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

Israel's parliament Thursday passed a law expanding elected officials' power to appoint judges, defying a years-long movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious judicial reforms that saw massive street protests.

A bright orange helicopter races over the jungle to dump water on a raging wildfire that is adding to the air pollution choking Thailand's northern tourist hub of Chiang Mai.

Red Bull said on Thursday that Liam Lawson has been axed and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, confirming days of speculation and just two race weekends into the F1 season.

South Sudan's opposition said on Thursday the arrest overnight of First Vice President Riek Machar, long-time rival to President Salva Kiir, had invalidated their 2018 peace deal and risked plunging the country back into war.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday he would call a general election "imminently", with local media reporting the poll would be held on May 3.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday was hosting European leaders including President Volodymyr Zelensky for a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential ceasefire with Russia to end the over three-year war.

A plunge in automakers hit Asian and European equities on Thursday after Donald Trump announced painful tariffs on all imported vehicles and parts as he presses hardball trade policies many fear will spark a recession.

China rebuffed on Thursday a suggestion from US President Donald Trump that he might offer to reduce tariffs on the country to get Beijing's approval for the sale of popular social media platform TikTok.

South Korean authorities said Thursday they will inspect elite-level football pitches across the country after national skipper Son Heung-min blamed poor playing surfaces for hurting their World Cup hopes.

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Beijing on Thursday to help bring Russia to talks over ending its war in Ukraine as he met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Sudan's gold industry has become the lifeblood of its war, with nearly all of the trade channelled through the United Arab Emirates, enriching both the army and paramilitaries, according to official and NGO sources.

It was a moment that instantly went viral -- a White House reporter asking Volodymyr Zelensky why he wasn't wearing a suit in the Oval Office just before his huge row with Donald Trump.

Japan's government warned Thursday of a "significant impact" on its economic ties with the United States and on global trade, after President Donald Trump announced import tariffs on cars.

The United States has removed multimillion-dollar bounties on leaders of Afghanistan's feared Haqqani militant network, including the current Taliban interior minister, the State Department and the Taliban government said.

Hype is growing from leaders of major AI companies that "strong" computer intelligence will imminently outstrip humans, but many researchers in the field see the claims as marketing spin.

In a sweltering factory in Lesotho, rows of workers hunch over thrumming sewing machines churning out piles of jeans for the global market from a country that US President Donald Trump has mocked as unknown.

African football icons Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi appear set to feature at the 2026 World Cup as Egypt and Morocco have built commanding leads in their qualifying groups.

African 2026 World Cup qualifying facts and figures after matchday six:

Booing crowds, a man jabbing his finger and swearing -- it is not easy these days for some Republican members of Congress as they face their constituents in town halls dominated by rage over President Donald Trump's radical cost-cutting policies.

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for a "powerful Franco-Chinese partnership" in the face of geopolitical crises as he met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday.

North Korea sent an additional 3,000 troops to Russia this year and is still supplying missiles, artillery and ammunition to help Moscow fight Kyiv, Seoul's military said on Thursday.

Former Brighton and Fulham defender Liam Rosenior may only be in the third year of his coaching career, but the Englishman has so far enjoyed a stellar debut season at Ligue 1 club Strasbourg and has his sights set on Europe.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's proposed move from Liverpool to Real Madrid has split opinion on whether a local hero can leave Merseyside without a lasting stain on his legacy.

The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens take place from Friday in a big test for the shiny new stadium at the heart of a major $3.85 billion sports park in the southern Chinese city.

Figure skating united on Wednesday as the World Championships in Boston mourned the victims of a January plane crash that claimed the lives of several skaters and coaches.

Myanmar's junta will muster its embattled troops for a show of strength on Armed Forces Day on Thursday, after a year of seismic defeats and turning to forcibly conscripting civilians to bolster its ranks.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Thursday he hopes "justice is served" to far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro, who will stand trial on charges of plotting a coup.

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for a "powerful Franco-Chinese partnership" amid geopolitical turmoil, as he met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday for talks on the war in Ukraine and Beijing's trade row with Europe.

From a gated community for her Zoroastrian faith in Pakistan's megacity Karachi, 22-year-old Elisha Amra has waved goodbye to many friends migrating abroad as the ancient Parsi community dwindles.

LeBron James tipped in a buzzer-beating rebound with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Los Angeles Lakers halted their three-game losing streak with a pulsating 120-119 road victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Wildfires in South Korea are now "the largest on record" having burned more forest than any previous blaze, the country's disaster chief said Thursday, as the death toll rose to 26.

At regular intervals, vehicle transporters exited the front gates of the historic Vauxhall plant in the English town of Luton, loaded with white electric vans straight off the assembly line.