A court in Seoul has ordered K-pop group NewJeans to pay 1 billion won (USD $726,300) per member for each unauthorized activity outside their agency’s control, potentially totaling 5 billion won ($3.6 million) if all five members perform together.
Multiple news outlets out of South Korea reported that the Seoul Central District Court on Friday (May 30) approved ADOR‘s enforcement application, citing violations of a March injunction that prevented the group from doing independent promotional activities.
The ruling follows NewJeans‘ appearance at ComplexCon Hong Kong under the name “NJZ” and release of a song called Pit Stop without ADOR’s consent.
The fine reflects standard Korean court penalty imposed for failing to comply with a court order, according to Chosun Biz. Each violation triggers the 1 billion won fine per member, placing further financial pressure on the group while their contract dispute case proceeds.
“The indirect compulsory decision announced today was made in response to an application submitted by ADOR on April 4. It is not directly tied to the appeal of the original injunction, which is still under separate legal review.”
NewJeans
In response to the ruling, NewJeans dismissed it as “temporary until the appeal is resolved.”
“If the NewJeans members win the injunction appeal, both the original and the related indirect enforcement rulings will lose their legal effect. In practice, indirect enforcement is typically issued in conjunction with an injunction ruling,” NewJeans’ team was quoted by Allkpop as saying.
The statement added: “The indirect compulsory decision announced today was made in response to an application submitted by ADOR on April 4. It is not directly tied to the appeal of the original injunction, which is still under separate legal review.”
NewJeans continues to appeal a court ruling that prevented them from engaging in independent activities outside their agency ADOR.
On May 21, the group’s appeal case has been assigned to Civil Division 25 of the Seoul High Court, with presiding judges Hwang Byung Ha, Jung Jong Kwan, and Lee Kyun Yong overseeing proceedings.
The five-member girl group has recently added Park Hyung Nam, a 65-year-old former director of the Judicial Policy Research Institute and representative attorney from law firm Wooseung, to their legal team.
KBIZoom and Naver reported in May that NewJean’s legal team includes lawyers who formerly represented ADOR‘s former CEO Min Hee-jin.
In response, HYBE-owned ADOR also strengthened its own legal team with former Constitutional Court justice Kang Il Won and attorney Chun Ji Sung, daughter of former Justice Minister Chun Jung Bae. The agency had already secured former senior High Court judge Hong Seung Myeon earlier this month, bringing its total legal team to 13 attorneys, the report said.
The dispute between NewJeans and ADOR traces back to November 2024 when NewJeans unilaterally declared their exclusive contract with ADOR terminated. ADOR responded by filing for injunctive relief, securing the March order that prohibited external advertising deals and independent promotion.
2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Simone Manuel – 24.13
2025 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 24.86
The 2025 U.S. Nationals close out with the 50 freestyle, which means that on the women’s side, we’ll be treated to one more loaded race as swimmers vie to add another event to their World Championship schedule or secure a spot on the team. When the championship final goes off the blocks, the women’s 50 freestyle is sure to be a high-energy, exciting race. It’s often an unpredictable race, in this case, heightened by the fact that many of the top contenders are so versatile we’re not actually sure they’re going to be in the field.
The Sub-24 Club
That uncertainty starts with the current American record holder, Olympic gold medalist Kate Douglass. Douglass broke Simone Manuel’s long-standing American record at the 2024 Doha World Championships, speeding to a silver medal and her first sub-24 second outing. But Douglass is a top talent in so many events that she was forced to decide between the 200 IM and 50 freestyle at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. She chose the 200 IM, qualifying for her second Olympics in the event and winning silver in a dramatic 200 IM final.
Douglass is just as capable of making the World Championship podium in the 50 freestyle in the 200 IM and in a year where world record holder Sarah Sjöström is not racing, she’s got a clearer path than ever to gold. The 200 IM and 50 freestyle double is still on the schedule at this year’s U.S. Nationals, but it’s possible that Douglass will shift her focus after winning her second 200 IM Olympic medal. She’s lurking at sixth on the psych sheet after logging her 24.62 season best at the Westmont Pro Swim in March.
While Douglass scratched the 50 freestyle in Indianapolis last year, Manuel came out as the winner. Already on the Olympic team via the 4×100 freestyle relay, Manuel added an individual event to her lineup on the final day in Lucas Oil Stadium. She was sitting fourth after the semifinal, but in the final, Manuel showed she can still show up at the right moment.
