Author: Andrew Rogers

K-pop group NewJeans has lost its legal battle to leave its record label, Ador. A South Korean court ruled on Tuesday that the group’s contract, which runs until 2029, remains valid. The group’s five members—Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle, and Minji—had announced last year that they were leaving the agency, citing mistreatment and manipulation. Local media reports say the band plans to appeal the ruling. The court decision comes after a year-long standoff between NewJeans and its agency. The group’s announcement in November last year followed a public dispute involving their mentor, Min Hee-ji, Ador, and its parent company, Hybe, South…

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-propelled torpedo-drone. The weapon is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and a radioactive engine, which experts say could trigger a tsunami to make coastal cities uninhabitable. The Poseidon is launched from a submarine like a traditional torpedo but can loiter underwater before delivering its nuclear payload. Putin called the test a “huge success,” claiming its power surpasses Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile. Earlier this week, he also highlighted the Burevestnik missile, described by critics as a “flying Chernobyl” due to its radioactive propulsion. Meanwhile, fighting in eastern…

Israel carried out another airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least two people, following an overnight bombardment that killed at least 104 Palestinians, including children. The attacks have raised questions about the durability of the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The Israeli military said it targeted military infrastructure in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack. Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City reported receiving two bodies from Wednesday’s strike. Overnight on Tuesday, the strikes killed at least 46 children and 20 women, with 200 others injured, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. These were…

California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa urged voters Wednesday to reject Proposition 50, a measure that would redraw U.S. House districts in the state, saying it represents a partisan power grab. “It’s really a blatant power grab,” LaMalfa said at a press conference in Chico, a city at the southern end of his district in Northern California. Proposition 50 would create new congressional maps outside the usual once-a-decade process handled by an independent commission. Democrats say the measure is needed to counter efforts in Texas to gain additional Republican seats, while Republicans argue it would dilute conservative voting power. Governor Gavin…

Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was among six people indicted last week by a federal grand jury for allegedly obstructing a federal agent during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Chicago. According to documents unsealed Wednesday, Abughazaleh and five others “physically hindered and impeded” a federal agent and a government vehicle on September 26 in Broadview, Illinois. Prosecutors say the vehicle had to move at a “very slow rate of speed” to avoid hitting any of the protesters. The indictment also alleges that the group banged on the government vehicle, wrote the word “PIG”…

The US military conducted a strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing four people, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed. “This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said on X. He noted that US forces were not harmed during the operation. This strike marks the 14th known US military action against alleged drug-smuggling vessels, with a total of 61 people killed across 15 boats. The campaign reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration…

Bill Essayli has made it clear he has no plans to step down after a federal judge ruled that he was illegally serving as Los Angeles’ top prosecutor. The decision, he said, only confirmed the Trump administration’s power to select the attorneys it wants leading major offices. “We’re actually quite relieved,” Essayli said in an interview Wednesday. “The judge has made it clear that regardless of my title, I’m cleared to keep running the office. I’m very happy with the outcome.” U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright, appointed by former President George W. Bush, ruled that Essayli could continue overseeing…

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has instructed the U.S. Defense Department to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing. The move marks a major shift in American defense policy, ending more than three decades of self-imposed restraint on nuclear explosive testing. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, saying the decision was driven by the actions of other nations. “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” he wrote. “That process will begin immediately.” The statement came just hours before Trump’s scheduled…

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “it’s too bad” he cannot run for a third presidential term, acknowledging the limits set by the Constitution while hinting at continued political ambitions. “If you read it, it’s pretty clear,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad.” Trump’s remarks follow comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said it would be impossible for Trump to remain in the White House beyond two terms. Johnson noted that the 22nd Amendment bars a third term and that changing it would…

The White House reportedly urged U.S. Navy officials to use live 2,000-pound bombs instead of dummy explosives during a military demonstration for the Navy’s 250th anniversary, which President Donald Trump attended on October 5. Officials involved in planning said the White House wanted Trump to “see explosions” rather than just a “big splash.” The demonstration, held aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in Norfolk, Virginia, was originally planned using dummy bombs. A White House spokesperson, however, denied any switch occurred. Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said live munitions were always part of the plan, as is typical for training exercises.…