Mamdani allocates $500K for reparations talks as NYC faces $5.4B deficit
Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York City has set aside $500,000 to fund community discussions on reparations and other forms of assistance for Black New Yorkers as a major budget deficit looms, internal communications show. An internal message, dated January, detailed how more than two dozen groups would be given tens of thousands of dollars each to participate in “conversations to discuss the development of a Reparations study” and to gather “input on the early development of the citywide Truth, Healing and Reconciliation plan.” Funding, according to the document, “allows for each community member to receive an incentive for their time” and covers the costs of providing participants with “refreshments.” Amid the reparations spending, New York City faces an estimated $5.4 billion budget deficit throughout the next two fiscal years. Mamdani thus far has not proposed service cuts to address the shortfall, opting instead to seek out increased taxes and dip into the city’s emergency cash reserves while increasing funding for racial equity initiatives. FAR-LEFT HOUSE DEM PUSHES LAND REPARATIONS FOR DESCENDANTS OF AMERICAN SLAVES Mamdani has justified his racially focused policies by stating that “Black and Latino New Yorkers” have “been pushed out of this city for decades” and are “bearing the brunt” of the rising cost of living in New York City. Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, meanwhile, has said that the mayor’s race-based policies sound “fishy/illegal” and pledged to investigate. The city memo reads, “We must do this work so that we can begin to heal from the harms of the past that have bled into our present and threaten our future. The work of Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation will not stop until we see a better New York City – a New York that is engaging in healing from the traumas of the past, has ended current abuse, and is on the path of a racially equitable and just city for all.” MAMDANI VETOES FIRST BILL IN SIGN OF TENSIONS WITH NYC COUNCIL In his preliminary budget, released in February, Mamdani requested $4.6 million for the Commission on Racial Equity (CORE), the body responsible for holding the reparations talks, and an additional $5.6 million for the Office of Racial Equity. The more than $10 million in combined funding for the two municipal bodies would represent a roughly $3 million increase from the prior year. CORE will continue its work on “Reparations, Truth, Healing and Reconciliation” until it releases its July 2027 “Final report for Reparations Study” and its June 2028 “Implementation for Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Plan,” per its website. DEMS WHO RAN ON AFFORDABILITY NOW FACE BACKLASH AS COSTS CLIMB IN NY, VIRGINIA The internal communications, first obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, claim that more than 400 people had attended reparations conversations as of January. Under a local law passed in 2024, New York City is required to consider “financial or in-kind restitution” as well as “compensation for moral or economically assessable damage” and “public apologies” for the descendants of African slaves. The New York City mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment sent by Fox News Digital Friday.
‘New Democrat party’: Senate GOP sounds off on ‘extreme’ Graham Platner as Senate race in Maine heats up
Senate Republicans are eyeing the chance to go after Graham Platner now that Maine’s Senate race is locked in. Platner’s position as the Democratic nominee against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was all but cemented Thursday when Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race over a lack of cash flow. Mills’ exit is two-pronged. It could signal that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic establishment are losing their grip, given that Mills was handpicked by Democratic Party bosses to challenge Collins. CONGRESS EXTENDS CONTROVERSIAL SPY LAW FOR 45 DAYS AFTER SENATE REJECTS HOUSE BILL It also opens up a new line of attack for Republicans, who plan to lean into Platner’s past progressive views and his connection to his main backers: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. “This is the new Democrat Party,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. ”I don’t know how to, I don’t even know how to digest all that nonsense. This is crazy.” Scott, who chairs the Senate’s campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, painted Platner as the “extreme” candidate compared to Mills’ more centrist image. DEMOCRATS FAIL TO SHATTER REPUBLICANS’ RESOLVE ON EVE OF CRUCIAL IRAN DEADLINE He previewed points of attack against Platner, including his insults of rural White voters, old Reddit posts where he blamed women for rape, and his “absolute condescension towards minorities, and Black people specifically.” “Schumer … went after Mills, and what do you find yourself with? Exactly the opposite,” Scott said. Still, Platner, who has never held elected office, is polling ahead of Collins, who is seeking a sixth term in the Senate. RealClearPolitics has Platner ahead by an average of nearly eight points. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who chaired the NRSC when Republicans flipped the Senate in 2024, told Fox News Digital that the last time Collins ran, she was behind in early polling as well. AFTER THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, DEBATE GROWS OVER WHETHER TRUMP ATTACK WARRANTS ANOTHER INVESTIGATION “Every poll, going right up to Election Day, and she ended up winning by eight points,” Daines said. “Susan Collins is a tough out and she’s going to win Maine.” Republicans also see Platner’s ascension as the continuation of a shift in the Democratic Party from the old-guard establishment to more progressive candidates, following the success of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — another victory story from Sanders’ and Ocasio-Cortez’s stable of candidates. They’re hoping to tie Platner to Mamdani, whom Republicans have painted as a proverbial boogeyman in contrast to more centrist Democratic candidates. “The Democrats continue to nominate far-left candidates,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. “This is the Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, AOC, wing of the party that is in control.”