Manuel hasn’t broken 24-seconds in a long time, but her 24.13 at the U.S. Olympic Trials showed that she can still be competitive on this event on the national stage even when she is not right on her best. She said at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim that she feels she’s putting in some of the best training of her career this spring in Austin, so expect her to be right back in the mix with the current young stars of Team USA.
Gretchen Walshis perhaps one of the biggest young stars. Over the last year, she’s developed into one of the current faces of USA Swimming, bringing world records beyond what was previously thought possible and earning a historic medal output at the 2024 Short Course World Championships.
A lot has changed for Walsh since she was in Indianapolis a year ago, trying to make her first Olympic team. The 50 freestyle was one of the events she qualified in, and she finished fifth in the Paris final. Her lifetime best is a 24.06 from the Olympic Trials semifinal.
After the year she’s had, she’s a prime candidate to be the next American woman to crack the 24-second barrier. During an incredible effort at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim, she put up a 24.33 that makes her the fastest American this season and third in the world.
Paris Olympians
Douglass, Manuel, and Walsh will be surrounded by their fellow Paris Olympians in this field. Headlining this group of athletes is Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske, who is the fifth-fastest American in event history, three-hundredths behind Walsh. Huske and Walsh both swam their lifetime bests in the U.S. Olympic Trials semifinal, with Huske ripping a 24.09. She went on to finish fourth in the final (24.33).
Huske has the same potential 200 IM/50 freestyle double that Walsh does. She picked the 50 freestyle over the 200 IM last year. She could make the same choice, but the little long-course racing she’s done this season after the NCAA Championships suggest she’ll make a similar choice. She owns a 24.47 season-best that ranks her as the second-fastest American this season.
Erika Connollymade the U.S. Olympic Trials final last summer, finishing sixth with a 24.63. There are some signs that this may be the two-time Olympian’s swan song on the national stage; she’s only raced in Westmont this season and is only entered in this event in Indianapolis. She was 25.24 in Westmont, but has a lifetime best of 24.38 from the 2022 World Championships. That could land her in the final, but it doesn’t look like she’ll be on that same form this week.
Further down the psych sheet are Erin Gemmelland Katharine Berkoff. Both have other primary events this week in Indianapolis, and it’s easy to see them scratching this event once they meet those goals earlier in the championships. But they’re fun entrants to keep an eye on if they do swim. Neither has broken 25 seconds in their career—Gemmell was 25.00 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials—but doing so could give them another finals appearance in Indianapolis this week.
The Reign of The ACC
In the land of yards swimming and the NCAA, the ACC conference reigns in the 50 freestyle. Now that the show has shifted to meters, there are still plenty of ACC stars aiming to make the championship final.
A large part of that push is from the Virginia sprint crew. Behind Douglass and Walsh, there’s also Maxine Parker, who qualified for the 2023 World Championships as a relay-only swimmer for the 4×100 freestyle relay contingent. Parker has shown a deftness for finding her way into a championship final; she’s done so at the NCAA Championships and on the national stage. In 2023, she qualified for the 100 freestyle final in 7th and in 2024, made the 50 freestyle Olympic Trials final in eighth. That’s also the place she finished, swimming a lifetime best 24.68. This season, she’s been as fast as 25.10.
Anna Moeschjust finished a successful first season at Virginia. She has not officially raced in long-course meters this season, so we do not yet have a sense of how a season of Virginia training will translate to meters. She’s been as fast as 24.87, which she swam two years ago at the 2023 YMCA Nationals. She has not broken 25-seconds since that swim, which she will need to do to make the top eight in this field.
The Virginia Cavaliers roll deep in the sprint freestyle, but they aren’t the only ACC swimmers threatening to make the championship final in Indianapolis this week. Louisville’s Julia Denniswas one of the biggest breakouts of the NCAA postseason, dropping a stunning 21.08 at the ACC Championships. Dennis quickly brought those gains to meters; at the Sacramento Pro Swim shortly after the NCAA Championships, Dennis broke 25 seconds for the first time in the 50-meter freestyle, powering to a 24.79. That swim puts her solidly in the mix for the final.
Her Cardinal teammate Caroline Larsenwas great in her freshman season at Louisville. She’s got a solid shot at making the championship final in several events at the 2025 U.S. Nationals. Her best chance is not this event, though if she drops from her 25.18 lifetime best she could make things interesting quickly. So could NC State’s Cassie Moses, who logged a 25.05 lifetime best at the TAC Titans’ Spring Fling meet a couple of weeks ago.
