Schools are going to dramatic lengths to stop year 9 becoming “a lost year” for students.

The head of ASIO said reports of Australians being abused and threatened “breaks my heart”. He criticised politicians and the media for not calling it out loudly and quickly.

If you think money is the root of all evil, try living in a communist country.

In the increasingly lucrative field of scent marketing, one Australian company is helping some of the world’s biggest brands hyper-curate their customer experience.

Their new documentary Jebediah: Are we OK? reveals how four friends from Bull Creek navigated 30 years of friendship and stardom.

The Korea Post will issue commemorative stamps honoring esports player Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, on Oct. 23, celebrating his career and contributions to Korean esports. The state-run postal service under the Ministry of Science and ICT said on Saturday it will release 140,000 stamp sheets alongside stamp albums and other commemorative products. The stamps depict milestones in Lee’s career, including portraits of him celebrating at award ceremonies. Lee, who debuted in 2013, has won six League of Legends World Championships, 10 League of Legends Champions Korea titles and two Mid-Season Invitational titles, according to the authority. He also won gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, defending the title he won at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. In 2024, he became the first player inducted into the game's Hall of Legends. In January, Lee became the first esports player to receive the Cheongryong Medal, the highest honor of Korea’s Order of Sport Merit. To mark the release, Korea Post opened a special exhibition dedicated to Faker at its stamp museum inside Seoul Central Post

One thing Shin Jeong-ok, a team leader at a McDonald’s restaurant in Seoul’s Seongbuk District, enjoys about her job is being looked up to by friends and acquaintances in their 60s and older. In Korea, where the population is rapidly aging, seniors face increasingly fierce competition for employment as they outnumber younger job seekers. As of this year, more than 11 million people in Korea, or 21.6 percent of the population, are aged 60 or older. Many are baby boomers born between 1955 and 1963, a generation larger than those that came before them. Now entering retirement, they are increasingly seeking jobs, but age-related health issues and physical limitations restrict their employment options. Fortunately for Shin, her current job title is a hard-earned position she began in her early 50s. Now, the 63-year-old says she cannot imagine a life without working five times a week at McDonald’s Jongam SK branch in northern Seoul. “When I tell my neighbors or friends that I work at McDonald’s, I see the envy in their eyes. Being able to say that I have a job and seeing their admira

Prediction market Kalshi has opened an investigation into suspicious bets related to President Trump’s selection of his next press secretary, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company said that it was looking into at least three trades placed on its platform shortly before news outlets began announcing the appointment of Katie Zacharia to the White...

Chinese military aircraft may already be using a new joint aviation facility in Laos, with satellite imagery showing twice as many K-8/JL-8-family trainer aircraft there as the Laotian air force is assessed to possess. Eight of the two-seat trainer and light-attack aircraft were visible at Ban Keun Airport in commercial satellite imagery taken on September 30, according to Reuters, which first reported the images. More than two dozen military and support vehicles were also visible. The image was...

Trivia buffs, test your knowledge with today’s interactive superquiz.

Lyazzat Khan, a proud resident of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, has quietly been building an empire of laughter. Originally from Kazakhstan, she is the mastermind behind Event Max, a business that brings Russian-speaking comedians to Korea. For Korea’s Russian-speaking population of nearly 200,000, there is a growing market for entertainment services. Most of these residents are Koryo-saram, or ethnic Koreans from former Soviet Union countries. Many are employed in the country’s light and heavy industry factories, working grueling hours. Leisure services for this group of workers remain underdeveloped, mostly because of the language barrier to accessing Korean entertainment. Over half of Korea’s Russian-speaking population lives in Ansan and Incheon, where in some neighborhoods, it is common to hear Russian spoken on the street. Restaurants and lounges catering specifically to Russian-speakers have sprung up in these neighborhoods since the early 2000s. However, a demand for more community-centered entertainment is on the rise as many businesses were shuttered during the pandemic. Ent

