Labour shambles as Andy Burnham refuses to back Heathrow expansion - weeks after his Chancellor said it must go ahead

The United States' issuance of nonimmigrant visas for Koreans fell nearly 8 percent from a year earlier in 2025 following the inauguration of the new U.S. President Donald Trump administration, data analyzed by a lawmaker's office showed Sunday. The office of Rep. Hong Kee-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said it recently analyzed U.S. State Department data on visa issuance per country and found that 68,130 nonimmigrant visas had been issued to Koreans last year, down 7.95 percent from 74,015 issued in 2024 during former President Joe Biden's administration. The number fell across most categories, including the B-1 business visa and the B-2 tourism visa. During the months following last September's surprise detention of hundreds of Korean workers in the U.S. state of Georgia, however, the numbers appeared to grow, according to the lawmaker's office. In December, Korea and the U.S. launched a visa support desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to help Korean companies investing in the U.S. with smoother entry procedures. The State Department data showed average monthly B-1 and B-2 vi

TOKYO — Hundreds of Japanese visitors lined up outside the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo each morning from Friday through Sunday, eager to try on hanbok (Korean traditional attire), get K-pop-inspired makeovers and meet young Koreans face-to-face at the annual Korea-Japan Festival. Drawing visitors ranging from young adults to families, the three-day festival offered hands-on experiences designed to showcase both contemporary trends and traditional Korean culture. Visitors could speak directly with young volunteers from Korea and Japan, experience professional K-pop-style makeovers and take part in cultural activities. Organizers expect nearly 6,000 visitors across the three days of the festival. This year marked the festival's 20th anniversary, with the event having launched in 2005 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. In a departure from previous years, the event moved from Hibiya Park to the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo as organizers experimented with a new format. The indoor venue allowed the festival to place greater emphasis o

President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico, where he emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula and renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, was overshadowed at home by controversy over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Experts said the incidents drew attention to the challenges facing Lee’s peace initiative as Pyongyang maintains its hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks would adequately address South Korea’s security concerns. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said North Korea would be unlikely to respond positively to peace overtures under normal circumstances, and that the incidents have likely added to the tension. “I don’t think North Korea would have shown much enthusiasm toward the Lee Jae Myung government even if these two incidents had not happened,” Nam said. “North Korea is already playing a bigger game with President Trump.” Nam said Pyongyang is more interested in negotiating directly

Washington’s proposed military bases and expanded defence presence in Greenland will be akin to a “keep out” sign against potential Arctic military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, according to analysts. The US, Denmark and Greenland signed a defence deal on Tuesday that allows Washington to build two new military bases on the world’s largest island, while reaffirming Denmark’s sovereignty over it. The deal – which updates and amends a 1951 defence agreement between Denmark and the US –...

At the start of the Labour Party Conference the Chancellor said the party wanted the super wealthy to stay because 'they create the jobs and they can create the wealth for us'.

Another megapoll has suggested the party's position has significantly improved as the gathering in Liverpool begins.

The Dutch art-house movie Diary of a Weak Yogi was made to shock audiences.

Is it the point at which we can confidently say what day the bins go out? When our cars are finally free of crisp packets and greasy sandwich wrappers?

At least three hikers fell ill on countryside trails as temperatures in parts of Hong Kong climbed to a sweltering 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) on Sunday. A 25-year-old visitor was suspected of suffering from heatstroke while he hiked with friends on the popular High Island Reservoir East Dam-Po Pin Chau hiking route in Sai Kung at about noon. A government helicopter airlifted him to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai for treatment. The route is one of Hong Kong’s best-known hiking trails,...

Three white vans have been probed by a wheeled robot attached to the Army's bomb squad after five men were arrested following a 'foiled terror plot' on RAF Fairford.

In 1987, Sweden adopted a new strategy to distribute refugees more evenly across the country, and asked Sjobo, then a town of around 15,400, to take in around 15 people.