A South Korean judge handed the country's former first lady Kim Keon Hee 20 months in jail for accepting lavish gifts from a cult-like church on Wednesday, but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges.
Unemployment was soaring and the country was in economic turmoil when Monika Pudlik first left Poland to find a job in Ireland just over two decades ago.
Dutch tech giant ASML, which sells cutting-edge machines to make semiconductor chips, reported a significant gain in annual net profit Wednesday and predicted a bright future driven by demand for artificial intelligence.
- South Korea's ex-first lady jailed for 20 months for corruption
- Minnesota congresswoman unbowed after attacked with liquid
Sports
Jessica Pegula said she will have to "crack the code" of Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open semi-finals after dismantling error-strewn Amanda Anisimova on Wednesday in an all-American showdown.
January 28, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Elena Rybakina ramped up her quest for a second major title as she dismantled Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic plays later Wednesday in his latest history bid.
January 28, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The dollar ticked up Wednesday following another selloff fuelled by Donald Trump's suggestion he was happy with the currency's recent decline, while tech firms extended their rally ahead of much-anticipated earnings from the sector this week.
January 28, 2026
Presiding over the signing of a major trade deal alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen broke into a large smile.
January 28, 2026
As France moves one step closer to banning social media for children, the European Union is seriously considering whether it's time for the bloc to follow suit.
January 28, 2026
Boulevard
A Dutch court will decide Wednesday if the Netherlands must do more to protect the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from climate change, in a potentially landmark environmental justice ruling.
January 28, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Fifth seed Elena Rybakina stunned world number two Iga Swiatek to race into the Australian Open semi-finals Wednesday and deny the Polish star in her latest bid to win a career Grand Slam.
The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong Un feeling he was also vulnerable to "decapitation", a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana told AFP.
Ukraine's Australian Open semi-finalist Elina Svitolina says she would not even have been in Melbourne without a break last year to recharge physically and mentally.
Japan did not win an Olympic figure skating medal until 1992 but it is now among the sport's world powers, with kids dreaming of becoming the next Yuzuru Hanyu or Mao Asada.
January 28, 2026
Politics
Venezuelan opposition figure Delsa Solorzano appeared in public for the first time in 17 months on Tuesday, hailing a new phase in the country's history after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.
January 28, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The murder of 11 people at a football game has sparked deep anger in the central Mexican town of Loma de Flores, where sport is promoted as a way of keeping young people safe from drug cartels.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will unveil plans to bolster his nuclear forces at an upcoming ruling party meeting, state media reported Wednesday, after a missile launch the despot said would bring "excruciating mental agony" to his enemies.
A French court Tuesday found a former senator guilty of drugging a woman lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her, and sentenced him to four years in prison, of which 18 months must be behind bars.
The US Federal Reserve is broadly expected to pause its series of interest rate cuts Wednesday, resisting mounting attacks from President Donald Trump, while policymakers await more data on the world's biggest economy.
January 28, 2026
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