Researcher Song In-joo's father had been adamant that he did not want to die in a hospital, so she stayed by his side at home through his final days. "I realized that death isn't a momentary event, but a long, painful process. You have to work hard to die," Song said. "Everything is going as it should," her father said two days before he died. "I believe my father died peacefully, thanks to the care and human touch he received," Song said. "Death inevitably requires the help of others." That was in 2016. Song, then a senior research fellow at the Seoul Welfare Foundation and now head of Ssro Lab, began researching lonely deaths that year in hopes of preventing people from dying without care or human contact. To do so, she first had to determine who dies in isolation, why they become isolated and how they spend their final days. Since she could not ask the dead themselves, she analyzed police records on 20,000 unattended deaths and interviewed family members and neighbors to examine the circumstances surrounding lonely deaths — a process known as a "social autopsy." Song recently publishe

A Korean-born man who spent 14 years in a U.S. prison for armed robbery does not have to serve in the Korean military, a Seoul court has ruled, extending an exemption for convicted inmates to those who have served their jail sentences overseas. The ruling rejects the Military Manpower Administration's position that only inmates transferred to Korea to complete their sentences qualify for exemption. The court did, however, attach a condition meant to keep the exemption from becoming a loophole for draft evasion. Under the Military Service Act, anyone sentenced to 18 months or more in prison is placed in wartime labor service, a category that exempts a person from peacetime duty and calls him up only for labor support in the event of war. The man, whose name was withheld, moved to the U.S. with his family and later became a permanent resident there. He was convicted of robbery and aggravated assault in 2010 and was deported to Korea after completing his sentence last year. A physical examination classified him as eligible for alternative service as a social service agent, but he sought ass

Local governments across Korea are competing to host prisons, once widely regarded as undesirable facilities, as shrinking populations and struggling local economies prompt communities to seek new sources of jobs, residents and spending. Cheongsong and Yeongdeok counties in North Gyeongsang Province, Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province and Boeun County in the same province are among the municipalities that have entered the competition. According to the Ministry of Justice, Thursday, the government is seeking sites for four correctional facilities to address prison overcrowding and aging infrastructure. Each facility would accommodate 1,000 inmates and employ 250 permanent staff members, requiring at least 192,000 square meters of land. The four projects have a combined construction cost of 967.6 billion won ($680 million). They will be carried out as build-transfer-lease projects, under which private companies construct the facilities and transfer ownership to the government, which then pays rent for their use. Cheongsong is touting its experience as host to four correctional facilitie

Thirty-eight people suffered minor injuries Saturday when part of a ceiling collapsed at a building in Daegu, fire authorities said. According to the Daegu Fire and Safety Headquarters and the Buk District Office, the incident occurred at 10:16 a.m. on the second floor of a four-story building in Gwaneum-dong, Buk District. At the time, a vendor was selling kitchenware and other goods to elderly customers when a section of the ceiling finish collapsed. All 66 people inside evacuated the building on their own following the collapse. A total of 38 people were reported to have sustained minor injuries, with nine of them transported to hospitals. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Firefighters were dispatched to conduct a search and implement safety measures at the scene. A thorough search following the evacuation revealed no additional casualties. Police also deployed officers around the site to manage traffic. Built in 1994, the four-story building previously housed a grocery store on the first floor, which had suspended operations in September. Authorities plan to in

Every weekday before 1997, death row inmates in Korea braced themselves between 6 and 9 a.m. — the hours when executions could happen. If 9 a.m. passed uneventfully, they felt relief. Then they went to sleep wondering if the next morning would be their last. No one has been executed since Dec. 30, 1997, but 56 people remain on death row — 52 in Ministry of Justice correctional facilities and four in military prisons. Kim Dae-keun, a research fellow at the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, interviewed 42 of them. "Most of them were ashamed, distressed or regretful about what they did," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. "I imagine they were brutal and frightening when they committed their crimes. But many I met in prison now were older, frail men." Oct. 10 marks World Day Against the Death Penalty, an annual international observance calling for the abolition of executions as judicial punishment. In Korea, the day arrives with the death penalty still on the books but widely regarded as unenforceable. Most inmates now believe executions will not resume — a beli