Dr. Oz names 5 states in fraud crackdown as Trump admin targets Medicaid abuse
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz is zeroing in on five states as the Trump administration escalates its crackdown on fraud, waste, and abuse, he told Fox News Digital. “We’ve written letters to Minnesota, California, a letter to Florida because we’re worried about the durable medical equipment fraud, New York, Maine, and there are more coming,” Oz told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview, adding that his concern expands to all 50 states, as well. Oz has escalated federal pressure on states to tighten anti-fraud enforcement following Minnesota’s $250 million “Feeding Our Future” scheme. CMS is leaving no stone unturned, he said, looking at programs such as Medicaid and hospices also revealing foreign influence in the fraud scheme. READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD “We know the Cuban government seems to be implicated in some issues in South Florida, where you have twice as many durable medical equipment suppliers selling wheelchairs and knee braces than McDonald’s,” said Oz. The anti-fraud task force, led by Vice President JD Vance, announced in February that durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers will be targeted through a nationwide moratorium. “The Vice President’s task force continues to work closely with Dr. Oz and CMS to track down and root out fraud,” said a Vance spokesperson to Fox News Digital. “The task force is committed to ensuring that American tax dollars are used for the benefit of the American people, and will continue to successfully do exactly that.” Oz said that he suspects a lot of foreign governments are involved in the fraud schemes taking place across the country targeting specific areas. “We have evidence that foreign nationals certainly are involved in a lot of this fraud. There’s a Russian mafia presence in Los Angeles. There’s Chinese mafia presence, for example, in Flushing Queens [New York,]” Oz said. MINNESOTA ‘ON THE CLOCK’ AS HHS THREATENS PENALTIES OVER CHILDCARE FRAUD SCANDAL Four hundred hospices in Los Angeles were suspended after officials flagged an unusually high concentration of providers in the area. The programs, designed for people in the final six months of their life, had very high survival rates – where in some cases everyone survived. “We also began to notice that there were some folks who were probably not honorable doctors who were designated to supervise patients in multiple hospices,” said Oz. “A lot of hospitals had foreigners that owned them, or they were able to cheat by keeping the numbers of their membership low enough that they don’t have to actually report their outcomes.” Oz said the auditor of California informed Gov. Gavin Newsom of hospice fraud evidence in 2022. MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS ‘LACK OF GUARDRAILS WAS PRETTY SHOCKING’ “The fact that we can suspend more than 400 hospices from getting paid in just a few weeks highlights the reality that no one was watching the till for the last several years,” said Oz. Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for additional comment. “In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation placing a moratorium on new hospice licenses – a policy that remains in effect today, preventing bad actors from entering the system while strengthening oversight of existing providers,” a spokesperson for Newsom previously told the New York Post of hospice fraud in the state. SENATE REPUBLICAN EXPANDS CHILD CARE FRAUD CRACKDOWN TO MORE BLUE STATES Oz recently put all 50 states on notice ordering governors to identify and remove noncompliant Medicaid providers. Oz gave governors and state Medicaid leaders 10 business days in April to tell CMS whether they will commit to conducting a swift “revalidation” of high-risk Medicaid providers and provide a proposed timetable, alongside a separate 30-day deadline for a broader provider-revalidation strategy, escalating federal pressure on states to tighten anti-fraud enforcement. “We can audit states that don’t want to comply with the revalidation request,” said Oz. “Let’s revalidate, which means double check that everyone is providing services within Medicaid, especially for these high-risk services where these are the things your family would normally do for you,” he said. Oz pointed to examples of autism babysitters, non-emergency transport to clinics, and services such as carrying and delivering groceries that may fall outside of Medicaid scope, possibly revealing fraud. “Like what do these people actually have as credentials to allow them to be able to this? And so we asked this question of all the states and all 50 now are charged within 10 days of telling us whether they want to work with us,” he said. Officials suspect the fraud costs Americans billions of dollars each year. “This is an important issue for Americans to recognize because the states run Medicaid, but the federal taxpayer foots the bill,” said Oz.
