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

The presence of the leaders of Russia and North Korea alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing Wednesday was part of efforts to build an anti-Western "new world order", the EU's foreign policy chief said.

A gut-wrenching film premiering at the Venice Film Festival Wednesday about a five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year gives a "voice" to Palestinian victims of the war, its director said.

Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves on Wednesday promised to keep a "tight grip" on public spending as interest rates soar on the UK's long-term debt, and set November 26 for her annual budget speech.

The director of a new film about a five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza told the Venice Film Festival Wednesday she wanted to give "a voice and a face" to victims.

The EU put forward a huge trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur for approval by member countries Wednesday, reassuring chief critic France it came with "robust" safeguards to protect farmers.

Pizzeria owner Saeed is unable to take or serve orders at his restaurant in the Iranian capital, his business stalled by rolling power outages that have compounded the country's many economic woes.

Gregor Townsend said the chance to coach Scotland at another Rugby World Cup was "exciting" after extending his contract until the 2027 tournament in Australia.

Families huddled hungry and homeless days after a deadly earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, not daring to set foot in the few remaining buildings for fear an aftershock could bring them down.

An Espanyol fan who racially abused Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams was sentenced to a year in prison on Wednesday by a Barcelona court.

A global bond selloff extended on Wednesday, sending yields in Japan to record levels, and gold reached a new peak, as investors fret over mounting government debt.

Players should not be vilified for forcing through transfer moves, former England star Rio Ferdinand told AFP on Wednesday following the Alexander Isak saga, adding: "Nice guys don't win."

The United Nations on Wednesday urged nations late in turning in their climate plans to do so quickly, with major polluters among dozens of countries still to unveil new commitments.

The arrest of an Emmy award-winning comedy writer for social media posts about transgender people has reignited a UK row over freedom of speech, with one government minister saying Wednesday "we need to look at" the law.

A Swiss court on Wednesday weighed whether to hear a landmark climate case pitting residents of a tiny Indonesian island being swallowed by rising sea levels against cement giant Holcim.

With "The Testament of Ann Lee", a movie about the founder of the 18th-century Shaker religious movement screening at the Venice Film Festival, director Mona Fastvold sought to honour a figure "on the verge of being erased from memory".

With "The Testament of Ann Lee", a movie about the founder of the 18th-century Shaker religious movement screening at the Venice Film Festival, director Mona Fastvold sought to honour a figure "on the verge of being erased from memory".

Singapore will order Meta to crack down on scammers pretending to be government officials, a type of fraud that has boomed in the city-state and cost victims tens of millions of dollars, authorities said Wednesday.

High-caffeine energy drinks such as Red Bull will be banned for sale to youths under 16 in England under plans announced by the government on Wednesday.

The CEO of Japanese spirits giant Suntory who resigned over a drugs probe said Wednesday he was innocent, and that he was recommended cannabidiol to cope with his hard travel schedule.

Saxophonist, occasional pilot and heir to a construction fortune, Anutin Charnvirakul was once banned from politics but is now the leading candidate to become Thailand's next prime minister.

Cheers and gasps could be heard around Beijing on Wednesday as China's capital lit up with pomp, pageantry and patriotism for a massive parade showcasing the country's latest military hardware.

British oil giant Shell announced Wednesday it has abandoned construction of one of Europe's largest biofuel plants in the Netherlands, as it focuses on its fossil fuels business.

A global bond selloff extended into Asia on Wednesday with yields in Japan hitting record levels, while gold reached a new peak as investors fret about public finances in countries from Japan to the United States.

A badly burned tortoise that survived a Greek wildfire wriggles in an Athens animal clinic despite lots of painkillers, one of the latest victims of climate change that is playing havoc with the country's wildlife.

Underwater drones, massive missiles and laser weapons dazzled crowds on Wednesday at a major military parade in Beijing, a show of strength for China as frictions with Washington simmer.

The images have gone down in history: lines of exhausted men and women carrying their belongings on their backs, trudging through central Europe in early September 2015.

China experienced its hottest summer on record in 2025, the meteorological authority said, as heatwaves continued to scorch the country's south.

The Australian embassy in Japan issued a warning to travellers to behave themselves after an Instagrammer drank offerings from a Japanese burial site, provoking widespread anger online.

"At first, there was the frost and we lost a lot of blossoms. Then we had a very severe hailstorm when the fruits were small," grimaces Turkish citrus farmer Aleaddin Cogal.

Marieme Ndiaye emerged from her igloo-shaped home in Senegal's capital, its 1950s space-age aesthetic in sharp contrast with the boxy, multi-storey apartments being built nearby.

Novak Djokovic said he is hopeful he will be fit enough to put up a proper fight against Carlos Alcaraz after setting up a titanic US Open semi-final with the Spaniard.

Rugby chiefs have insisted they are supporting financially stricken Samoa "appropriately" at the Women's World Cup after it emerged players from the Pacific island nation had raised funds to cover domestic bills while taking part in the tournament.