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) on Saturday called for renewed efforts to abolish the death penalty, nearly 30 years after the country's last execution. In a statement marking the 24th World Day Against the Death Penalty, NHRCK Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho noted that Korea had not carried out an execution since Dec. 30, 1997. “The past 30 years have shown that society can maintain public safety and a stable criminal justice system without carrying out executions. This experience is a valuable asset that goes beyond simply suspending executions,” Ahn said. “Now is the time to advance discussions on whether the death penalty should remain in law, drawing on this experience.” Ahn also highlighted the global trend toward abolishing capital punishment. According to Amnesty International, 145 countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice as of the end of last year, accounting for about three-quarters of countries worldwide. He said discussions on abolition should take into account the suffering of violent crime victims and their families, as well as publ

Hong Kong police have arrested 127 people in a six-month undercover operation against a Vietnamese-led crime syndicate accused of running loan-sharking rackets charging interest rates of up to 3,700 per cent, as well as illegal gambling and unlicensed bars in West Kowloon. The syndicate is also alleged to have helped illegal immigrants find shelter and work, with police raiding eight premises on October 8 and 9. Among those arrested were 10 alleged core members, including the suspected leader, a...

Communist Party officials in eastern China’s Zhejiang province have called for greater oversight of major internet platforms and their “traffic power”, warning that online traffic and algorithms had evolved into a force capable of shaping public discussion and sentiment. The publicity department of the Zhejiang provincial party committee published the commentary on social media on Thursday, saying traffic could no longer be viewed simply as a data resource. Zhejiang’s capital city, Hangzhou, is...

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Brian Anthony Williams, whom they allege is a fugitive from Iowa who lived for more than a decade under an alias and worked as a chef in San Diego.

As mayoral election day nears, four people talk about how they escaped homelessness.

Senior public servants found accountable for last year’s deadly Tai Po fire could face disciplinary action if named in an investigation report that a government-appointed panel is expected to submit this month, Hong Kong’s civil service chief has said. Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan also said on Saturday that a support unit was being set up to assist the Public Service Commission if investigations into officials’ “administrative responsibilities” were eventually...

Two Chinese ceramics at the British Museum have been damaged while on display and are being restored, sparking fresh debate over how museums should safely exhibit fragile cultural treasures. The museum confirmed on Friday that a bowl had fallen from its shelf and landed on a small box on the bottom shelf, damaging both pieces. “Both objects are already with our expert conservation team for complete restoration,” the museum said. The museum, which said the incident occurred on October 4, noted...

Matt Renshaw celebrate lifting the bat after reaching 100 runs against South Africa in the first innings.

Ashley Grillo, 29, faced court from hospital, under police guard, after being charged with the murder of his twin brother who was found dead at their Orelia home.

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has welcomed talks between Washington and Beijing aimed at reducing the risk of conflict. Lai’s annual Double Tenth address on Saturday, marking the anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, also called for democracies to work together to safeguard regional peace and for the Taiwanese people’s right to exist to be respected. He also warned that mainland China was trying to put pressure on the island to change the status...

Hong Kong has recorded 21 cases of mpox since August, accounting for 70 per cent of this year’s total, prompting health authorities to urge people who engage in high-risk sexual contact to take protective measures and get vaccinated to reduce their risk of infection. The latest case, involving a 29-year-old man, brought the total number recorded in Hong Kong this year to 30, comprising 23 local cases and seven imported ones, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday. Twenty-one...

The shocking events in Newcastle last Saturday should prompt the NSW government to revisit the effective “Pinkie” campaign from the early 2000s

Tropical Storm Rachel is expected to make landfall either in northern Baja California or San Diego County as early as Saturday night, bringing with it a slew of potential hazards, including damaging coastal flooding.

The family of Daniel Magaña has filed a wrongful death claim against L.A. County, alleging staff at the Twin Towers jail failed to provide him with "psychiatric evaluation, monitoring, medication, and treatment" before he was found unresponsive in his cell earlier this year.