Nearly 30 wildfires broke out in southeastern South Korea over the weekend, killing four people and injuring six others, officials said on Sunday. Thousands of firefighters and dozens of helicopters were sent out to fight 29 fires that burned through at least 4,700 acres and forced the evacuation of around 1,000 people, according to the … Read more
We live in a scammer’s world. We get texts from unknown numbers with an odd tone of familiarity. We have been promised breathtaking profits in ads on social media. We have encountered characters on dating apps who seemed too good to be true. It’s not just us, of course. Most people have heard stories or … Read more
Every few weeks, fireworks light up the night sky in Cambodia, set off by scammers to salute their biggest swindles. By the time the shells pop and crackle, somebody’s life savings are probably gone. Maybe the victim fell for an online romance scam or bought into a fake cryptocurrency exchange. Whatever the scheme, the money … Read more
Since President Trump began his second term in January, no high-level officials from the United States have met with their counterparts in China, even as the world’s two largest economies have taken turns imposing steep tariffs on each other. In the absence of official meetings, Senator Steve Daines of Montana has cast himself as a … Read more
The rugged borderlands of northwestern Pakistan have long had a reputation for lawlessness and militancy, labeled by President Barack Obama as “the most dangerous place in the world.” The Pakistani government, facing global scrutiny over the presence of groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, moved in 2018 to overhaul the semiautonomous region’s outdated … Read more
When Tina Keng entered Taiwan’s art world three decades ago, her career — and the industry’s future — was far from assured. “It was like a desert — so much uncertainty,” said Keng, 72, a veteran Taiwanese gallerist, as she stood in her namesake gallery in Taipei on a recent afternoon. She recalled how, in … Read more
Every day, thousands of protesters gather near South Korea’s top court, which has fortified its walls with razor wire as its eight justices prepare a ruling that could shape the future of the country’s democracy. Many shout for the court to remove Yoon Suk Yeol, the country’s president, accusing him of “insurrection.” Nearby, a rival … Read more
A South Korean court on Friday approved an injunction against the K-pop group NewJeans’ attempt to cut ties with its record label, Ador, blocking members from engaging in commercial activities without the label’s consent. In the latest twist in a long-running feud between the two sides, a panel of judges in the Seoul Central District … Read more
The three bundled up figures, puny against the vastness of miles of snow, trudged toward a hole they had cut into the ice. Their sled was parked nearby, and the woolly dogs that pulled it were huddled on the frozen ground, barking for food. Man and dog had to move carefully out here. In some … Read more
Buried in China’s latest government budget were some numbers that add up to an alarming trend. Tax revenue is dropping. The decline means that China’s national government has less money to address the country’s serious economic challenges, including a housing market crash and the near bankruptcy of hundreds of local governments. Weak tax revenue also … Read more