A North Korean labourer is suing a European shipbuilding firm for allegedly profiting from his slavery.
The worker, who is remaining anonymous, was sent to Poland by the North Korean regime and is alleged to have worked 12 hour days for low wages in unsafe conditions, according to his volunteer legal team.
He worked for Polish supplier Crist SA, which makes shipbuilding components that were supplied to a Dutch firm. Large chunks of his wages were confiscated by the North Korean state and he had his freedom of movement restricted.
Lawyers say they are targeting the Dutch firm, which is not yet being publicly named, because the country has a law that makes “profiting from exploitation” illegal.
The criminal complaint alleges that the firm knowingly benefited from the cheaper components provided by the Polish firm. Remco Breuker, professor of Korean studies at Leiden University, described North Korea as “the world’s largest illegal job agency”.
Hundreds of thousands of North Korean citizens are estimated to be working abroad in similar conditions of alleged modern slavery, where they must forfeit their passport and wages to the regime.
The money earned in wages is valuable foreign currency that helps the North Korean government offset the effect of UN sanctions.
Human rights lawyer Barbara van Straaten, of the firm Prakken d’Oliveira, said: “Dutch law offers a unique provision which criminalises the act of ‘profiting’ from exploitation.
“This opens the possibility to hold those companies accountable that are not direct perpetrators in the labour exploitation, but which nonetheless knowingly profit from this exploitation, gaining high profits in the west at the expense of workers from developing countries.”
Dr Gearoid O Cuinn, director of the Global Legal Action Network, added: “This legal action, targeting labour exploitation in supply chains, will send a strong message to multinational corporations that profiting from forced labour will entail serious legal risk.
“This case reminds us that more needs to be done within Europe, where modern day slavery is thriving.”
1/50
An FBI agent talks to a potential witness as they stand near the scene Thursday in Thousand Oaks, California. where a gunman opened fire Wednesday inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on “college night,” wounding 11 people including a deputy who rushed to the scene. Ventura County sheriff’s spokesman says gunman is dead inside the bar.
AP
2/50 7 November 2018
Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar is celebrates with her husband’s mother after she won a congress place during the US midterm elections. In doing do she became the first-joint Muslim woman to be elected into congress alongside Rashida Tlaib
Reuters
3/50 6 November 2018
Voters cast their ballots at the Tuttle Park Recreation Center polling location in Columbus, Ohio. Across the US, voters headed to the polls in one of the most high-profile midterm elections in years
AP
4/50 5 November 2018
Members of the group Your Vote Matters encourage people to vote before an event hosted by US Senator Claire McCaskill as she campaigns for the US Senate in Saint Louis, Missour. McCaskill, a Democrat, faces a challenge from Republican Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley in the November general election
EPA
5/50 4 November 2018
Police officers and rescuers work at the site of where a truck ploughed into cars at a toll booth in Lanzhou in China’s northwestern Gansu province. The out-of-control truck crashed into a 31-car lineup and killed 15 people, with 44 injured
AFP/Getty
6/50 3 November 2018
Simone Biles on the podium with her gold medal from the floor exercise at the gymnastics world championships. She became the most decorated female gymnast in world’s history, as well as, becoming the first American to win a medal in every event at the competition
AFP/Getty
7/50 2 November 2018
A Salvadorean migrant with a girl walks next to Guatemalan policemen as they approach the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge in Ciudad Tecun Uman. Accoring to the Salvadorean General Migration Directorate, over 1,700 Salvadoreans left the country in two caravans and entered Guatemala Wednesday, in an attempt to reach the US
AFP/Getty
8/50 1 November 2018
Google employees hold signs outside 14th street park after walking out as part of a global protest over claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and systemic racism at the tech giant
Reuters
9/50 31 October 2018
The “Statue of Unity” portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding fathers of India, during its inauguration in Kevadia, in the western state of Gujarat, India
Reuters
10/50 30 October 2018
