Seoul Gazette - News from Seoul, the Dongan District, Manan District, Buk District, Busanjin District, South Korea and the world

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week.

Interim manager Calum McFarlane has admitted Chelsea's dismal disciplinary record was a key reason for their failure to qualify for Europe.

Oil prices plunged below $100 a barrel on Monday and stock markets rallied as investors raised their expectations of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following signs that Washington and Iran were edging closer to a deal.

Emergency officials said late on Monday they had ended a two-day rescue operation for at least 12 people believed buried in the debris of a collapsed building in the northern Philippines.

France scrum-half Antoine Dupont and Italy full-back Ange Capuozzo have recovered from injuries to help Toulouse's French Top 14 bid, the record 24-time champions announced on Monday.

Russia said Monday it plans to launch more strikes on Kyiv, including on its "decision-making centres", and repeated a call for foreign citizens and diplomats to leave the city.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations must normalize ties with Israel as part of efforts to reach a deal with Iran, adding fresh uncertainty into protracted peace negotiations.

Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek and second seed Elena Rybakina both eased into the second round with comfortable wins at a sweltering Roland Garros on Monday, as Stan Wawrinka bade an emotional farewell to the tournament.

The Scandic Finance Group (SFG) is laying the foundation for a comprehensive ecosystem of real services and digital financial technology with the SNC Scandic Coin (SNC). As a global conglomerate with more than one hundred and fifteen daily newspapers and companies in mobility, technology, security and real estate, the group is creating a common currency whose use goes beyond that of a means of payment. The new coin simultaneously serves as an access key, loyalty programme and store of value for users around the world.From today’s market launch on 26 May 2026, interested parties can acquire the SNC Scandic Coin (SNC) directly for the first time. On the official website https://www.sncCoin.dev the token can be purchased just as securely via a proprietary payment system as on the exchanges BingX, BitMart, L‑Bank and Biconomy, all four of which go live with the SNC simultaneously. An important staking tool is also available to investors; integrated into the SNC Scandic ecosystem, it allows holders to deposit their SNC coins and be rewarded. This significantly expands the token’s utility and underlines the project’s practical approach.

Former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his 21st and final Roland Garros on Monday with a four-set defeat to Jesper de Jong.

Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential election overshadowed by a surge in violence, facing a stark choice between extending four years of leftist rule or shifting sharply right.

US President Donald Trump on Monday urged Muslim-majority nations across the Middle East and beyond to normalize relations with Israel as part of the emerging Iran peace deal.

South African government ministers held urgent talks Monday to address tensions over illegal migration as protesters again demanded that undocumented foreign nationals be made to leave the country.

Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in the holy city of Mecca on Monday for an annual hajj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East.

Locals at the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo attacked the town hospital overnight, demanding the body of a religious leader who died from the virus, officials said on Monday.

Marco Rubio leads US foreign policy as diplomacy on Iran goes down to the wire, but he is also making time for cultural attractions as divergent as the Taj Mahal and the Village People.

Britain broke its record on Monday for the hottest day in May, according to the national weather agency, with the mercury rising to 33.5C near London as the country baked in a sweltering heatwave.

Cambodia's acting head of state, former prime minister Hun Sen, pardoned opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday from a sentence of almost three decades for treason.

Iran warned Monday that, while some progress had been made, it was not yet close to striking a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war, as US President Donald Trump also said he was in no hurry to sign.

Lamine Yamal is the star name in Spain's squad for the 2026 World Cup named by coach Luis de la Fuente on Monday, which also included Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino after his recent return from injury.

South Africa wing Cheslin Kolbe has re-signed for his first club Stormers, nine years after leaving the Cape Town-based club.

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek powered into the French Open second round on Monday with a dominant straight-sets win over Australian teenager Emerson Jones.

Lamine Yamal leads Spain's squad for the 2026 World Cup named by coach Luis de la Fuente on Monday, which also included Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino after his recent return from injury.

Oil prices dropped back below $100 a barrel on Monday and stock markets rallied as investors raised expectations of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following signs that Washington and Iran were edging closer to a deal.

Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the "disarming" of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology, and warned of "new forms of slavery" behind its rise.

Giro d'Italia leader Jonas Vingegaard is closing in on one of his major career goals but he does not expect to keep chasing others for many more years, the Dane said on Monday.

Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the "disarming" of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology, and warned of "new forms of slavery" behind its rise.

Iran warned Monday that, while some progress had been made, it was not yet close to striking a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war, after a weekend of mixed messages from Washington and Tehran.

Britain was set to break its record for the hottest day in May on Monday, the national weather agency predicted, as the country sweltered in an "unprecedented" heatwave.

Being in Mecca has been nothing short of blissful for Hassan Qadiri, where participating in the festivities of the hajj pilgrimage is a welcome relief after weeks of devastating war back home in Iran.

The Swiss will vote next month on an initiative to cap the population at 10 million -- an anti-immigration proposal that is fracturing public opinion in the wealthy Alpine nation.

India's ruling Hindu-nationalist party has ordered detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in West Bengal state, sparking fear among minorities that it could lead to arbitrary expulsions.