Democrats who rallied at ‘No Kings’ protests applaud King Charles in Congress
Democrats who rallied with liberal activists at nationwide “No Kings” protests just weeks ago were widely mocked for pivoting to offer the United Kingdom’s King Charles III a royal welcome in Congress and elsewhere. Charles’ speech highlighted a contradiction between anti-monarchy rhetoric and public protests involving Democrats and the raucous welcome extended to the British monarch during his address to Congress. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., criticized Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., whom he said hypocritically cheered Charles several months after speaking at a “No Kings” protest in Savannah. “Hold on a minute, wasn’t this the same Jon Ossoff who was just out there a few weeks ago hooting and hollering about ‘No Kings’ at his rally… He’ll shout ‘No Kings’ all day, but once the king comes around, man, he’s got him a front-row seat,” the Jackson lawmaker said. TIM ALLEN TROLLS ‘NO KINGS’ LAWMAKERS FOR FAWNING OVER ACTUAL KING CHARLES “I was on my way to hear an actual King speak,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., said in a statement after Charles’ address. “Funny how the ‘No Kings’ crowd is nowhere to be found. Guess the outrage depends on who’s talking?” At a March 29 “No Kings” protest in Minnesota, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minneapolis spoke at an event headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, telling the crowd that the U.S. pledges allegiance to the “Constitution, not a King.” The day prior, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., spoke to the press at a “No Kings” protest in his area, saying that the crowd was exercising its freedom of speech against Trump while titling the clip on his social media page “No Kings, not now, not ever.” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., authored the “No Kings Act” in 2024 in rebuke of the Supreme Court’s ruling that presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution stemming from actions taken under their constitutional authority while in office. “‘No Kings’ protest leaders welcome KING CHARLES with a standing ovation; you can’t make this up,” quipped former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, as press cutaway shots of Charles’ address to Congress showed multiple ‘No Kings’ Democrats like Beyer smiling or clapping. ‘NO KINGS’ CALLS ITSELF LEADERLESS BUT ITS OWN INTERNAL DOCUMENTS TELL A VERY DIFFERENT STORY “Look who was elated to see the king – Ms. No Kings,” quipped liberal pro-Israel actor Michael Rapaport, who included photos of a grinning Omar taking photographs of Charles on her phone. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., also called out alleged hypocrisy from the royals’ trip: “Why did I just watch every Democrat in Congress stand and clap for an actual King?” she said, featuring screenshots from Fox News Channel’s House chamber feed. “‘No Kings’ crowd greets King Charles with a standing ovation,” added right-wing X commentator “EndWokeness.” “Biggest bull**** artists of the century,” added commentator Robby Starbuck. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli shared another clip from b-roll of Charles’ speech, characterizing Democrats’ position as “No Kings +/- 1.” Trump himself weighed in on the “No Kings” aspect during an interview with CBS’ Norah O’Donnell after she asked him about Hilton assassination suspect Cole Allen attending such a protest in California. TRUMP REACTS TO ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS BY SAYING ‘I’M NOT A KING, I WORK MY ASS OFF’ “No Kings, yeah… If I was a king, I wouldn’t be dealing with you,” Trump retorted. After Charles departed for London, the Democrat representing former President George Washington’s longtime home lambasted Trump for what he characterized as a concession to the king. Trump announced Friday he agreed to an apparent request from Charles to remove trade restrictions on whiskey to help Scotland work with Kentucky’s liquor businesses, as the former utilizes the latter’s used barrels. “Now we’re taking orders from the King of England,” said Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon. “George Washington just rolled over.” Fox News Digital reached out to Beyer, Ossoff and Omar for comment.