A scavenger collects recyclable materials along the breakwater amid strong waves as weather patterns from Typhoon Yutu affect Manila Bay. Fierce winds sheared off roofs and snapped trees in half, after thousands were evacuated ahead of the powerful storm’s arrival
AFP/Getty
11/50 29 October 2018
Rescue team members collecting the remains of the crashed plane at Tanjung Priok Harbour, Indonesia. A Lion Air flight JT-610 lost contact with air traffic controllers soon after takeoff then crashed into the sea. The flight was en route to Pangkal Pinang, and reportedly had 189 people onboard
EPA
12/50 28 October 2018
A supporter of Workers’ Party presidential candidate Fernando Haddad embraces a fellow weeping supporter, after learning that rival Jair Bolsonaro was declared the winner in the Brazil presidential runoff election. Addressing supporters in Sao Paulo, Haddad did not concede or even mention Bolsonaro by name. Instead, his speech was a promise to resist
AP
13/50 27 October 2018
First responders surround the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where a shooter opened fire, wounding three police officers and killing eleven
AP
14/50 26 October 2018
Broward County Sheriff’s office have released a photo of Cesar Sayoc, the suspect who was arrested in connection with the pipe bombs that have been sent to several high profile Democrats and critics of President Trump over the course of this week
AP
15/50 25 October 2018
East Island in Hawaii has been swallowed by the sea following Hurricane Walaka
US Fish and Wildlife Service
16/50 24 October 2018
Police officers stand outside the home of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after a “functional explosive device” was attemptedly delivered to the couple
AP
17/50 23 October 2018
Turkey’s President Erdogan today accused Saudi Arabia of plotting the ‘savage’ murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
AP
18/50 22 October 2018
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison (C) delivers a national apology to child sex abuse victims in the House of Representatives in Parliament House in Canberra on October 22, 2018. – Morrison on October 22 issued an emotive apology to children who suffered sexual abuse, saying the state had failed to protect them from “evil dark” crimes committed over decades
AFP/Getty
19/50 21 October 2018
A derailed train in Yian, eastern Taiwan. At least 17 people died after the derailment
CNA/AFP/Getty
20/50 20 October 2018
US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One after a “Make America Great” rally in Mesa, Arizona on October 19, 2018. – US President Donald Trump said Friday, October 19, 2018, that he found credible Saudi Arabia’s assertion that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi died as a result of a fight
AFP/Getty
21/50 19 October 2018
A Palestinian youth runs past a rolling burning tire during clashes with Israeli forces following a demonstration after the weekly Friday prayers, in the centre of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron
AFP/Getty
22/50 18 October 2018
Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, leave Guatemala City. US President Donald Trump threatened to send the military to close its southern border if Mexico fails to stem the “onslaught” of migrants from Central America, in a series of tweets that blamed Democrats ahead of the midterm elections
AFP/Getty
23/50 17 October 2018
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike around the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Israel launched raids against targets in the Gaza strip in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territory that caused damage in a southern city, the Israeli army said
AFP/Getty
24/50 16 October 2018
Ecuador has issued a list of rules to Julian Assange, the famous resident of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The list included cleaning the bathroom, not commenting on foreign political affairs online and taking better care of his cat (pictured). The document states that failure to comply with these rules “could lead to the termination of the diplomatic asylum granted by the Ecuadorian state”
Reuters
25/50 15 October 2018
Israeli soldiers hurl tear gas grenades during clashes following Israeli order to shut down the al-Lubban/al-Sawiyeh school near the west bank city of Nablus, 15 October 2018. According to local sources, 20 Palestinians were wounded during clashes as dozens try to defiance the Israeli order to shut down the school
EPA
26/50 14 October 2018
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after winning his men’s final singles match against Croatia’s Borna Coric at the Shanghai Masters. Djokovic, who has now won four titles this season, will move up one ranking spot to No. 2, pushing Roger Federer back to No. 3
AFP/Getty
27/50 13 October 2018
