California says 6,500 homes near shuttered Exide plant are 'clean.' But soil samples raise questions

Los Angeles Times - Nov 6, 2026

The former Exide facility in Vernon spewed toxic dust for decades as it melted down lead-acid car batteries for recycling. Its operations released lead dust across Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Commerce and Maywood while the state allowed the plant to operate for decades with a temporary permit.

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[COVER STORY] Ruling party leader's credibility put on line as Shincheonji claims backfire

Nov 7, 2026

[COVER STORY] Ruling party leader's credibility put on line as Shincheonji claims backfire

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and former prime minister, is facing a test of his credibility after an internal investigation failed to substantiate his claims of a “secret alliance” involving his leadership rival and the nonmainstream religious sect Shincheonji. On Friday, Kim apologized again during the party’s Supreme Council meeting. It was his third apology over the controversy, following remarks at Tuesday’s closed-door meeting of party lawmakers and on the party’s YouTube channel on Thursday. “I once again offer my apologies to everyone who was hurt as I raised serious concerns and warned about religious interference in politics during the party’s leadership election,” Kim said. He was referring to his allegation in the run-up to the Aug. 17 party leadership election that the anti-President Lee Jae Myung faction within the party and Shincheonji had formed a secret alliance. The claim targeted the camp of his leadership rival, former Chairman Rep. Jung Chung-rae. After raising the allegation and winning the leadership race, Kim

JoongAng Ilbo buyers have financial room to fund acquisition: KIS report

Nov 7, 2026

JoongAng Ilbo buyers have financial room to fund acquisition: KIS report

In an unconventional lifeline for Korea's traditional press, a diverse corporate coalition spanning tech, retail and entertainment has agreed to rescue JoongAng Ilbo, one of the nation’s most influential conservative daily newspapers. Under a 520 billion won ($388 million) conditional agreement approved Wednesday by the boards of Daou Technology, Saramin, CJ Corp. and Shinsegae, the newly injected capital will flow directly into the newspaper to clear its debts and pull the media outlet out of a creditor-led workout program it entered this summer. According to an assessment by Korea Investors Service (KIS), a Moody’s affiliate, the acquiring companies possess the financial capacity to comfortably fund the transaction. Under the agreed funding structure, Daou Technology will cover 36.5 percent of the total, or about 189.8 billion won, while CJ Corp. will contribute 35.7 percent, or 185.6 billion won. Shinsegae is participating alongside CJ as a financial investor with a 14.1 percent stake (73.3 billion won), and online job portal Saramin will provide 13.7 percent (71.2 billion won).

From Pokemon to T1, global fandoms open new market for Korean resellers

Nov 7, 2026

From Pokemon to T1, global fandoms open new market for Korean resellers

Korean sellers are finding new opportunities in the global collectibles market, as overseas buyers are willing to pay a premium for rare, hard-to-find items, with trading card sales by Korean sellers on eBay more than tripling year-on-year in the third quarter. EBay said Friday that Korean sellers in the Collectible Card Games Category saw the highest sales growth among all Korean sellers on the global e-commerce platform from July to September this year. Trading cards featuring characters, artists or celebrity athletes fueled platform users’ attraction toward the Korean resellers. The most popular trading cards featured characters from the globally popular animated franchise Pokemon and iconic League of Legends esports team T1. The top-selling item in the category was the 2026 KOREA MEGA FESTA Magikarp card, which also ranked ninth in overall sales among Korean sellers on eBay. The Riftbound X 2025 World Champion T1 Signature Edition Card fetched a premium even during prelaunch sales, demonstrating a global fandom around the product itself and the team represented by professional gam

UN chief calls for restoration of inter-Korean communication channels amid DMZ tensions

Nov 7, 2026

UN chief calls for restoration of inter-Korean communication channels amid DMZ tensions

WASHINGTON — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the restoration of communication channels between South and North Korea amid concerns over a potential escalation of tensions across the border. "The Secretary-General remains concerned about the situation in the Korean Peninsula, including potential escalation of tensions across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)," United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a regular press briefing Thursday. Dujarric said that Guterres encourages relevant parties "to initiate the resumption of communication channels, including military-to-military communications, all of this in order to avoid unintended accidents or miscalculations." The spokesperson also stressed the importance of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "Diplomatic engagement and renewed dialogue remain the only pathway to reduce tensions and to achieve sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula," he said. The remarks came amid heightened tensions along the inter-Korean border following a Sept. 21 land mine explosion inside the DMZ that in

Mirae Asset says data breaches exposed customer, employee information

Nov 7, 2026

Mirae Asset says data breaches exposed customer, employee information

Mirae Asset Securities Co. said Saturday that it suffered cyberattacks that resulted in the leakage of account numbers some 3,800 customers and personal information of over 35,000 current, former employees and contractors. The South Korean brokerage said unauthorized external access occurred Wednesday and Thursday, targeting its mobile web phone authentication login service and internal system, respectively. They resulted in the leakage of some 3,800 customer account numbers and information on 35,255 current, former and contractors. The non-customer, corporate data leaked included names, employee ID numbers, email addresses, mobile phone numbers and passwords. Mirae Asset said it immediately blocked the affected access routes after detecting suspicious activity from external IP addresses and activated its emergency response system. The company also said it reported the incident to the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Supervisory Service and the Personal Information Protection Commission.

Sara Duterte camp: Prosecution had its chance but failed; VP begins defense Monday

Nov 7, 2026

Sara Duterte camp: Prosecution had its chance but failed; VP begins defense Monday

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday hit back at the prosecution, saying the latter had its chance, but failed. It also said Duterte will begin her defense on Monday, November 9.

[Vantage Point] Gov’t dismantling a grid monopoly is only half the job

Nov 7, 2026

[Vantage Point] Gov’t dismantling a grid monopoly is only half the job

A policy framework earns its worth only when physical power flows reliably across the wire

Meet the Bugkalot in Nagtipunan, Quirino

Nov 7, 2026

Meet the Bugkalot in Nagtipunan, Quirino

A journey into Nagtipunan, Quirino shows how the Bugkalot people left their fierce headhunting past behind to become a community centered around faith and bayanihan

Fire hits mall in Makati City Friday evening

Nov 6, 2026

Fire hits mall in Makati City Friday evening

MANILA, Philippines — A fire broke out at a commercial establishment inside the Makati Central Square along Chino Roces Avenue in Brgy. Pio del Pilar, Makati City, on Friday evening, Nov. 6. The blaze was first reported at around 6:06 p.m. READ: Fire breaks out in Makati City residential area According to the Bureau of

LTFRB approves permits for 20 buses to augment LRT-2 services

Nov 6, 2026

LTFRB approves permits for 20 buses to augment LRT-2 services

MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has approved special permits for 20 buses to serve two routes between Antipolo City, Rizal, and Metro Manila as part of efforts to ease congestion among Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) commuters. The buses will serve the Antipolo-Legarda route in Manila and the

U.S. Treasury sanctions Canadian firms connected to Ryan Wedding and Iran

Nov 6, 2026

U.S. Treasury sanctions Canadian firms connected to Ryan Wedding and Iran

The department says it sanctioned money services businesses in British Columbia and Ontario in co-ordination with Fintrac, Canada's anti-money laundering watchdog.

Kapunan: Defense’s ‘I don’t know’ alibi makes VP Duterte look ‘dumb’

Nov 6, 2026

Kapunan: Defense’s ‘I don’t know’ alibi makes VP Duterte look ‘dumb’

MANILA, Philippines — Should the defense panel for the impeachment trial insist that Vice President Sara Duterte was unaware of the documents bearing her signature, it would only prove that the country’s second-highest official is dumb, lawyer Lorna Kapunan said on Friday. Kapunan, one of the private lawyers assisting the prosecution panel, said at a

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