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• Discussions regarding the reform of South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC) have intensified following a ballot-paper shortage during the June 3 local elections. • Experts highlight that Korea's independent administration model is a global benchmark for new democracies, as it ensures political neutrality and fosters administrative expertise. • The current debate focuses on the critical need to maintain the NEC's independence from the government while simultaneously strengthening oversight to prevent operational failures.

Department for Transport analysis suggests 0.05% boost will be offset by overall negative trade-off The economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back by as much as £62.5bn.As ministers promised to speed up expansion of the London airport in the name of economic growth, documents prepared by the Department for Transport said the runway was expected to boost GDP by only up to 0.05% – 90% less than the 0.5% previously stated. Continue reading...

David Farley was told One Nation’s policy was to fly only the Australian flag, party leader tells conferenceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s leader, Pauline Hanson, says she “had to have a conversation” with the new Farrer MP, David Farley, after he appeared to defy her policies on immigration and flying Indigenous flags.Shortly before winning Farrer in May’s byelection – the first federal lower house seat One Nation has won outright – Farley said Labor’s current immigration intake of 306,000 was “probably not” too much. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Aboriginal Australians and migrants the targets of John Drew, who claims he was once kicked out of Pauline Hanson’s party for being ‘too radical’ – but is now a branch officialWarning: This article contains racially offensive language and outdated referencesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man who has defended the Hitler Youth organisation and used offensive and racist language about Aboriginal people and migrants is working as a policy development officer for One Nation in Queensland.Guardian Australia can reveal that John Drew, who claims he was kicked out of One Nation more than 20 years ago for being “too radical”, says he has been a party branch official in Brisbane since late last year. This is despite One Nation claiming it has introduced a sophisticated new vetting tool – dubbed Operation Obsidian – that it applies to any person taking up a party role. Continue reading...

• South Korean defender Kim Taehyun (Kashiwa Reysol) has been sidelined due to a sudden ankle injury ahead of the national team's match against the Czech Republic. • Coach Hong Myung-bo may now start Lee Ki-hyuk (Kangwon FC), a surprise selection who had not been called up to the national team since the 2022 East Asian Cup. • Lee's inclusion is based on his standout domestic performances this season, offering a potential solution to the team's defensive crisis.

Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a surprise appearance at a performance of Abba VoyageAbba Voyage concerts can be deafening enough. But when the real-life Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made an appearance in the hall, which was packed with hundreds of schoolchildren, even security staff present were surprised by the din.On Tuesday, at the custom-built Abba Arena in east London, the virtual concert residency launched its expanded education programme, which aims to support young people across the area getting into creative industries. Continue reading...

The heritage site was destroyed by contractors building transmission lines for the Central-West Orana renewable energy zoneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndigenous community members have described their shock and anger after an Aboriginal rock shelter was “damaged beyond recovery” by contractors building transmission lines for a New South Wales renewable energy zone.The heritage site was destroyed by bulldozers in March during the construction of access tracks for the Central-West Orana renewable energy zone, a transmission line project located about 300km north-west of Sydney. Continue reading...

• Yáng Shuāng-zǐ’s novel *Taiwan Travelogue*, translated by Lin King, has won the International Booker Prize, marking the first time a work originally written in Mandarin Chinese has received the honor. • The novel is described as a "double feat" for successfully blending elements of a romance with an incisive postcolonial critique. • Yáng highlighted the work's focus on the complex legacy of the Japanese empire, noting that Taiwanese perspectives on colonial history are often a conflicted mix of nostalgia and distaste.

• Non-English original content has overtaken English originals on Netflix for the first time, accounting for 52% of the platform's originals in 2025 compared to 49% in 2024. • According to Ampere Analysis, Spanish and Korean productions recorded the strongest growth, driving the shift toward a more globalized content library. • This trend highlights a strategic pivot by Netflix to prioritize international markets and diverse storytelling to sustain global subscriber growth.

Police will be able to question children without an adult present and hold them after being charged under draft laws introduced by the CLPGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government has been accused of “funnelling Aboriginal children into prisons” over draft youth justice laws that would give police the power to charge, detain and question young people for up to 48 hours without a legal guardian.Under the proposed amendments to the NT Youth Justice Act, introduced by the corrections minister, Gerard Maley, young people charged with an offence would be able to be held for up to 48 hours in police watch houses, interviewed if they have “knowledge in relation to an offence”, and questioned without an adult present if it is “in relation to a serious and urgent matter concerning public safety”. Continue reading...