‘Needs to resign’: California vice mayor ripped after commenting ’86 47′ on state GOP’s online post
The chair of the California Republican Party and other conservatives on social media are calling for the vice mayor of Los Altos, California, Larry Lang, to resign after he posted “86 47” on social media multiple times, including in response to one of the state Republican Party’s Facebook posts. The now-deleted posts, screenshots of which were shared by the California Republican Party and reviewed by Fox News Digital, show that at some point this week Lang updated his Facebook “cover photo” so it was the same image of a “86 47” seashell formation reading that resulted in former FBI Director James Comey getting indicted in federal court last month for threats against the president. Meanwhile, Lang also commented “86 47” on a post shared by the California Republican Party earlier this week on Facebook. The clip included a news segment featuring California GOP Chairperson Corrin Rankin talking about a recent debate between California’s current gubernatorial candidates. She argued during the segment that Democrats in the state “have no solutions,” adding that Californians are ready for new leadership after 16 years of Democratic Party rule in the state. “This death threat directed at Donald Trump is unacceptable. Either this elected ‘leader’ is completely unaware of recent events, or he is somehow fueling the violence that erodes our political system,” Rankin said Friday in a post on X that included calls for Lang to resign. “Los Altos deserves leaders who unite the community and focus on solutions.” Kentucky school official resigns after allegedly calling to ‘shoot Republicans’ on social media The California GOP also echoed Rankin’s remarks, pleading with Democrats to “stop advocating for the death of Donald Trump and Republicans.” When reached for comment about the “86 47” posts, Lang’s email address returned an automatic response indicating he was “traveling” until May 4. His Facebook “cover photo” indicated it had been changed Friday. Lang is the vice mayor of the Los Altos City Council and also sits on over half-a-dozen regional boards of directors. Fox News Digital also reached out to city council members in Los Altos for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication. JONATHAN TURLEY: COMEY’S SHELL POST MAY BE CRASS, BUT CHARGING HIM IS A FREE SPEECH TRAP “He needs to resign as vice mayor!” conservative social media account Libs of TikTok said after uncovering the posts. Nick Poche, spokesperson with the Republican National Committee, added that Democrats “must immediately dial back their unhinged rhetoric” or risk encouraging “deranged” supporters who might wish to kill the president, such as the suspect from the recent White House Correspondents Dinner shooting that was stymied by the Secret Service. “We suggest he resign to check into a mental hospital,” Poche said of Lang. Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey was indicted for a second time by the Justice Department last month, which stemmed from a May 2025 Instagram photo of an “86 47” shell formation on a beach — the same shell formation that appeared in Lang’s Facebook “cover photo” until it was deleted. In slang, often used in certain industries and in various cultures, “86” typically means to get rid of something. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is currently the 47th President of the United States. Comey removed the post the same day it was uploaded, claiming he had misinterpreted the shells as a general political message. The former FBI director is facing charges of making threats to harm the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.
Pro-China tech tycoon’s network helped organize NYC May Day protests where Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke
NEW YORK CITY — A group financed by a pro-Chinese Communist Party tech tycoon was one of the first on the scene for Friday’s May Day demonstrations and socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s remarks. The People’s Forum and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which both receive direct or indirect funding from Shanghai-based Neville Roy Singham, were key players in the organization of protestors in Union Square ahead of the May Day events. A self-identified speaker from PSL announced a People’s Forum spokesperson who was the second to speak into a microphone. The speaker rallied the crowd of demonstrators, asking them to repeat chants and later bashed capitalism. Shortly before remarks, PSL arrived with dozens of pre-made anti-Trump signs and equipment, unloading them from a van parked next to Union Sq. Park. CHINA’S AMERICAN MAO: INSIDE SINGHAM’S BLUEPRINT TO ‘WAGE WAR’ FOR A ‘NEW WORLD ORDER’ A Fox News Digital investigation found that the nonprofit received $22.4 million from Singham. Communism was a recurring theme on May Day in New York, with the Revolutionary Communists of America, the Revolutionary Communist Party and signs by the Communist Workers of America held by several demonstrators. Pro-communism advocates were canvassing the crowd, hawking communist newspapers and encouraging participation in upcoming organized events. ‘ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST’: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE “The existing capitalist-imperialist system and institutions of government in this country must be abolished and dismantled – and replaced by a new, socialist system based on the constitution for the new socialist republic of America,” one paper read. Fox News Digital interviewed one of the members of the Revolutionary Communists of America, who went only by Tom, who said that capitalism “is in crisis in the U.S.” “The small farmer has been killed off by capitalism,” Tom told Fox. “The small businessman has been killed off capitalism. Big corporations dominate the society. So America is very proletarianized. And therefore, the working classes has more of a, let’s say, the class balance of forces. It’s more on the side of the working class now than it ever has been.” NYC MAYOR TOUTS ‘SOCIALIST’ WINS IN FIRST 100 DAYS ALONGSIDE BERNIE SANDERS Teamsters and unions gathered downtown at Washington Square Park while TPF and PSL marched from Union Square several blocks up. The union workers’ rally ended shortly after the Singham-connected groups arrived. May Day is historically focused on advocacy for pro-workers, but once New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani began speaking, a significant number of teamsters and union employees had already left as calls for their cheers were dull, and the presence of other organizations dominated the crowd. Mamdani stood in front of billboards labeled “NO ICE, NO WAR” and “NO BILLIONAIRES,” and pushed his commitment to taxing the rich, and noted “faster buses” instead of his usual commitment to making bus transportation in the city free. The crowd cheered loudly for Mamdani, whose appearance was not publicized and seemingly not expected from many of the demonstrators. “That is why we continue to fight for those who power this city as we look to deliver universal child care,” Mamdani told the crowd. “Faster buses, cheaper groceries, protecting our neighbors from the cruelty of ice. And yes, working to tax the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations in New York City.” Crowds dispersed following Mamdani’s brief address, but some roads remained closed as demonstrators continued the march, and one ambulance with flashing lights was forced to turn around earlier in the day on the march from Union Square to Washington Square.
Universities face funding threat as lawmakers target schools with ties to adversarial nations
EXCLUSIVE: A bipartisan group of lawmakers is moving to crack down on foreign influence in American education by targeting universities’ financial ties to adversarial nations. The package would ban federal funding to colleges that operate “branch” campuses in adversarial countries or accept research funding for sensitive fields like artificial intelligence, biotech and quantum computing. China, for example, has been a major source of foreign influence in American education through its Confucius Classrooms, which states like Oklahoma have cracked down on. On a federal level, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has taken the mantle of defending education against issues from foreign influence to antisemitism on campus; famously headlining a hearing after which UPenn’s then-president resigned amid pressure over her responses on the latter. Stefanik again is out in front of an education protection endeavor, telling Fox News Digital she is part of a bicameral, bipartisan group focused on keeping foreign influence away from America’s young and growing minds. “I introduced the No Branch Campuses in Hostile Countries Act with Senator Rick Scott, and this is part of the broader higher education reform effort that I have been leading on in the Congress,” Stefanik said in an exclusive interview. HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES BLITZ OF BILLS TO SHUT DOWN CCP INFILTRATION OF US SCHOOLS: ‘COMMONSENSE’ “One of the challenges that I’ve seen is the influence of foreign adversaries sowing discord on our higher education campuses. And part of this has been coming from the foreign dollars flowing in, but also the existence of branches in these foreign adversarial countries.” She noted her home state of New York has major universities operating branch campuses in China, but said the problem extends beyond the Empire State to other top schools in Chicago, Washington and elsewhere. Stefanik added that Confucius Institutes and classrooms were recently banned through the national defense bill, and that just as that effort was bipartisan, so is her second education security bill this week. The Defending American Research Act prevents any institution of higher education from receiving federal research funding for five years if it receives funds from certain foreign countries including Qatar, Venezuela, Turkey and North Korea. In Stefanik’s own book, “Poisoned Ivies,” she noted she dove into the topic of dangerous aspects of today’s campus life from foreign influence to antisemitism. “[Ours] was the most viewed hearing in the history of Congress. It led to multiple university presidents’ resignations, but importantly, it set off an earthquake in higher education reform. There have been seismic shifts in higher-ed, both in the marketplace, as you’re seeing parents and students voting with their wallets and feet, as it’s shifted,” Stefanik said, adding that many American youth are seeking collegiate education at southern schools where the liberal northeast and west coast influence is more muted. STEFANIK TO RELEASE NEW BOOK ON COLLEGE ANTISEMITISM AS SHE EYES BID FOR NY GOVERNOR Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., are joining Stefanik in the effort, and Scott told Fox News Digital that America “has enemies” and should “start acting like it” when it comes to their influence on higher education. “Countries like Communist China and terror-supporting Qatar should not be able to use America’s colleges and universities as outposts to spy on us, steal sensitive research, and spread anti-American propaganda, but we’ve been letting them do it for years,” Scott said. MORE THAN 160 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN US SCHOOLS “This legislation is critical to America’s national security and the future of our higher education system — neither of which should be for sale.” While the list includes more obvious entries like North Korea, Cuba and China, Qatar is also included, even as it remains a somewhat neutral or cooperative partner on national security concerns such as evacuations from Afghanistan and the Iran conflict. However, Stefanik said when it comes to its influence on U.S. education, her research led her to “billions of dollars” from Doha appearing to prop up antisemitic interests and “pro-terror professors” at some universities including in her home state. “I think that’s one of the major ways we need to push back on this foreign influence that’s really shifting away from the founding missions of these higher education institutions,” she said. Other nations on both bills’ lists include the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation. The bill sponsors’ collective hope is that their measures will provide the leverage needed to force U.S. universities to cut ties with adversarial governments or risk their bottom line.
K-pop’s BTS comeback tour rallies South Korea’s global ‘soft power’ drive
Seoul – Shekinah Yawra had no other option but to spend the night at a South Korean jjimjilbang, a 24-hour bathhouse, after every hotel near central Seoul sold out in late March. But sleep was secondary for the 32-year-old Filipino who had made her way to Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square at 7am to secure a spot in a crowd that city officials estimated would grow to hundreds of thousands. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list All this was for a glimpse at the seven-member K-pop supergroup BTS, who returned to the stage on March 21 after almost four years away from the limelight for their staggered, mandatory military service. Though she failed to secure one of 22,000 free tickets for BTS’s first return concert in the square, Yawra was still ecstatic to stand on the sidelines and watch the concert live on a big screen set up for the occasion. “We all came just for this,” she told Al Jazeera, recounting how friends had flown in from the Philippines for a single night to catch the concert. Worldwide, more than 18.4 million viewers tuned in for the Netflix livestream of the concert. Kpop group BTS perform during ‘BTS The Comeback Live Arirang’ concert in central Seoul, South Korea, March 21, 2026 [Kim Hong-ji/Pool/Reuters] With an estimated 30 million fans worldwide – who refer to themselves as the BTS ARMY – the K-pop group is the most visible symbol of “Hallyu”, or the “Korean Wave”, and the global surge of interest in South Korean popular culture and the financial revenues being generated as a result. In late March, BTS’s 10th studio album, Arirang, topped the charts in the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom, the world’s three largest music markets. The group’s upcoming world tour is expected to generate more than $1.4bn in revenue across more than 80 shows in 23 countries. Advertisement Domestically, inbound tourist numbers for the first 18 days of March rose 32.7 percent from the previous month, according to Ministry of Justice data, as the return concert approached and hotel prices surged across central Seoul amid the demand for rooms. In the week leading up to the concert, sales of BTS merchandise – from BTS glow sticks to blankets – surged 430 percent at the Shinsegae Duty Free retail outlet in central Seoul, the company said. Over the concert weekend, revenues also rose 30 percent at the city’s Lotte Department Store and 48 percent at Shinsegae overall, compared with the same March weekend a year earlier, in 2025. Fans cheer before the BTS The Comeback Live Arirang concert as they wait near the concert venue, in central Seoul, South Korea, on March 21, 2026 [Kim Hong-ji/Reuters] As far back as 2022, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) – a government-sponsored think tank and research organisation – estimated that a single BTS concert in Seoul could generate up to 1.2 trillion won ($798m) in overall economic impact. KCTI researcher Yang Ji-hoon told Al Jazeera that a sample study of the crowd at the BTS comeback event at Gwanghwamun Square highlighted the uniqueness of fandom-driven tourism. More than half of those at the concert were foreign visitors and many required long-haul travel to attend. “In Europe and the United States, travel tends to be concentrated within its own regions,” Yang said. “So, for people to overcome such travel barriers and come to South Korea, it usually requires more than just ordinary motivation or typical spending – it’s not something that happens easily,” he said. K-pop’s transition to the global mainstream The scale of BTS’s return to the entertainment world reflects a broader state-backed strategy. When music promoter Hybe requested Seoul city support for the Gwanghwamun square comeback concert, authorities approved it on public-interest grounds, treating the event as a showcase of national cultural influence. Almost befitting an official event, more than 10,000 state personnel were deployed for security, logistics and crowd control. According to data retrieved by South Korean publication Sisain, through a public information disclosure request to the Seoul government, close to 130 million won ($87,400) of city funds were spent as part of logistics for the comeback concert. South Korean government support for BTS has a precedent. As members of the boyband approached South Korea’s mandatory military service age, policymakers debated special exemptions for members of BTS, which was estimated to have generated $4.65bn annually to the country’s economy. After BTS’s forthcoming concerts in Mexico