Demonstrators raising red painted hands and a placard reading “we must change the system not the climate” referring to the need to stop climate change during a march in Bordeaux, southwestern France
AFP/Getty
28/50 12 October 2018
Spanish Unionist demonstrators carry Spanish flags during a demonstration on Spain’s National Day in Barcelona
Reuters
29/50 11 October 2018
Russia has halted all crewed space flights following the failed launch of the Soyuz MS-10 rocket (pictured). Investigations in to the rocket’s malfunction are ongoing
Reuters
30/50
People look on at a damaged store after Hurricane Michael passed through Panama City, Florida. A Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, was the most powerful storm ever to hit the Florida Panhandle
Getty
31/50 9 October 2018
The Darul Muttaqien Mosque was the heart of the community for many in Palu. A lot of the victims were inside their homes or at the mosque when the quake struck. Magareb prayer for many, was their last. Paddy Dowling travelled with UK based charity Muslim Aid to the disaster areas of North Sulawesi to witness the scale of Indonesia’s earthquake & tsunami. They are the only British NGO delivering aid out in Palu through local partners
Paddy Dowling
32/50 8 October 2018
People take part in a candle-light vigil in memory of Bulgarian TV journalist Viktoria Marinova in Ruse
Reuters
33/50 7 October 2018
Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, celebrate in front of his house during the general elections in Rio. The far-right congressman, who waxes nostalgically about the dictatorship, won the vote but not an outright victory. The second-round-run-off will be between Bolsoanro and the leftist Workers’ party Fernando Haddad
AP
34/50 6 October 2018
Demonstrators hold a banner that reads “freedom of the press, not allowed to be trampled” and “shame on the governments vindictive move” past a symbolic ‘political red line’ during a protest after Hong Kong immigration authorities declined a visa renewal for senior Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet, outside the immigration department building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s decision to effectively blacklist a senior Financial Times journalist required an “urgent explanation”, the UK said
AFP/Getty
35/50 5 October 2018
Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad announced as the winners of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. The pair were awarded the honour “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
AFP/Getty/Reuters
36/50 4 October 2018
Dutch security services expel Russian spies over plot targeting chemical weapons watchdog. This picture shows the four GRU officers who entered the Netherlands at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on April 10, travelling on official Russian passports. On April 13 they parked a car carrying specialist hacking equipment outside the headquarters of the OPCW in The Hague. At that point the Dutch counter-terrorism officers intervened to disrupt the operation and the four GRU officers were ordered to leave the country
PA
37/50 3 October 2018
Quake survivors make their way past a washed out passenger ferry in Wani, Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi, after an earthquake and tsunami hit the area on September 28. Nearly 1,400 people are now known to have died as UN officials warned the “needs remain vast” for both desperate survivors and rescue teams still searching for victims
AFP/Getty
38/50 2 October 2018
US first lady Melania Trump holds a baby during a visit to a hospital in Accra, Ghana. The first lady is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip, aiming to make child well-being the focus of a five-day, four-country tour
Reuters
39/50 1 October 2018
Indian school children dressed like Mahatma Gandhi perform yoga during a event at a school in Chennai ahead of his birth anniversary. Indians all over the country celebrate Gandhi’s birthday on October 2
AFP/Getty
40/50 30 September 2018
An Albanian man casts his vote at a polling station in the village of Zajas on September 30, 2018, for a referendum to re-name the country. – Macedonians cast ballots on September 30 on whether to re-name their country North Macedonia, a bid to settle a long-running row with Greece and unlock a path to NATO and EU membership
AFP/Getty
41/50 29 September 2018
Residents trying to salvage belongings from their homes which collapsed after an earthquake and tsunami hit Palu on Sulawesi island on September 29, 2018. – Nearly 400 people were killed when a powerful quake sent a tsunami barrelling into the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, officials said on September 29, as hospitals struggled to cope with hundreds of injured and rescuers scrambled to reach the stricken region.
AFP/Getty
42/50 28 September 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a press conference in Berlin. Erdogan’s official state visit has been met with protests
EPA
43/50 27 September 2018
Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters
AP
44/50 26 September 2018
Members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) search for victims after a building collapsed in New Delhi killing five people, the latest incident highlighting India’s poor urban planning and construction
AFP/Getty
45/50 25 September 2018
US golfer Tiger Woods tees off during a practice session ahead of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris
AFP/Getty
46/50 24 September 2018
President Donald Trump and US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, talk with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres during the General Assembly at UN Headquarters
AP
47/50 23 September 2018
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has claimed that his country is “ready to confront America”, following an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in which 25 people were killed. The attack has been blamed by Iranian government and military officials on gulf states that are allied with the US
AP
48/50 22 September 2018
Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to become a partner in the Beijing funded Belt and Road scheme that will improve and expand Pakistan’s infrastructure. The invite comes at the end of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s two day trip to the Middle Eastern country, where he met with Saudi King Salman
EPA
49/50 21 September 2018
A boat has capsized killing at 136 people in Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Rescue operations are ongoing
AFP/Getty
50/50 20 September 2018
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrates after the ruling liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo on September 20, 2018. – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won re-election as leader of his ruling party on September 20, setting him on course to become Japan’s longest-serving premier and realise his dream of reforming the constitution.
AFP/Getty
1/50
An FBI agent talks to a potential witness as they stand near the scene Thursday in Thousand Oaks, California. where a gunman opened fire Wednesday inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on “college night,” wounding 11 people including a deputy who rushed to the scene. Ventura County sheriff’s spokesman says gunman is dead inside the bar.
AP
2/50 7 November 2018
Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar is celebrates with her husband’s mother after she won a congress place during the US midterm elections. In doing do she became the first-joint Muslim woman to be elected into congress alongside Rashida Tlaib
Reuters
3/50 6 November 2018
Voters cast their ballots at the Tuttle Park Recreation Center polling location in Columbus, Ohio. Across the US, voters headed to the polls in one of the most high-profile midterm elections in years
AP
4/50 5 November 2018
Members of the group Your Vote Matters encourage people to vote before an event hosted by US Senator Claire McCaskill as she campaigns for the US Senate in Saint Louis, Missour. McCaskill, a Democrat, faces a challenge from Republican Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley in the November general election
EPA
5/50 4 November 2018
Police officers and rescuers work at the site of where a truck ploughed into cars at a toll booth in Lanzhou in China’s northwestern Gansu province. The out-of-control truck crashed into a 31-car lineup and killed 15 people, with 44 injured
AFP/Getty
6/50 3 November 2018
Simone Biles on the podium with her gold medal from the floor exercise at the gymnastics world championships. She became the most decorated female gymnast in world’s history, as well as, becoming the first American to win a medal in every event at the competition
AFP/Getty
7/50 2 November 2018
A Salvadorean migrant with a girl walks next to Guatemalan policemen as they approach the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge in Ciudad Tecun Uman. Accoring to the Salvadorean General Migration Directorate, over 1,700 Salvadoreans left the country in two caravans and entered Guatemala Wednesday, in an attempt to reach the US
AFP/Getty
8/50 1 November 2018
Google employees hold signs outside 14th street park after walking out as part of a global protest over claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and systemic racism at the tech giant
Reuters
9/50 31 October 2018
The “Statue of Unity” portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding fathers of India, during its inauguration in Kevadia, in the western state of Gujarat, India
Reuters
10/50 30 October 2018
A scavenger collects recyclable materials along the breakwater amid strong waves as weather patterns from Typhoon Yutu affect Manila Bay. Fierce winds sheared off roofs and snapped trees in half, after thousands were evacuated ahead of the powerful storm’s arrival
AFP/Getty
11/50 29 October 2018