Don’t Forget The Juniors
At the top of this article, we discussed Manuel as the veteran of this field, and how she’s still capable of getting involved in the race with Walsh, Douglass, and Huske—three of the current faces of American women’s swimming. But this event is a great look at not just who’s here, but also the next wave of female American sprint stars; there are several swimmers who hope to be a force in three years looking for their first senior international experience this season.
Rylee Erismanis one such swimmer. She finished fifth in the Olympic Trials final last season, logging a lifetime best of 24.62. That swim still stands as her best. She’s had an exciting twelve months, bringing in multiple medals at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships to close out last season and putting up intriguing in-season times to get this season started. She’s already cleared 25 seconds this season, throwing down a 24.91 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim.
Annam Olasewerehas been under the 25-second barrier before as well. The silver medalist at the 2023 World Junior Championships, Olasewere clocked 24.95 twice at those championships, which stands as her lifetime best. She couldn’t quite match that time last summer, but still made the Olympic Trials semifinal and finished 14th (25.14). A Stanford commit, she’s already been faster than that time this season. She swam 25.10 at a club meet in Connecticut, coming .15 seconds from her lifetime best.
This season, she sits a hundredth behind NC State commit Lily King. King put up a lifetime best 25.09 at May’s Renee McCutchan Invite, dropping a tenth from her lifetime best. King has junior international experience like Erisman and Olasewere, making an appearance at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships. Her 25.09 has jumped her into the hunt for a finals lane. Fishers’ Area Swimming Tigers’ Julie Mishleris in this boat as well. She swam a lifetime best 25.06 during the Olympic Trials time trials, which would have earned a semifinals swim in the individual event. She’s gotten close to that time already this season, leading off a relay at Indianapolis Sectionals in 25.14.
More College Names
While the ACC dominates the 50-yard freestyle, there are of course swimmers from other conferences to keep an eye on and that remains true this week. Indiana’s Kristina Paeglecame six-hundredths from a lane in the Olympic Trials final last summer, clocking a lifetime best 24.74 for 9th place. Paegle turned in a 25.36 at the OSU Spring Invite as she warmed up for the long-course season, but expect her to be faster this week.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s Cadence Vincenthas just kept rolling after shedding time during the NCAA season. She dropped .53 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle over the course of the 2024-25 season. Incredibly, she’s already dropped more time in the 50-meter freestyle; at the ABSC Bulldog Grand Slam, her first long-course meet of the year, Vincent fired off a 24.80 to win. That’s a .57 second drop from her previous lifetime best, a 25.37 from the U.S. Olympic Trials. The swim makes her a strong candidate for the final and another time drop could push her well up the standings from her 26th place at Olympic Trials.
Camille Spinkhas been a force for the Tennessee Volunteers through her first two seasons with the team. She just missed a semifinal berth in this event at Olympic Trials last summer; a bittersweet feeling as a lifetime best (25.21) earned 17th place. She should move up this season, though has not raced in long-course yet this year, so her form is still unknown.
Olympic Trials semifinalist Brady Kendallhas started to get her long-course bearings, swimming a 25.43 at a Michigan club meet. She has a lifetime best of 24.93 and should be right in the middle of the fight for a spot in the top eight.
Finally, Lucy Mehrabanjust transferred from Louisville to Texas this NCAA offseason. She swam a 26.23 at the Longhorn Invite, which puts her exactly a second from the lifetime best she swam at Olympic Trials last summer, where she finished 18th. She’ll need to make up that ground quickly in order to make a run at the top eight.
SwimSwam’s Picks
Dark Horse – Mena Boardman: A high school junior committed to Texas, Mena Boardmanturned heads at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim, where she swam multiple lifetime bests. Her best chance at a U.S. Nationals final will be in other events (namely the 50 butterfly) but she’s been on good form this season and if she can drop from her 25.55 lifetime best, she could make a big leap from 25th on the psych sheet.
Today, I want to talk about my favorite travel insurance company: SafetyWing.
Who is SafetyWing?
SafetyWing is an insurance company that focuses on affordable coverage for budget travelers and digital nomads (though you don’t have to be either to get coverage). It is run by nomads and expats who know exactly what such travelers need.
SafetyWing offers basic insurance plans (called “Nomad Essential”) for a fraction of what other companies charge, although they are also less comprehensive. To me, they are the best overall travel insurance company out there.
Their standard Nomad Insurance coverage costs just $56.28 USD for 4 weeks (for travelers aged 10-39). That’s one of the lowest prices out there for reliable travel insurance. They are super competitive when it comes to price.
Their coverage extends all the way to age 69, however, travelers aged 60-69 should expect to pay upwards of $196 USD per month for coverage. Still very reasonable, to be honest.
