadium in the eastern city of Khost on Tuesday, putting to death a man who the country’s Supreme Court said had killed 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people, including relatives of the victims, attended the execution in the sports stadium, which the Supreme Court said was the 11th carried out since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. United Nations’ Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan Richard Bennet posted on X earlier Tuesday that reports...
Iran Sentences Acclaimed Director Jafar Panahi In Absentia To A Year In Prison
Iran has sentenced acclaimed director Jafar Panahi to a year in prison in absentia, even as he received new awards for his latest movie. The Tehran court also imposed a two-year ban on Panahi leaving Iran after convicting him on charges of “propaganda activities against the system,” his lawyer Mostafa Nili said in a post on X. Nili said he would appeal the ruling. Word of the sentence came as Panahi was in New York City on Monday evening, receiving three awards at the annual Gotham Awards for his movie “It Was Just an Accident,” which also received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival...