The performance will take place on Thursday, March 26, and is described as a night of “razor-sharp wit”.

Known for his appearances on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie to You?, and his travel series The Wonders of the World I Can’t See, Mr McCausland will deliver his observational humour to a live audience in Darlington.

A Darlington Hippodrome spokesperson said: “McCausland has been delighting TV viewers across the nation with appearances on shows such as Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie to You?, and his own travel series The Wonders of the World I Can’t See.

“Now, he’s hitting Darlington with a show packed full of laughs, left turns and the kind of stories you’ll be quoting for weeks afterwards.

“Yonks dives into the timeless themes of life, family, ageing and the wonderfully odd things we all pretend not to notice – all delivered with McCausland’s signature charm and mischievous sense of humour.”

Tickets are limited and organisers are urging fans to book quickly to avoid missing out.

There will be no additional dates or show extensions.

For more information visit the Darlington Hippodrome website or contact the box office on 01325 405405.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Middle East even as the United States is sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the region.

Trump’s post Friday on social media followed an Iranian threat to attack recreational and tourist sites worldwide and another day of the airstrikes and drone and missile attacks that have engulfed the region.

The mixed messages from the United States came after another climb in oil prices plunged the U.S. stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement it was lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices.

The 3-week-old war has shown no signs of abating, with Israel saying Iran continued to fire missiles at it early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to major oil installations.

The attacks came a day after Israeli airstrikes hit in Tehran as Iranians celebrated the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that has been muted by the war.

Trump says US near completion of its goals

The U.S. and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising that topples Iran’s leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs. There have been no public signs of any such uprising and no end to the war in sight.

On social media, Trump said, “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.”

That seemed at odds with his administration’s move to bolster its firepower in the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to fund the war.

The United States is deploying three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the Middle East, an official told The Associated Press. Two other U.S. officials confirmed that ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

Days earlier the U.S. redirected another group of amphibious assault ships carrying another 2,500 Marines from the Pacific to the Middle East. The Marines will join more than 50,000 U.S. troops already in the region.

Trump has said he has no plans to send ground forces into Iran but also has asserted that he retains all options.

Iran threatens attacks beyond the Middle East

Iran’s top military spokesperson, Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned Friday that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide will not be safe for the country’s enemies. The threat renewed concerns that Tehran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians’ steadfastness in the face of war in a written statement read on Iranian television to mark Nowruz. Khamenei has not been seen in public since he became supreme leader following Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and reportedly wounded him.

With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained in the punishing U.S. and Israeli strikes, which began Feb. 28 — or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran’s attacks are still choking off oil supplies and raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.

Israel continues wave of strikes against Hezbollah militants

The Israeli military said early Saturday that it began a wave of strikes targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Smoke was seen rising, fires broke out and loud explosions were heard across parts of central Beirut, hours after the Israeli army renewed evacuation warnings for seven neighborhoods.

Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government.

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran during the war. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missiles and four others have died in the occupied West Bank. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.

US pauses sanctions on Iranian oil

Brent crude oil, the international standard, has soared during the fighting and was around $106 per barrel, up from roughly $70 before the war.

The newly announced U.S. pause in sanctions applies to Iranian oil loaded on ships as of Friday and is set to end April 19.

The new move does not increase the flow of production, a central factor in the surging prices. Iran has managed to evade U.S. sanctions for years, suggesting that much of what it exports already reaches buyers.

Looking for ways to boost global oil supplies during the Iran war, the Trump administration has previously paused sanctions on certain Russian oil shipments for 30 days, which critics said rewarded Moscow while having only a modest effect on markets.

___

Price reported from Washington, and Watson from San Diego. AP journalists Collin Binkley in West Palm Beach, Florida and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.

Cardiff Council has approved a large digital advertising display at Coryton Roundabout despite concerns from the local community

It is one of the UK’s biggest roundabouts in the entire UK and now a massive cinema screen style digital billboard is set to dominate the skyline above it.

Cardiff Council has given the green light to an enormous 96-sheet digital advertising display on land beside Coryton Roundabout and Merthyr Road.

The board will feature a 12x3m display and be mounted on supporting fencing slightly over a metre in height.

Throughout the planning process, Tongwynlais Community Council, the local community body, voiced several concerns.

It stated: “Due to the size of the proposed display and the suggested location, adjacent to a busy interchange serving connections to the M4 and A470 as well as local roads, the community council feel this could pose a distraction for motorists.”

Additional concerns include the potential impact on the neighbouring wildflower meadow where “rare flowers” grow, and the proximity of a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and Local Nature Reserve. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here

The community council continued: “Although the road is between the proposed sign and the SINC, wildlife may still be affected, in particular by the effect of the light intensity of the display and the frequency of the light from it.

“Bats and other nocturnal species can be affected by light projecting upwards and by the colour temperature of the lights.”

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It also questioned what advertisements would appear on the board and “what benefit this will have to the local village and community”. The officer’s report recommending approval stated: “It is considered that the advertisements would not have any adverse impact upon highway safety or pedestrian safety, as confirmed by consultation with Traffic and Transportation.”

Responding to environmental concerns, the report noted these were “acknowledged but best addressed by the comments from Ecology, who did not raise objections in this respect.”

The advertising consent was granted subject to several conditions, including restrictions on “maximum luminance” during both daylight and darkness, minimum display duration for advertisements, a prohibition on moving images and a ban on images resembling “official road traffic signs, traffic lights or traffic matrix signs”.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but despite your phone being able to play music, it doesn’t sound very good. For all of its multi-tasking talents, making music sound as entertaining as it can be isn’t one of them.

That’s where a portable MP3 player comes in. Apple may have consigned its iPod to the technology graveyard, but the iconic Sony Walkman lives on, as do other music players from audio specialists such as FiiO and Astell & Kern. These deliver superior sound, extra storage for songs and wider high-resolution audio file support than your trusty mobile.

I’ve tested a surprising amount of MP3 players over the past 12 years, and I’ve watched them catch up with the times, now supporting wireless headphones, Wi-Fi and streaming services such as Spotify. This makes them a relevant modern music machine for quality-conscious listeners on the move. Below are the best MP3 players I’ve tested for budgets between £179 and £999.

The best MP3 players at a glance

How to choose the best MP3 Player

Your reason for buying a portable music player will most likely be to get superior sound over what your phone delivers. It would be wise to buy the best model you can afford and consider what headphones or other equipment you’re using it with. A cheap player won’t take advantage of a high-end pair of wired headphones and vice versa.

If you have a decent library of high-resolution files (FLAC, DSD and MQA are most common), you should check the file compatibility, as well as its storage capacity and how much that can be expanded with a MicroSD card for further songs. If you want to stream from a music service, make sure that the app can be downloaded onto the player, too.

Bluetooth support is also convenient, allowing you to play music wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones or speakers, though audio quality will suffer compared to the cabled method.

Most players nowadays also double up as a USB or Bluetooth DAC (digital-to-analogue converter), meaning they can connect to, say, a laptop, via a USB cable and/or wirelessly, to improve its audio quality.

Read our FAQs if you’re considering buying a second-hand iPod.

How I tested MP3 Players

The Irish low-cost airline posted a tongue-in-cheek video showing what they really think of passengers who miss flights, and people have agreed with them

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Missing your flight can be an enormously frustrating experience, particularly if the delay is completely beyond your control. You can be held up if there’s a problem at security, if the boarding gate changes at short notice and you have to traverse the entire airport to reach it, and even if your taxi journey to the airport is delayed.

However, sometimes the responsibility lies entirely with the passenger. It’s widely understood that you should arrive at the airport with sufficient time to account for these potential hold-ups, and opting to turn up as late as possible or spending so long in duty-free that you completely miss boarding is not the airline’s responsibility.

And in a tongue-in-cheek clip, Ryanair have been brutally candid about what they genuinely think of passengers like this. The Irish budget carrier shared a clip on Facebook in which they jokingly demonstrated what passengers who miss their flights expect the aircraft to do in order to accommodate them.

The footage showed a man turning up at the airport just as his aircraft departed from the runway. He screamed in frustration and ran out onto the tarmac, at which point the aircraft circled back and used some sort of sci-fi film beam to transport the man onto the plane whilst it was still airborne.

Ryanair commented: “What passengers that miss their flight expect us to do.”

Ryanair’s candid video elicited a wave of amusement from commenters, with many responding with laughing emojis. Some expressed bewilderment at how frequently people lose track of time in airports, especially when they ignore boarding announcements and then become frustrated when the plane departs without them.

One individual commented: “Accurate!” Another chimed in: “I would work for free in this marketing team.”

A third shared: “I watched four people chatting for like two hours in front of me whilst their gate was open and they waited until everyone boarded the flight, and then went to the gate after it was closed and started shouting at the employees. The whole time they were sitting and chatting, 10 steps, literally, from the gate!”

What to do if you miss your flight

If you happen to miss your flight, the first course of action is to contact your airline via telephone as soon as you realise you’re going to be late. This could be due to traffic en-route to the airport, other travel disruptions, or lengthy queues at security once you’re inside the airport.

According to Which?, doing so can increase your chances of being rebooked onto another flight at no extra cost, or if a fee is required, it may be less than the price of purchasing a new flight. Some airlines offer a “rescue fare” or a “rescue fee” for missed flights, but the conditions for this will vary depending on the airline you’re flying with.

You can also face a “no-show fee” from certain airlines if you fail to turn up at the airport at all, so if you’re running behind schedule, you should still attempt to reach the airport, even if you don’t board the plane.

Certain travel insurance policies may also provide cover if you miss your flight, but this will depend on your policy, and many of them don’t provide cover if it’s caused by long queues at the airport.

The most effective way to minimise the risk of missing your flight is to allow plenty of time to travel to the airport and get through security, accounting for any potential delays.

Consumer group Which? warned that there’s a “double whammy” to be aware of with prices rising and products reducing in size.

Which? tracks around 25,000 products across major UK supermarkets to look at how grocery prices are changing, and it said that shoppers could find themselves paying more for less.

Its supermarket food inflation tracker found that while overall food and drink inflation at the supermarket has slowed to 3.9% in the year to February, the cost of chocolate, which it said is driven by ongoing global supply issues, has surged by 9.7% annually.

Simple ways to shop sustainably and save money

Shrinkflation affecting Easter chocolate prices

Which? also found that the experience of products reducing in size but prices being maintained or increased “has become a prevalent trend in the seasonal aisle”.

The inflation tracker also showed that when looking at overall inflation across ranges of groceries, supermarket own-label premium products had the highest rates of inflation at 6.7% – a higher rate than budget own-brand items (4%) or branded items (2.8%).

Which? urges shoppers to look at the unit price to find the most cost-effective deals – for example, the price per 100g or 100ml.

If you’re looking to save money on groceries, Which? regularly finds that discounters Aldi and Lidl can be good options.

Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “It’s disappointing to see Easter treats aren’t safe from shrinkflation, with some products going up in price significantly, even though they’re smaller than last year.

“Manufacturers are quietly giving shoppers less for more, so it’s no wonder people feel cheated when they get less bang for their buck.

“To ensure you’re getting a fair deal, always check the ‘price per 100g’ on the shelf edge label rather than just the headline price.

“This is the only way to accurately compare different brands and sizes to ensure you are bagging a genuine bargain.”

Why is chocolate more expensive now?

The price of chocolate has been rising sharply due to a severe global cocoa shortage caused by factors such as poor harvests, Which? said.

It said this, combined with high demand, increased energy and transportation costs, and climate-related challenges, has caused retail prices to surge.

Discontinued UK sweets/chocolates

Which? said it had approached supermarkets and manufacturers.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We know Easter is a time many come together which is why we are focused on giving customers brilliant value with trusted quality.”

Recommended reading:

A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley, which owns the Galaxy, M&Ms and Maltesers brands, also told Which?: “We always aim to absorb rising costs wherever possible, however, ongoing pressures, including the well-documented rises in the cost of cocoa, mean we have had to make carefully considered changes to ensure shoppers can continue to enjoy their favourite Easter treats without any compromise on the quality or taste they expect from Mars.

“As with all our products, final pricing remains at the discretion of individual retailers.”

Have you noticed shrinkflation when buying chocolate in your local supermarket? Let us know in our poll above or in the comments below.

At-home cooling tech is increasingly becoming a must-have. The best portable air conditioners can help keep your home cool and your sanity intact. But how do they work? While the best fans simply move air around and air coolers chill it using evaporation, an air conditioner actively lowers the temperature of a room by running air through a refrigerating unit and fanning it back out, expelling unwanted heat through a window.

They’re fairly pricey, costing between £135 and £800 (and have higher running costs than fans and coolers), but a portable AC unit is more convenient than installing a built-in air conditioner.

The running costs of around 25 to 35p per hour will prove good value for money when the temperatures rise, and most have a Class A energy rating. Below you’ll find reviews of the portable units we recommended, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our top five:

The best portable air conditioners: At a glance

How to choose the best portable air conditioner

Portable air conditioners come in a range of different sizes, designed for spaces from bedrooms to large offices. Their cooling power is rated in British Thermal Units (BTUs). A higher number means it’s suitable for a larger space, but can also equate to a bigger, pricier and in some cases less eco-friendly device. Equally, too low a BTU rating for the room size, won’t cool efficiently.

To work out which BTU rate is right for you, find the floor area of your space in square feet or square metres and consult the chart below, provided by Appliances Direct. The height of the room, its insulation and any heat-emitting electrical devices can all make a difference, but this should be a good guide:

Andrew Barlow, variously known as Andrew Longmire and Andrew Davies, lived in Bolton and Oldham at various times in the 1980s when he carried out a string of horrific sex attacks.

Barlow was dubbed “the Coronation Street Rapist” after attacking several of his victims in their own homes, which were often brick built terraced houses reminiscent of the soap opera setting.

The Prison and Probation Service Ombudsman confirmed that Barlow, by then known as Davies, died while a serving prisoner at the age of 69.

A PPO spokesperson said: “Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, is conducting an independent investigation into the death of Andrew Davies on February 28, 2026.

“He was a prisoner at HMP Moorland”.

Andrew Barlow, pictured here in 2017 (Image: Newsquest)

Barlow’s string of sickening crimes, which ultimately saw him briefly become the most wanted man in the country, were carried out between 1981 and 1988.

He was finally caught after trying to shoot his way out of a confrontation with police officers with a shotgun and in 1988 was handed 12 life sentences.

The serial rapist was given yet another life sentence in 2017 when he pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint in Great Lever in January 1982.

Andrew Barlow was sentenced again at Bolton Crown Court in 2017 (Image: Phil Taylor)

But despite a total of 13 life sentences Barlow was at the centre of a highly controversial decision to release him under the supervision of the probation services in March 2023.

The move sparked widespread condemnation, including from Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed at the time that Barlow had been ordered to keep to strict conditions as part of his release.

These included being banned from the whole of Greater Manchester and ordered to stay at a specific address.

Barlow was kept under advanced supervision and monitoring and to keep out of an inclusion zone to avoid contact with his victims, while his use of electronic equipment was restricted.

But Barlow’s freedom in 2023 lasted only a matter of weeks after he was recalled to prison after breaching his conditions.

Barlow later tried to appeal against his recall but by the time of his death on February 28 this year was a serving prisoner HMP Moorland in Yorkshire.

A full report on Barlow’s death at HMP Moorland is expected to be published once Mr Usher has finished his investigation.

The murder of Agnes Wanjiru hangs over the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).

The long-time training post is headquartered in the hometown of the 21-year-old single mother who was dumped in a hotel septic tank after being brutally murdered in 2012.

The man accused of killing her, Robert Purkiss, was stationed in Nanyuki for a training stint with BATUK.

It took two months for the Kenyan authorities to find Agnes’s body and 13 years for an arrest warrant to be issued for the former British soldier charged with her murder.

Her death has had such resounding impact, all these years on, that a Kenyan parliamentary defence committee launched a two-year inquiry into the conduct of the BATUK.

Last October, Agnes’s niece Esther told me that the spirit of her aunt cries out and that it will not rest until justice is served. The picture she described of Agnes’s suspended soul seeking resolution feels more real than imaginary.

A visit from a celebrated Kenyan-born British army chief to his training troops meant I was able to put questions to him on the grievances of Agnes’s family and others, who claim grievous harm at the hands of his troops.

General Sir Roland Walker responded to my request to share a message with Agnes’s family. He was firm and emphatic when he delivered a response.

He said: “This has got to follow all the way through to the full investigation and the legal proceedings, and this has got to be seen in the light of a court and judged in accordance with the laws of this land.

“That’s what has to happen – justice has to be done, and justice has to be seen to be done.

“That is a business for the courts, and the lawyers, and the police, and the investigation.”

Read more:
Niece of Kenyan woman ‘murdered by British soldier’ comes to UK
Agnes Wanjiru’s family welcome extradition proceedings

Rose, Agnes’s older sister who raised her late sibling’s daughter, is hopeful.

After years of Agnes’s murder being buried, Rose’s daughter Esther has managed to break through the stagnation and take meetings with UK Defence Secretary John Healey in Nairobi and London.

Purkiss is in custody in the UK while court hearings over his extradition continue. He vehemently denies murder, according to his lawyers.

Scrutiny on British troops in Kenya

The visit from the army’s operational chief is a huge moment for the British troops training there. The UK-Kenya defence agreement is being scrutinised by Kenya’s parliament and the public.

The two countries entered into a series of defence partnerships only months after Kenya gained independence from Britain.

For people in Nanyuki, the British never left. The market town was first set up as a white frontier settlement in the 1920s after the mass expulsion of Maasai from the Laikipia plateau by British colonial forces.

Kenyan MP Caleb Amisi believes that local communities in areas of British military activity still see them as colonial overlords.

He is on the parliamentary defence committee that investigated claims of BATUK violations and is calling for the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to become more balanced.

Mr Amisi said: “[Kenyans] believe that UK takes advantage, being the superpower, against the third world countries like Kenya. UK is advanced, militarily, economically, and therefore they’ll be an interdependence of a country like Kenya towards the UK.”

Complaints against British unit

There have been thousands of complaints of violations of conduct by the BATUK from local communities, ranging from murder and rape to environmental damage.

The Lolldaiga Hills were damaged by a fire during a BATUK training exercise in 2021 that destroyed at least 7,000 acres of conservational land. The UK Ministry of Defence accepted responsibility for the fire and reportedly paid out £2.9m to thousands of complainants in compensation.

What does the British Army’s chief of general staff – born in Kenya and raised here until he was eight years old – make of the sentiment that the British military presence is an occupying force and extension of colonialism?

“I don’t recognise it,” Sir Roland told me.

“We are here at the invitation of the Kenyan MOD. We have no right to be here at all. We recognise this is an extraordinary privilege to be able to do what we do in somebody else’s country.”

Some families have faced irreparable loss. In one herding family in Samburu, a son was killed during a BATUK live firing exercise. Another young woman is now severely disabled after she was hit by a BATUK truck that drove off, according to her mother.

General Walker said: “We absolutely recognise that if they have suffered harm as a consequence of anything that we might be responsible for, it is very important, that they have a voice and that voice is heard.”

He added that “we want to facilitate them speaking to the correct authorities, so the right investigations take place, so the right remedies and redresses can follow. So due process is needed”.

For Agnes’s family, the loss is irreversible. Any justice achieved can lay the ground for closure and peace for them, but it will never bring her back.

K-pop supergroup BTS returns Saturday after a four-year break with a massive, free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police are locking down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle expected to draw tens of thousands of fans.

The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a months-long global tour spanning dozens of shows across the US, Europe and Asia.

All seven members of the band – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts.

The hour-long concert comes a day after the group released its fifth album, “ARIRANG”, which had already logged several million preorder sales since January.

The band’s management company, Hybe, said RM injured his ankle during a rehearsal Thursday but was expected to perform with some limitations.

Officials expect the BTS concert to draw more than 200,000 people to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others planning to watch on screens nearby. It will be streamed live on Netflix.

BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army”. It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song “Dynamite”.

Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of the BTS returning as a full-group after years of pause would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix’s animated sensation, “KPop Demon Hunters”.

Police and city officials are imposing stringent crowd-control measures, closing nearby streets, roads and museums, halting the area’s subway and bus services, and sealing off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounts to a full-day shutdown of the district.

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Cars will be barred from the main road between Gwanghwamun and Seoul City Hall for more than 30 hours through Sunday morning. The government has stepped up anti-terror monitoring, citing global tensions and large crowds of international fans, while police deployed surveillance vehicles and jamming equipment to block unauthorised drones. The restrictions have forced nearby shops to close and deliveries to pause.

“The City of Seoul will do its best to make it ​flexible – to make (the performance) both safe and enjoyable,” said Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday as he checked safety measures put in place.

While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a deadly 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls are excessive and undercut the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul’s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.

Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert comes about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those months-long rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.

The new BTS album, “ARIRANG”, draws on a centuries-old folk song regarded as an unofficial anthem in both North and South Korea while Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace form a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday’s show.

South Korean officials are counting on the event to promote the country’s culture and growing soft power. In a statement Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung said the BTS performance would provide “a special moment that people around the world will remember for long.”

“While one pillar of the album is defined by BTS’ identity, the other is shaped by the emotions they feel in the present, specifically universal sentiments such as joy, pleasure, and profound love,” Hybe said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

The 14-track record, with lead single “SWIM,” was recorded in Los Angeles as the group reconvened after years apart.

The group’s comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most able-bodied men to serve 18 to 21 months under a conscription system aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea. BTS members began serving in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.

Despite their years-long break, experts say BTS’s outlook remains strong, backed by its massive fandom and the continuous global rise of K-pop. South Korea’s SK Securities said Wednesday the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour is likely to become the biggest K-pop tour ever by scale and revenue, with 82 shows planned globally in stadiums of around 50,000 seats.

“They had a fairly long hiatus but still have a historically powerful fandom. As they come back, they’ll likely immediately enjoy a warm welcome and intense fever around the world,” said Ha Jae-keun, a cultural critic. “I think they’ll likely have a second heyday.”

Organisers of the concert, which will start at 8pm local time (1100GMT), gave away 22,000 free tickets, but the area is open to non-ticket holders who will be ​able to watch the performance on Netflix via giant screens.It will also be streamed live on the platform to 190 countries.