But is the coverage actually good? What about the customer service?
Today I want to review Safety Wing and talk about when it is — and isn’t — worth using so you can better prepare for your next trip and ensure you have the coverage you need.
What Does SafetyWing Cover?
SafetyWing’s standard Nomad Insurance plan is the Essential plan. It’s just $56.28 USD for four weeks of travel (outside the US). That works out to just $1.87 USD per day!
For travelers under age 64, that plan includes the following:
$250,000 USD in emergency medical coverage
$1,000 USD for emergency dental care
$100,000 USD for medical evacuation ($25,000 USD if the cause of medical evacuation is acute onset of pre-existing condition)
$10,000 USD for an evacuation due to political upheaval
$5,000 USD for a trip interruption
Up to $100 a day after a 12-hour delay period requiring an unplanned overnight stay. Subject to a maximum of 2 days.
$12,500–25,000 USD for death or dismemberment
$20,000 USD for repatriation of remains
Be sure to check the description of coverage for any conditions that apply.
Its $100,000 USD for medical evacuation is on the low end, but unless you’re heading out into the remote wilderness, that should be fine. (If you want higher coverage, get MedJet.)
Its travel-delay payout is pretty low, but airlines and most travel credit cards provide travel delay assistance too so you might not even need the coverage offered by SafetyWing. Additionally, it doesn’t really cover expensive electronics, which sucks if you have a pricey camera or video gear.
As with most standard travel insurance plans, this one doesn’t include pre-existing conditions or certain adventure sports, so it’s not a good policy if you’re going to do a lot of adventure activities on the road.
They do offer a couple helpful add-ons that I think a lot of travelers will appreciate, including coverage for adventure activities and electronics theft. That means that if you need the coverage, you can pay extra for it. However, if you don’t need it then you don’t have to pay for it, keeping your costs low. I appreciate that, as someone who always needs electronic coverage but who never needs adventure activity coverage (I’m not a big adrenaline junkie).
What’s Not Covered?
The Essential plan is primarily geared towards covering medical emergencies and basic travel mishaps (like delays and lost luggage). Here are some things that aren’t covered:
Alcohol- or drug-related incidents.
Extreme sports & adventure activities (unless you purchase the adventure sports add-on, which is available for non-US residents)
Pre-existing conditions or general check-ups
Trip cancellation
Lost or stolen cash
Nomad Complete: Coverage for Digital Nomads and Long-Term Travelers
In 2023, SafetyWing launched Nomad Health (now called their “Complete” plan). It’s insurance for digital nomads, remote workers, and long-term travelers. This new plan offers a mix of the standard emergency coverage that we’ve been discussing above along with “regular” health care coverage, such as routine visits and preventive care.
The Complete plan also offers coverage in 175 countries, includes wellness benefits, mental health care, and the ability for individuals to choose their own doctor while traveling. They will be expanding coverage too, including an add-on for “electronics theft” (which, as someone who has been robbed while traveling, I think is a great idea).
It’s like the kind of health insurance you’d find in your home country, ensuring that you’re looked after no matter what happens while you’re abroad.
If you’re just heading out for a couple weeks or a couple months, SafetyWing’s Essential plan is the option for you. It’s perfect for emergencies, is super affordable, and is designed for budget travelers. It’s the plan I use when I travel these days.
However, if you’re going to be working abroad or traveling for months (or years), then their new Complete plan is the better option. It offers much more coverage while still being affordable. In fact, it’s the plan I wish I had when I started traveling long-term!
SafetyWing makes it easy to file a claim through their online portal. You just upload all the required documents, screenshots, and photos, and wait to hear back. While claims can take up to 45 business days, most are handled in less than a week (as of writing, the average wait time is four days).
If you read the reviews online, most people who had a negative experience either didn’t know about the deductible (SafetyWing removed their deductible for non-US residents as of 2024) or hated the length of time it took to get paid. But that’s pretty normal for people to complain about.
On the plus side, SafetyWing’s average time to handle a claim is down to just four days. That’s way faster than most companies!
A Note About COVID
SafetyWing does include coverage for COVID-19. As long as the virus was not contracted before your plan starts, then it will be covered (as long as it is medically necessary).
SafetyWing also covers quarantine costs (outside your home country) for up to $50 USD/day for 10 days (provided that you’ve had your plan for at least 28 days).
