Author: Press Room

Wildfires in South Korea have resulted in deaths, turned an ancient Buddhist temple into ashes and forced the evacuation of residents of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The nation’s top two spy chiefs who participated in a Signal chat discussing U.S. strikes in Yemen rejected assertions that detailed military information on planned and completed strikes was classified intelligence under questioning from Democratic senators on Tuesday.But even as the two officials, C.I.A. Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, acknowledged the sensitivity of information about strike targets, they sought to evade specifics on the content of the chat, offered carefully parsed answers on responsibility for the leaks and declined to release the details of the exchanges.Ms. Gabbard initially declined to confirm that she was even…

J. Bennett Johnston Jr., a Louisiana Democrat and four-term United States senator who helped shape America’s energy and science policies in an era of rising concerns over the perils of nuclear power and the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, died on Tuesday in Arlington, Va. He was 92.His death was confirmed by his son J. Bennett Johnston III.One of a new breed of polished Southern Democrats that included Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Mr. Johnston served in the Senate from 1972 to 1997, a tenure that included Middle East conflicts that threatened American oil imports, and nuclear licensing and…

The memories, joyful and painful, will endure.In Game 1 of last year’s World Series, Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in the 120-year history of the Fall Classic. The shot at Dodger Stadium immediately joined the list of indelible Series walk-offs — Joe Carter in 1993, Kirk Gibson in 1988, Bill Mazeroski in 1960. And it was all the more improbable considering Freeman was playing with broken rib cartilage and a right ankle injury that would require surgery.Five months later, the recollections of the participants remain vivid.“Hands-down the best sports moment I’ve ever witnessed,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager…

A search is under way for a 79-year old kayaker who is missing after he fell from his raft into the Drysdale River in Western Australia’s northwest.

SEOUL: A South Korean appeals court reversed on Wednesday (Mar 26) a lower court’s ruling and found main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung not guilty of violating the election law, removing a barrier that could have blocked him from running for president. Following the ruling, Lee said the decision by the Seoul High Court completely vindicated him and proved the case was politically motivated. “It is truly outrageous that all this energy and national resources were spent for what is an obvious outcome,” he said. Lee was handed a one-year prison term suspended for two years by the Seoul Central District…

Wildfires driven by strong winds have devastated parts of South Korea’s southern regions, killing at least 19 people, destroying more than 200 structures, and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate. A helicopter pilot was among those killed on Wednesday when his aircraft crashed while it was attempting to contain the fires in the town of Uiseong, one of the worst-hit areas, officials said. The wildfires, which began last Friday, have consumed 43,330 acres (17,535 hectares) of land and destroyed an ancient Buddhist temple along with houses, factories, vehicles, and other property. Nineteen people have been injured, according to the government’s emergency…

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: KB Home — Shares of the homebuilder fell 5.2% after the company posted a top- and bottom-line miss in the first quarter. KB Home earned $1.49 per share on revenue of $1.39 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG were looking for earnings of $1.58 per share and revenue of $1.5 billion. The company also cut its revenue guidance for fiscal 2025. Cloudflare — Shares of the network security firm jumped more than 2% on the back of Bank of America’s double upgrade to buy from underperform. The bank said Cloudflare’s fundamentals are…

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order requiring people to provide proof of American citizenship when they register to vote and demanding that all ballots be reviewed by Election Day.The order requires government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration forms, directs the attorney general to enter into information-sharing agreements with state election officials to identify cases of election fraud or other election law violations and conditions federal election-related funds on states complying with federal election integrity measures.”There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks,” Trump said just before signing the order.…

Los Angeles’ new tough-on-crime District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office will “immediately” begin seeking the death penalty — but only “in the rarest of cases” after thorough review.There is a statewide moratorium on capital punishment in California, but it remains on the books, and prosecutors can still seek to put convicts on death row.”I remain unwaveringly committed to the comprehensive and thorough evaluation of every special circumstance murder case prosecuted in Los Angeles County, in consultation with the murder victim’s survivors and with full input on the mitigating and aggravating factors of each case, to ensure that the punishment…