City sold out in just 37 minutes, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung to “bring the acclaimed K-pop artists more often”, noting nearly one million fans in Mexico had attempted to secure 150,000 tickets. Advertisement South Korea’s cultural influence is also extending beyond music. South Korea’s cosmetics exports surpassed $11bn last year, according to global accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), overtaking France in cosmetics shipments to the US, while South Korean food and agricultural exports reached a record $13.6bn, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. KCTI researcher Yang described the growing interest as a phase of “transition to the global mainstream”, where South Korean products are internationally recognised and content output is measured against worldwide benchmarks such as the Billboard charts and the Academy Awards. He also warned that structural reform is now essential to keep pace with the wave of interest in South Korea. “As the industries expand in scale, they must also evolve in its underlying systems, infrastructure, and workforce,” he said. “Rather than focusing solely on direct financial support, future governmental policies should move toward strengthening foundational conditions – such as improving labour environments, addressing unfair practices, building relevant infrastructure, and establishing more robust statistical and data systems,” he said. Politicians appear to be paying attention. During his election campaign last year, President Lee framed the next phase of cultural expansion as “Hallyu (Korean Wave) 4.0”, with promises to grow the sector into a 300 trillion won ($203bn) industry with 50 trillion won ($34bn) in exports.
Peru probes trafficking of citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine
Peru’s public prosecutor says many of their citizens are victims of deception, lured by the promise of jobs but ended up in Ukraine. Published On 2 May 20262 May 2026 Peru has launched an investigation into an alleged human trafficking network that lured citizens with false promises of employment in Russia, only for them to end up fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the public prosecutor’s office has said. Individuals were “recruited through deceptive job offers to work as security agents and other roles” in Russia, “with the promise of financial compensation”, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The investigation will focus on the alleged crimes of “human trafficking” and “aggravated human trafficking”, the office said. Percy Salinas, a lawyer representing families of people who ended up on the front lines in Ukraine, told the local TV channel N that 13 Peruvians have died in the war in Ukraine so far, according to the AFP news agency. Salinas said individuals were reportedly offered monthly salaries of between $2,000 and $3,000, and that an estimated 600 Peruvians have been lured since last October to fight for Russia. In a statement released on Thursday, Moscow’s embassy in Lima acknowledged that Peruvians had signed contracts to join the Russian armed forces. The Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had asked the Russian embassy to clarify the situation and obtain information about the location and wellbeing of citizens serving in the Russian military. The ministry noted that Peruvian citizens are required to seek permission from the Foreign Ministry before serving in a foreign military. The families of some of the victims who claimed they were recruited under false pretences to fight in Ukraine protested outside the ministry in Lima on Thursday, demanding their loved ones be repatriated. Advertisement Peru is the latest country to raise complaints against Russia over the deceptive recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine. More than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries are believed to be fighting alongside Russian forces, according to Ukrainian estimates from February. Russia has also previously acknowledged enlisting soldiers from North Korea, thousands of whom are estimated to have been killed or wounded in battle, as part of a military pact agreed between Moscow and Pyongyang. Relatives of Peruvians who claim they were recruited by Russia to the front lines of the war in Ukraine protest in Lima, Peru, on April 29, 2026 [Mikhail Huacan/EPA] Adblock test (Why?)
Jabalpur Boat Tragedy: MP tourism boat ignored storm alert, survivors allege panic over life jackets
Survivors of the Bargi Dam boat tragedy allege major safety lapses, including ignoring storm warnings and failing to provide life jackets.