Pros and Cons of SafetyWing
Here’s a look that the pros and cons of SafetyWing at a glance to help you decide if it’s the best insurance provider for you and your trip:
Most affordable travel insurance out there
Only covers up to age 69
Offers coverage for COVID-19
Limited coverage for gear/electronics
You can buy plans online even if you’re already on your trip
Limited coverage for adventure activities
Easy to submit claims online
No trip cancellation coverage
After being abroad for 90 days, you keep your medical coverage for 30 days in your home country (15 days if you’re from the U.S.)
Up to 2 children under 10 per family (1 per adult) can be included for free
No need to set an end date (subscription renews every 4 weeks)
Two different plans mean you can easily find one that works for you/your budget
Who is SafetyWing Good — and Not Good For?
SafetyWing is designed as mainly medical coverage. Since SafetyWing is designed for the budget-conscious digital nomad, it doesn’t cover some areas that might be more of a priority for a shorter-term traveler. Here’s a quick chart to help you decide if SafetyWing is right for you:
Budget travelers
People traveling with a TON of electronics
Someone looking for simple emergency coverage
Anyone needing comprehensive trip delay or cancellation
People without lots of expensive electronics
People doing excessive extreme sports/activities
Digital nomads who need medical coverage for long-term travel
***
Travel insurance is something I never leave home without. I know it’s a boring topic to read about and research, but it can literally save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in bills! I never, ever leave home without it. You shouldn’t either.
So, the next time you’re on the road, consider SafetyWing. To me, they are the best travel insurance company out there for budget travelers.
You can use the booking widget below to get a quote (it’s free):
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.
Need a Rental Car? Discover Cars is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best — and cheapest — rental for your trip!
Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.
Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once said that the dose makes the poison. The same logic applies to technology: its impact depends on how we use it. Antibiotics save lives, but fossil fuels damage our lungs; sterile packaging keeps food safe, yet plastics pollute our ecosystems. Fortunately, science and technology also offer solutions to reduce or prevent pollution altogether. In this article, we take a closer look at eight of the most promising innovations we have come across in recent years.
Tackling air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions
As we have seen, fossil fuels are a major contributor to respiratory disease in urban areas, not to mention greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. While the long-term answer lies in switching to renewables and adopting new consumption habits, there are also ways to mitigate existing damage.
1. Carbon sequestration systems
The best way to handle CO₂ is to prevent its release—but once it is in the atmosphere, we need ways to remove it. Carbon sequestration systems, like those being tested in Iceland, are one such solution. Another involves installing specialised filters in industrial chimneys. The captured CO₂ can then be repurposed as a raw material.
2. Photocatalytic paints
Can architecture help clean the air? Thanks to photocatalytic paints containing compounds like titanium dioxide, the answer is yes. These coatings break down pollutants such as atmospheric CO₂, offering a glimpse of buildings that actively purify the air around them.
3. CO₂-absorbing concrete
Buildings do not only have the potential to purify the air through smart coatings—they can also benefit from a new generation of environmentally friendly concrete. This material is capable of capturing carbon dioxide and even repairing its own cracks and fissures in the process. We explore this development in more detail in this article.
4. 3D-printed air quality sensors
Before solving a problem, it is essential to diagnose it correctly. This is where low-cost, flexible sensors come into play—devices that can be installed anywhere in a city. That is the idea behind the air quality monitoring systems we recently covered. These sensors are produced using 3D printing technology and programmed with open-source software, allowing anyone to install a monitoring device on their balcony or in a public space.
Innovations to fight soil pollution
Cleaning up contaminated soil or detecting high pollution levels early to avoid health risks are two complementary approaches to addressing land pollution. According to EU figures, some 2.8 million sites across the continent are affected.
5. Fungi that clean up soil hydrocarbons
Sometimes it is not necessary to rely on nanorobotics or other advanced technologies. Nature itself can provide allies in the fight against environmental degradation. One such example is the use of fungi, in a technique known as mycoremediation, which has been successfully tested to reduce contamination from hydrocarbons and other toxic substances in polluted industrial soils.
6. Prevent contamination of agricultural land
One of the major problems facing agricultural land and groundwater sources is nitrate pollution. This leads to a process known as eutrophication—the overgrowth of microalgae that depletes oxygen in the water, turning it into a death trap for aquatic life. However, a new generation of sensors is being developed to help farmers apply nitrogen fertilisers more efficiently, calculating the exact dosage required by each crop and thus preventing excess runoff.
Innovations for clean water and protecting oceans
Chemical substances such as PFAs and microplastics are some of the most pressing threats to the health of water ecosystems—whether oceans, rivers or underground aquifers. A range of technological approaches is now being used to combat water pollution, from preventing contaminants at source to direct intervention in affected areas.
