World News

Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum asks South Korea for more BTS concerts

The scramble for tickets to K-pop band BTS' comeback tour, which comes after a four-year hiatus, has seen Mexico's president appealing to her South Korean counterpart to add more shows in her country."I wrote a letter to the [president] of Korea... I still haven't received the answer, but let's hope it's positive," Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.BTS will hold three shows in Mexico City in May, as part of its 79-date world tour after a four-year…

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Republicans criticise immigration force but steer clear of Trump attacks

Daniel BushWashington correspondentWatch: Republican senators express disappointment in DHS Secretary NoemRepublican lawmakers are starting to break with the Trump administration over its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, as the party scrambles to respond to growing public anger after two US citizens were killed by federal agents.But even as some Republicans in Washington speak out against the fatal shootings, they've avoided directly criticising President Donald Trump or his broader immigration agenda.The emerging messaging on Minneapolis points to the party's main…

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Trump says US will ‘no longer help Iraq’ if it picks Maliki as PM

Donald Trump has threatened to end US support for Iraq if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wins power again.Maliki, who has links to Iran, was selected at the weekend by an alliance of Shia-led parties as its nominee for prime minister.In his latest intervention in another country's politics, the US president wrote on Truth Social that Maliki would be a "very bad choice", adding: "Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos."…

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Trump says government will ‘de-escalate a little bit’ in Minnesota after Pretti shooting

President Donald Trump said his administration was "going to de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota, after the second fatal shooting of a US citizen by federal immigration officers there."Bottom line, it was terrible. Both of them were terrible," he said in a Fox News interview on Tuesday.In early January Renee Good was fatally shot by an immigration officer, followed by Alex Pretti, who was killed after being stopped by border agents this past weekend. Pretti's death reignited local…

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‘My prosthetic leg represents my love for this country Ghana’

‘My prosthetic leg represents my love for this country Ghana’

Vino Studio / Nineteen57 EventsTaking to the catwalk in Ghana at the end of last year, Abena made a statement about the visibility of people with disabilitiesIt was hard to miss 33-year-old model and writer Abena Christine Jon'el's appearance at a recent major fashion show in Ghana.Walking the runway with her prosthetic leg wrapped in a colourful African print her appearance made a big impact.The Ghanaian-American was hoping to make a statement about the visibility of people with…

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Why Trump is hitting the road to rally Americans on the economy

After a year that began with action in Venezuela and a trip to Davos, President Donald Trump is turning his attention back to the domestic economy. On Tuesday, Trump made a planned trip to Iowa to speak about affordability, which could be followed up by monthly speeches in more US cities and states. It comes after he commented in a White House press conference that the US economy was "great", but "we're not getting" the message across. White…

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Who is South Korea’s former first lady?

Who is South Korea’s former first lady?

Gavin ButlerandHyojung Kim,BBC World ServiceGetty ImagesThe scandals Kim Keon Hee faces predate her husband Yoon's ill-fated political careerTwo Chanel handbags, a BMW dealership and a controversial church will all be at the centre of a trial faced by South Korea's former first lady this week.Kim Keon Hee, the wife of disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested in August over a raft of charges including bribery, stock manipulation, and political interference - all of which she denies.On…

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Former French senator found guilty of drugging MP

Former French senator found guilty of drugging MP

Getty ImagesA former French senator has been found guilty of spiking an MP's drink with ecstasy in order to sexually assault her.Joel Guerriau received a four-year prison sentence - 18 months of which are to be served behind bars - and, according to local media, was ordered to pay Sandrine Josso €5,000 (£4,348) in damages for emotional distress. Guerriau, now 68, had invited Josso, 50, to his Paris flat in November 2023. He later admitted serving her a…

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Zelensky condemns deadly Russian drone strike on passenger train

Zelensky condemns deadly Russian drone strike on passenger train

Ukraine's DSNS emergency service/Kharkiv regionAt least one carriage of the passenger train was burning after the Russian drone attack in north-eastern UkraineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned as "terrorism" a Russian drone attack on a passenger train that local officials say killed at least four people.Zelensky said another four people were missing after the train with more than 200 people on board was hit in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday.Earlier, officials in Ukraine's southern port of Odesa…

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Trump’s border tsar replacing Bovino in Minneapolis

Trump’s border tsar replacing Bovino in Minneapolis

Bernd Debusmann JrWhite House reporter EPAUS President Donald Trump has deployed his "border tsar" Tom Homan to lead on-the-ground immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, after two US citizens were shot dead by federal agents in the city in less than a month.The White House has said Homan, who arrived in Minneapolis on Tuesday, will now be the "main point of contact on the ground" and will meet with city officials.It comes as Gregory Bovino, the US border patrol chief…

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Families sue US over deadly boat strike off Venezuela coast

The families of two Trinidadian men killed in a US strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat have filed a lawsuit against the American government.Lawyers filed the claim in Boston's federal court on behalf of relatives of Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, among six men killed off the coast of Venezuela on 14 October.One of the lawyers said in a statement that the strike amounted to "lawless killings in cold blood; killings for sport and killings for theatre".The US…

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TikTok US denies claims it is censoring content

TikTok US denies claims it is censoring content

Liv McMahonTechnology reporterGetty ImagesTikTok has denied claims that its new US operations are heavily-controlling what users post after thousands reported glitches with the video streaming platform.In a response to the BBC, a spokesperson for TikTok US reiterated an earlier statement pointing to technical issues being the reason for issues since it became a separate American entity last week."We've made significant progress in recovering our US infrastructure with our US data center partner," they said. "However, the US user…

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