South Korea

South Korean student Lee Seung-ho describes losing $200,000 in stock market investments made with a 500% margin loan over a four-week period in May. Despite the significant loss, he indicates plans to return to trading once he accumulates additional capital.

South Korea's KOSPI index fell more than 4 percent on Monday to close at 6,516.27, triggering sell-side circuit breakers on both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ exchanges, according to Arirang News. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also fell sharply, dropping 5.33 percent to close at 749.64. Arirang News...

South Korea hosted the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan on July 20, 2026, where delegates unanimously adopted the Busan Declaration to strengthen global cooperation in protecting world heritage sites. The declaration represents a formal commitment from UNESCO member states to coordinate heritage...

Heavy rainfall brought flooding to Central and South Texas on July 19, 2026, affecting communities still recovering from destructive floods the previous year. CBS News documented the event as part of its coverage of weather emergencies in the region.

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of al Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, on July 19, 2026, setting homes, vehicles, and a mosque on fire. Palestinian media reports that Israeli forces provided a security presence during the assault.

A man armed with a rifle died in northern New South Wales after a police pursuit that crossed into Queensland on July 19, 2026. NSW Police initiated the chase after the man failed to stop at the border; officers deployed spike strips twice during the...

Australian authorities are testing artificial intelligence combined with thermal imaging and motion detection on the Monaro Highway south of Canberra to alert drivers when large wildlife approach the roadside, according to ABC News Australia.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province on July 19, 2026, centered at 12 kilometers depth, prompting Governor Seyed Mohammad Reza Mowlaizadeh to activate emergency and rescue services across the region. Field teams deployed for damage assessment reported no initial casualties or major...

Kiran Kaur was sentenced to three years in prison at Southampton Crown Court for assisting an offender after removing the knife her son Vickrum Digwa used to murder Henry Nowak. Digwa's false claims about Nowak triggered rioting in Southampton.

A catastrophic landslide in southwestern China killed at least eight people and left dozens missing, with rescue crews searching through mud and debris from collapsed buildings. Survivors have been pulled from the rubble as emergency teams continue a large-scale search operation. Chinese authorities have vowed...

A landslide in Pengshui County, Chongqing, China, buried more than 10 residential buildings on July 18, killing at least eight people and leaving 34 others missing. Rescue teams have recovered 10 survivors and relocated more than 1,100 residents from nearby areas as search efforts continue....

The South Australian government has initiated compulsory acquisition of land at Mount Barker to build a new school, affecting developer Lanser's master-planned community and the Wok the Duck restaurant. According to ABC News Australia, the acquisition will eliminate up to 150 planned homes, trees, a...

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died on July 12, 2026. According to the Associated Press, residents of Fort Mill, South Carolina reflected on his death in interviews. Resident Yvette McLaren, a Republican voter, described her immediate response as prayer.

The French government says the country has not experienced so many wildfire outbreaks since World War II, with blazes scorching 2,000 hectares across the country following record-breaking heatwaves. The Fontainebleau forest, a historic woodland south of Paris, has been among the hardest hit. The French...

According to Arirang News' weekly highlights package for July 18, 2026, housing prices and real estate policy were among the biggest stories in South Korea that week.

South Korea's National Assembly faces a leadership deadlock as ruling and opposition parties clash over a prosecutorial reform bill, according to Arirang News. The dispute centers on the composition of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee and disagreements over criminal procedure law revisions. Per Arirang's reporting,...

BBC World Service reports that researchers are studying a population in southern Ecuador where most of the approximately 840 people globally known to have Laron syndrome reside — a genetic condition caused by a mutation that limits growth to approximately 1.2 meters. According to BBC...

According to Iran's state media IRNA, explosions were reported Thursday evening in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and other southern Iranian cities. A local official stated that areas near Ahvaz had come under enemy attack and that authorities were assessing damage. The incidents occur amid...

xAI, rebranded SpaceXAI following a merger with SpaceX, has constructed three data centers in the Memphis, Tennessee area and a power plant in Southaven, Mississippi as part of a major AI infrastructure project called Colossus. According to CNBC, Anthropic and Google have signed multi-billion-dollar agreements...

South Korea marked Constitution Day on July 17, 2026—a national holiday restored after an 18-year absence—with the National Assembly holding a ceremony where Speaker Cho Jeong-sik called for constitutional revision to protect citizens whose rights the current constitution overlooks. Five such citizens were invited to...