7. Using bacteria to purify water more efficiently
Properly treating wastewater before it is discharged into the environment is a vital step towards a sustainable water cycle. One example is the Life CELSIUS project, which uses bacteria to purify water through anaerobic processes that do not require external energy sources. This system is particularly effective at eliminating nitrogen compounds and organic matter in regions with warm climates.
8. A household water recycling system
Water purification does not always require large-scale infrastructure. It is also possible to treat water at home, allowing it to be reused for irrigation and other non-potable uses. That is the concept behind Hydraloop, an innovative and compact system capable of reusing up to 85% of household water. It combines several advanced techniques, including sedimentation, aerobic bioreactors and ultraviolet disinfection.
If you would like to learn more about other technological innovations that help reduce environmental pollution, as well as new applications of renewable energy, we recommend subscribing to our newsletter using the form at the bottom of this page.
Girls as young as 4 and women as old as 82 subjected to sexual violence.
A priest brutally beaten, then stripped naked and forced to parade naked through the streets of his village for an hour.
These were among the nightmarish findings of a new UN-backed report released Thursday that found Russia has committed war crimes and likely crimes against humanity during its yearlong invasion of Ukraine.
The three international experts appointed to serve as investigators with the Human Rights Council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that Russia was guilty of grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws.
These included indiscriminate bombings of areas with civilian populations and targeted attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as well as torture, unlawful confinement, summary executions, and rape.
“The Commission is concerned with the number, the geographic spread, and the gravity of human rights violations and corresponding international crimes which it has documented during its mandate,” the investigators wrote in their report. “These have affected men, women, boys and girls of all backgrounds and ages.”
The report is likely to have little practical effect on Russia, but it will increase pressure for the country to be held accountable by the International Criminal Court.
At the very least, the report also functions as a historical record of the abuses committed by Russia, which did not cooperate with the investigation.
As one man whose father was executed by members of the Russian military in a village in the Kharkiv region told the investigators, “They punished innocent people; now those who are guilty, if they are still alive, need to be punished to the fullest extent.”
The UK strategic defence review has been billed as a 10-year stock take of the country’s military and strategic priorities and will be eagerly read by contractors for hints about the government’s spending plans.
This review, called by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer when he came to office last July, was undertaken in the shadow of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Published on Monday, it emphasised a shift towards “warfighting readiness”, responding to heightened threats from “peer” adversaries such as Russia and China.
Who was the main winner from the review?
While areas such as cyber conflict and the Royal Air Force secured planned investment, the Royal Navy stands out as the primary winner.
The service will expand its fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines from seven to 12, with up to 12 new attack boats developed by the UK’s Aukus partnership with the US and Australia by the late 2030s.
This alone accounts for nearly half the projected spending on the weapons systems outlined in the strategic defence review.
However, the navy’s focus will shift from that of an expeditionary force — one boasting two aircraft carriers and designed to fight distant wars against low-tech adversaries — to a service more concentrated on home defence.
Much like during the cold war, the navy’s focus will be defending the north Atlantic from encroachment by Russian submarines under a plan known as the “Atlantic Bastion”.
What is the plan for the army?
The army’s target size will remain the same — at 73,000 regular soldiers, according to the review. The current figure is about 71,000, and the review recommended a slight increase in personnel “if funding allows”.
Instead of a dramatic increase in troop numbers, the review recommended using technology, drones and software to “increase lethality 10-fold”.
The UK must be “a leading tech-enabled defence power, with an ‘integrated force’ that deters and fights and wins through constant innovation at wartime pace”, the report said.
To do this, the Ministry of Defence plans to deliver, among other things, a £1bn “digital targeting web” — artificial intelligence-driven software that is meant to hoover up battlefield data and use it to enable better and faster decision making.
Were things missing from the report?
Donald Trump was not mentioned by name in the review document — though the global unpredictability caused by his US presidency was tackled diplomatically.
“States are seeking to reshape the rules based on the international order that has governed international relations since the second world war,” the report said. “The clear shift in US strategic priorities underlines how urgent and different managing strategic competition now is.”
The Sunday Times reported that Britain wants to purchase fighter jets able to fire tactical nuclear weapons, but this was not mentioned in the review.
One person close to defence secretary John Healey said preliminary talks with the US were under way regarding the UK potentially adding air-launched tactical nuclear weapons to its capabilities, in what would be a significant shift from its current sole focus on submarine-based missiles.
The review also recommended “commencing discussions with the US and Nato on the potential benefits and feasibility of enhanced UK participation in Nato’s nuclear mission”.
What is in it for industry?
The review promised a new partnership with industry, including a “radical root-and-branch review” of procurement.
New investment in novel technologies and advanced manufacturing is supposed to help ensure that defence spending delivers “both for the warfighter and for the economy”.
More details will be provided in the defence industrial strategy — expected in the coming weeks — but UK defence companies are likely to be among the biggest corporate winners from the review.
Shares in contractors involved in building and maintaining Britain’s submarine fleet rose on Monday after the government unveiled the plan to expand it and shore up the UK nuclear deterrent.
BAE Systems, which builds submarines for the Royal Navy, including the Astute class of nuclear-powered attack boats, has already been investing heavily in expanding its Barrow-in-Furness shipyard in north-west England.
The FTSE 100 group, which produces about 80 per cent of the munitions for Britain’s armed forces, should also benefit from a pledge to build six new munition factories around the UK.
Other companies involved in the submarine supply chain, including Rolls-Royce and Babcock International, are also in line for more work.
Rolls-Royce builds the nuclear reactors that power British submarines, while Babcock maintains and services all of the UK’s boats.
Lockheed Martin of the US, which manufactures the F-35 fighter jet, could also benefit if the UK follows through on buying more of the aircraft.
A pledge to invest more in long-range weapons should benefit missile manufacturer MBDA, which is owned by BAE, Leonardo and Airbus.
Defence technology players such as Europe’s Helsing and America’s Anduril will also hope to secure work on new programmes focused on autonomous systems, including drones.
Has defence policy been set for the long term?
While supposedly a 10-year review, the fate of similar exercises in the past suggests the report’s shelf life might be more limited.
The last review was published in 2021, just four years ago, and recommended “a strategic pivot towards the Indo-Pacific region to counter China’s influence and deepen ties with allies like Australia, India, and Japan”, in line with the prevailing strategic priorities of the time.
The latest review, undertaken amid the Ukraine war, has de-emphasised global reach of this type.
While calling China a “persistent challenge”, instead the main country focus is Russia, which is a “pressing and immediate threat”. Meanwhile, the geographic focus is the north Atlantic, not the Pacific.
“We have previously seen defence reviews lionise UK industry but then fail to take the next step and invest,” said Clive Higgins, chief executive of Leonardo in the UK.
“The defence investment plan must be adequately funded in order to deliver the ‘innovation at a wartime pace’ required by the strategy. We must see more nimble and partnership-based procurement, harnessing the UK’s market power for the good of our own onshore industry.”
Judges say Berlin broke EU law by refusing Somali asylum seekers entry.
A Berlin court has ruled that Germany violated asylum law when it deported three Somali nationals at its border with Poland in a decision that challenges Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s aggressive new migration stance.
The three asylum seekers – two men and one woman – were turned back by border police at a train station in Frankfurt an der Oder, a city on Germany’s eastern border.
“The applicants could not demand to enter Germany beyond the border crossing,” the court said in a statement on Monday. “However, the rejection was unlawful because Germany is obliged to process their claims.”
Officials cited the asylum seekers’ arrival from a “safe third country” as grounds for their refusal.
But the court determined the expulsion was illegal under European Union rules, specifically the Dublin regulation, which requires Germany to assess asylum claims if it is the responsible state under the agreement.
It marks the first such legal ruling since Merz’s conservative-led coalition took office in February, riding a wave of anti-immigration sentiment that has helped boost the far-right Alternative for Germany party, now the country’s second largest political force in parliament.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the deportations, saying the asylum system was failing under pressure. “The numbers are too high. We are sticking to our practice,” he told reporters, adding that the court would receive legal justifications for the government’s position.
Migration policies in doubt
But opposition lawmakers were quick to capitalise on the ruling. Irene Mihalic of the Greens called it “a severe defeat” for Merz’s government, accusing it of overstepping its powers “for populist purposes”.
“The border blockades were a rejection of the European Dublin system and have offended our European neighbours,” she said.
Karl Kopp, managing director of Pro Asyl, an immigration advocacy group, said the expulsion of the Somalis reflected an “unlawful practice of national unilateral action” in asylum policy and called for their return to Germany, the Reuters news agency reported.
The ruling also casts doubt on Merz’s wider migration agenda. In May, his government introduced a directive to turn back undocumented people at Germany’s borders, including those seeking asylum – a sharp departure from former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s more open policy during the 2015 migrant crisis.
