A second heavy prison sentence has landed on former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, this time over prosecutors’ claims that he sent drones into North Korea to help manufacture the crisis atmosphere that preceded his ill-fated 2024 martial law declaration. Special prosecutors said in April that Yoon had tried to "fabricate wartime conditions" through the drone flights, arguing that the operation compromised national security. The latest punishment follows an earlier life sentence imposed on Yoon for leading what the…

A possible opening in one of the world’s most volatile flashpoints emerged on Friday, with US President Donald Trump saying Washington and Tehran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Iran, however, quickly cautioned that no final decision had yet been made. If it goes ahead, the agreement would mark the biggest diplomatic advance so far toward ending the three-month-old war, a conflict that has killed thousands and driven global energy prices sharply higher.…

With fireworks crackling overhead and a forest of spires lit in waves of colour, Pope Leo XIV on Sunday blessed a towering new addition to Barcelona's Sagrada Familia after celebrating mass inside the unfinished landmark, now the tallest church in the world. A fireworks and light display washed across the temple's exterior at the close of the ceremony, drenching the basilica in shifting hues and drawing the eye to its newly dominant silhouette. A 600-voice choir sang during the service, which lasted about 90 minutes and drew…

Britain’s political strains burst into the open when Defence Secretary John Healey resigned after a fierce row over military funding, charging that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had failed to back the country’s security needs at a moment of growing danger. The surprise departure, delivered alongside a sharply critical public letter, adds to the pressure bearing down on Mr Starmer as he confronts the prospect of a leadership challenge. It also lays bare the government’s central dilemma: how to increase defence spending when the…

People tend to drift left without even realizing it, according to an international study that found a consistent human habit of turning anti-clockwise while walking. Researchers say the pattern shows up in enclosed settings including supermarkets, museums and empty rooms, where people appear to favor moving leftward as they navigate space. The first round of research took place in Spain, where the behavior was initially suspected to reflect a cultural trait. But when researchers in Japan repeated the experiment, they arrived…

With inflation climbing past 4% and political pressure mounting, US President Donald Trump struck a strikingly defiant note, telling reporters he “loved” inflation while again insisting prices would fall once the Iran war comes to an end. Pressed on fresh US government figures showing consumer inflation in May rose at its fastest rate in three years — and asked whether that surge could hurt his fellow Republicans only months before November’s midterm election — Mr Trump replied: “I love the inflation.” The president went on…

A late-night assault ripped through an informal settlement near Johannesburg, where gunmen opened fire and killed 12 people, South African police said. The attack unfolded shortly before midnight in a poor community of corrugated-metal shacks near an area occupied by illegal miners, according to police. Police spokeswoman said about 10 assailants were driven to the Jumpers settlement, dropped off, and then swept into the area. "The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through…

A startling discovery from the depths of the Indian Ocean has uncovered what scientists say is the world’s largest whale graveyard, where a sweeping field of both recent and ancient carcasses is nourishing dense communities of deep-sea life. The site is also believed to be the deepest and oldest whale graveyard ever identified, according to research published in Nature, with some fossils traced to 5.3 million years ago. Peering out from a cramped submersible, the Chinese team encountered a cast of unusual creatures — many…

A new wave of US strikes hit multiple sites in Iran overnight, the American military said, sharpening a crisis that had already been edging back toward open war just hours after President Donald Trump warned of further attacks if no ⁠peace dealis secured. "The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression," the military's Central Command said in a post on X, adding the strikes began after midnight in Tehran. Iran's top joint military command answered with a warning of its own, saying it would fire on…

A fresh wave of Russian missiles and drones tore into Ukraine's Kharkiv region, killing four people and injuring more than 20, officials said, as authorities in Russia-annexed Crimea reported they were fending off drone attacks. The bombardment comes after weeks of heavy cross-border strikes by both Russia and Ukraine. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for an end to the war and suggested direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, with the United States and Europe actively involved. The newest attacks…