Blog

On the streets of South Korea's capital Seoul, people are still stunned and they sound incredulous.It's been a shocking week to process - one that saw their president threaten their sense of stability and security. Along the bustling alleys of Hongdae, the air is filled with the sweet smell of baked desserts.Countless neon photobooths line the roads, alongside karaoke bars and brightly lit shops offering tarot readings. Image: This fortune teller was furious with the president We sat down with one fortune teller furious at the hand the president chose to play. "It's so unacceptable. So of course he should step down or get impeached and our citizens are going to make that happen," she told me.We have now heard from officials...

Any evidence that Russia tried to influence an election in a NATO state would expose a form of hybrid attack that is designed to weaken the alliance from within.So-called "political influence operations", which can use social media to amplify a particular candidate to boost their chances of success, are deliberately difficult to attribute - with ambiguity an integral part of the weapons system that makes it so hard to defend against. But allies are trying better to identify attempts, in particular by Russia, to target member states with information campaigns aimed at meddling in elections to assist politicians and political parties that are sceptical of NATO and more favourable towards Vladimir Putin.It is why events in Romania - where a top court has just annulled the result of the first ...

It wasn't just Notre-Dame Cathedral that burned, it was the very heart of France, they say.Parisians wept as they watched the catastrophe unfold, fearing for the lives of worshippers - and the survival of one of the most holy relics in the world. Firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the blaze and save as much of the iconic building as they could, even as they contended with molten lead and billowing smoke.Miraculously, no one died in the fire and the Crown of Thorns relic - whose exact location inside Notre-Dame was a secret known only to a few - was found and carried to safety. Image: Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire. Pic: Reuters On the evening of 15 April 2019, a pinnacle of human achievement went...

South Korea's president has said he is "very sorry" days after declaring martial law and surrounding parliament with soldiers.Yoon Suk Yeol plunged his country into turmoil on Tuesday when he put the military in charge, claiming it was necessary to defend the constitutional order and "eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces". However, his shock move sparked fury from the public and politicians who immediately opposed him and he quickly backed down.Who is South Korean president who declared martial law? Image: Anti-government protesters wear masks of officials including President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul. Pic: Reuters Image: South Korean protesters demonstrat...

It should have been a feel-good story: six young men, plucked from obscurity to become music stars. That's how Neta Rozenblat, a member of boyband as1one, puts it.Pop hopefuls do not usually find themselves having to navigate fear, grief and complex political issues before the world even knows their names - but theirs is not a typical story. As1one are billed as the first-ever Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Arab boyband, put together following a two-year search by US hitmakers behind acts such as Maroon 5 and Kings Of Leon.While the band has found considerable support, including from big names - they recorded their first single with Nile Rodgers at London's Abbey Road - as Israel's military campaign in Gaza continues, they have also faced criticism and some outrage. "Wrong Direction", read...