Last month, the European Commission proposed a bloc-wide mechanism that would permit member states to reject asylum seekers who passed through a “safe” third country. The measure, widely criticised by rights groups, still awaits approval from national parliaments and the European legislature.
A second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have ended without a major breakthrough, and only an agreement between the warring sides to swap more prisoners of war.
Ukrainian negotiators said Russia had again rejected an “unconditional ceasefire” – a key demand by Kyiv and its allies in Europe and the US.
The Russian team said it had proposed a two-to-three day truce “in certain areas” of the vast front line, but gave no further details.
At Monday’s talks, which were held in the Turkish city of Istanbul and lasted just over an hour, the two sides did agree to exchange all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well those aged under 25.
Expectations were low even before the talks started, with both sides remaining deeply divided on how to end the war that has been raging since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the southern Crimea peninsula which it annexed in 2014.
Speaking at a briefing after the meeting, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s negotiating team, said Ukraine was insisting on a “full and and unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days on land, at sea and in the air to “end the killings now”.
He said Ukraine had handed over its truce proposals to Russia “a few days ago” – but Moscow failed to do the same, presenting its plan only at the Istanbul talks.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia said that Russia had rejected the unconditional ceasefire.
Ukraine also handed over a list of hundreds of children Kyiv said had been forcefully taken to Russia.
Ukraine’s negotiators said they were expecting Russia’s response to Ukrainian proposals by the end of June, stressing on the need to prepare for direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
But so far there is no sign of any progress for a meeting between the two presidents.
Speaking at a separate news briefing, Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky confirmed all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those younger than 25 would be exchanged. No timeframe was given as to when this would happen.
Medinsky also said that next week Russia would hand over to Kyiv the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Rejecting an unconditional ceasefire, Russia prefers to talk about “lasting peace”, repeating its previous tough demands which Ukraine and its allies say are tantamount to Kyiv’s de facto capitulation.
The texts of both the Russian and Ukrainian ceasefire proposals have not been made public officially.
However, Russian state-run media have published what they say are key points of Moscow’s position, which include unchanged demands of a Ukrainian military withdrawal from its four partly occupied regions in the south-east, and soldiers’ demobilisation.
Russia also demands international recognition of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as the annexed Crimea.
Other pre-conditions include a ban on Ukraine’s membership in any military alliances, a limit on the size of the Ukrainian army, Russian as an official language, and the lifting of international sanctions.
President Zelensky, who was on Monday attending a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, said “while there are no meaningful signals from Russia to end the war, it is important to strengthen our defence”.
He also called for more sanction pressure on Russia.
In the first round of direct peace talks, held on 16 May, Ukraine and Russia failed to bridge their differences on how to end the war, agreeing only to swap 1,000 prisoners of war each.
President Zelensky and his European allies have repeatedly accused Russia of deliberately delaying any meaningful negotiations to seize more Ukrainian territory.
US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for a quick settlement, has so far delayed hitting Russia with tough sanctions.
In a rare rebuke last month, Trump called Putin “absolutely crazy” following Russia’s largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. In response, the Kremlin said Trump was showing signs of “emotional overload”.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The founder and former CEO of New Hampshire’s largest network of addiction treatment centers has been charged with orchestrating threats and vandalism targeting New Hampshire Public Radio journalists who published sexual misconduct allegations about him.
Eric Spofford, 40, who lives in both Salem, New Hampshire, and Miami, was arrested Friday after being indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of stalking and one count of conspiracy to commit stalking. The man he is accused of paying to carry out the 2022 attacks and three others who were involved have already been convicted.
According to prosecutors, the homes of an NHPR editor, reporter and the reporter’s parents were hit with bricks, rocks and red spray paint in six incidents in April and May 2022. In one incident, a brick was thrown through reporter Lauren Chooljian’s window in Massachusetts, and the phrase “JUST THE BEGINNING!” was spray-painted on the front of her home.
The attacks came after Choolijian published a story describing sexual assault and harassment allegations against Spofford, who founded Granite Recovery Centers in 2008 and sold the business in 2021. He denied the allegations and later sued the journalists, alleging defamation, but the case was dismissed.
Court documents do not list an attorney for Spofford, who was scheduled to make an initial court appearance in Boston on Monday. A lawyer who had previously represented him did not respond to a phone message or email.
Prosecutors say Spofford paid his friend, Eric Labarge, $20,000 to vandalize the homes and provided the addresses and specific instructions. Labarge is serving 46 months in prison; three other men who helped carry out the attacks were given sentences ranging from 21 to 30 months.
