Author: DW

K-pop star Jin, who is part of the popular BTS group, completed mandatory military service In South Korea on Wednesday after 18 months of duty. The 31-year-old is the oldest BTS member and the first of the popular boy band to have completed the mandatory national service, which resulted in the group taking a break in their music career. In South Korea, it is compulsory for men under 30 to serve in the military for a duration of 18 to 21 months. Teary-eyed Jin walks out of the military base Jin walked out of the military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province, wearing uniform and a…

Hong Kong said Wednesday it had canceled the passports UK-based  former pro-democracy lawmaker Nathan Law, veteran unionist Mung Siu-tat and activists Simon Cheng, Finn Lau, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da. “These lawless wanted criminals are hiding in the United Kingdom and continue to blatantly engage in activities that endanger national security,” a Hong Kong government spokesperson said. “They also make scaremongering remarks to smear and slander the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” the official added.  Police said anyone offering funds, leasing property or running a business with those named could face up to seven years in jail.Beijing’s ever-tightening grip on Hong KongTo view…

The first thing that catches the eye in Kharkiv is the sheer number of Ukrainian flags lining the streets — there are more here than in Kyiv, the nation’s capital. Cars pass by, and old, dusty streetcars rattle along their tracks in Ukraine’s second-largest city. But the calm, peaceful first impression does not last long. First-time visitors soon become aware of the many checkpoints, anti-tank obstacles and demolished buildings — reminders of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, now in its third year, and Kharkiv’s place as a city on the frontline. Daily Russian air attacks In mid-2024, the city of Kharkiv is…

Weeks after apologising for using a highly offensive word about gay men – the Pope has reportedly used the same term again.Pope Francis initially made the remark in a closed-door meeting with bishops last month, when describing priesthood colleges as already too full of “frociaggine” – a highly offensive Italian slur. According to ANSA news agency, the Pope repeated the term on Tuesday while meeting Roman priests, saying there is an air of “frociaggine” in the Vatican and it was better that young men with a homosexual tendency not be allowed to enter the seminary.Asked to respond to the latest…

Hong Kong said Wednesday it had canceled the passports of six democracy activists who fled to the United Kingdom, calling them “lawless wanted criminals.”  The six people affected are former pro-democracy lawmaker Nathan Law, veteran unionist Mung Siu-tat, and activists Simon Cheng, Finn Lau, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da. “These lawless wanted criminals are hiding in the United Kingdom and continue to blatantly engage in activities that endanger national security,” a Hong Kong government spokesperson said. “They also make scaremongering remarks to smear and slander the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” the official added.  Police said anyone offering funds, leasing property or…

Skip next section US to send another Patriot missile system to Ukraine — reports06/12/2024June 12, 2024US to send another Patriot missile system to Ukraine — reportsThe US will provide Ukraine with another Patriot missile system, the New York Times and the Associated Press reported citing officials familiar with the matter. President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of the Patriot system, the officials said, but an official announcement is yet to be made. This would be second Patriot system supplied by the US to Kyiv following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The new system will come from Poland and could be deployed…

Banana firm Chiquita Brands has been ordered to pay $38.3m (£30m) to 16 family members of people killed by a right-wing paramilitary group it funded during Colombia’s long civil war.The decision by a federal jury in Florida marks the first time the company has been found liable in any of a number of similar lawsuits pending elsewhere in the US. It also marks a rare finding that blames a private US company for human rights abuses in other countries.”This verdict sends a powerful message to corporations everywhere: profiting from human rights abuses will not go unpunished,” Marco Simons, EarthRights international…

It would appear that France has taken a turn toward the far right. A color-coded map  published by the French daily paper Le Monde showing a breakdown of the 2024 European election results by towns and cities appears almost entirely brown, indicating voters’ support for the right-wing European political grouping, Identity and Democracy. Only after taking a closer look can readers identify smaller pockets of color on the map that indicate support for other European groupings. In France, the nationalist, right-wing National Rally (RN) party got 31% of the popular vote — twice what went to French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist…

This year’s Islamic Hajj pilgrimage — which starts on June 14 — will not only be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some 2 million Muslims from around 180 countries who travel to Saudi Arabia, it will also be a physical challenge as temperatures will be above average. “The expected climate for Hajj this year will witness an increase in average temperatures of 1.5 to 2 degrees [Celsius] above normal in Mecca and Medina,” national meteorology center chief Ayman Ghulam said last week. For Mecca, which is at the heart of the five-day Hajj pilgrimage, the increase likely spells an average temperature of…

Flights were unable to take off and land at Majorca’s international airport on Wednesday because of flooding on its runways, following heavy rain that hit the popular Spanish holiday island.Water also streamed from the ceiling of the complex’s shopping area and leaked through windows, videos posted on X appeared to suggest. A weather station at the airport in the capital Palma recorded rainfall of nearly 5cm (2in) per hour, peaking at up to 9cm (3.5in) in less than an hour. X This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need…