Rescue team members collecting the remains of the crashed plane at Tanjung Priok Harbour, Indonesia. A Lion Air flight JT-610 lost contact with air traffic controllers soon after takeoff then crashed into the sea. The flight was en route to Pangkal Pinang, and reportedly had 189 people onboard
EPA
12/50 28 October 2018
A supporter of Workers’ Party presidential candidate Fernando Haddad embraces a fellow weeping supporter, after learning that rival Jair Bolsonaro was declared the winner in the Brazil presidential runoff election. Addressing supporters in Sao Paulo, Haddad did not concede or even mention Bolsonaro by name. Instead, his speech was a promise to resist
AP
13/50 27 October 2018
First responders surround the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where a shooter opened fire, wounding three police officers and killing eleven
AP
14/50 26 October 2018
Broward County Sheriff’s office have released a photo of Cesar Sayoc, the suspect who was arrested in connection with the pipe bombs that have been sent to several high profile Democrats and critics of President Trump over the course of this week
AP
15/50 25 October 2018
East Island in Hawaii has been swallowed by the sea following Hurricane Walaka
US Fish and Wildlife Service
16/50 24 October 2018
Police officers stand outside the home of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after a “functional explosive device” was attemptedly delivered to the couple
AP
17/50 23 October 2018
Turkey’s President Erdogan today accused Saudi Arabia of plotting the ‘savage’ murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
AP
18/50 22 October 2018
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison (C) delivers a national apology to child sex abuse victims in the House of Representatives in Parliament House in Canberra on October 22, 2018. – Morrison on October 22 issued an emotive apology to children who suffered sexual abuse, saying the state had failed to protect them from “evil dark” crimes committed over decades
AFP/Getty
19/50 21 October 2018
A derailed train in Yian, eastern Taiwan. At least 17 people died after the derailment
CNA/AFP/Getty
20/50 20 October 2018
US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One after a “Make America Great” rally in Mesa, Arizona on October 19, 2018. – US President Donald Trump said Friday, October 19, 2018, that he found credible Saudi Arabia’s assertion that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi died as a result of a fight
AFP/Getty
21/50 19 October 2018
A Palestinian youth runs past a rolling burning tire during clashes with Israeli forces following a demonstration after the weekly Friday prayers, in the centre of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron
AFP/Getty
22/50 18 October 2018
Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, leave Guatemala City. US President Donald Trump threatened to send the military to close its southern border if Mexico fails to stem the “onslaught” of migrants from Central America, in a series of tweets that blamed Democrats ahead of the midterm elections
AFP/Getty
23/50 17 October 2018
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike around the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Israel launched raids against targets in the Gaza strip in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territory that caused damage in a southern city, the Israeli army said
AFP/Getty
24/50 16 October 2018
Ecuador has issued a list of rules to Julian Assange, the famous resident of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The list included cleaning the bathroom, not commenting on foreign political affairs online and taking better care of his cat (pictured). The document states that failure to comply with these rules “could lead to the termination of the diplomatic asylum granted by the Ecuadorian state”
Reuters
25/50 15 October 2018
Israeli soldiers hurl tear gas grenades during clashes following Israeli order to shut down the al-Lubban/al-Sawiyeh school near the west bank city of Nablus, 15 October 2018. According to local sources, 20 Palestinians were wounded during clashes as dozens try to defiance the Israeli order to shut down the school
EPA
26/50 14 October 2018
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after winning his men’s final singles match against Croatia’s Borna Coric at the Shanghai Masters. Djokovic, who has now won four titles this season, will move up one ranking spot to No. 2, pushing Roger Federer back to No. 3
AFP/Getty
27/50 13 October 2018
Demonstrators raising red painted hands and a placard reading “we must change the system not the climate” referring to the need to stop climate change during a march in Bordeaux, southwestern France
AFP/Getty
28/50 12 October 2018
Spanish Unionist demonstrators carry Spanish flags during a demonstration on Spain’s National Day in Barcelona
Reuters
29/50 11 October 2018
Russia has halted all crewed space flights following the failed launch of the Soyuz MS-10 rocket (pictured). Investigations in to the rocket’s malfunction are ongoing
Reuters
30/50
People look on at a damaged store after Hurricane Michael passed through Panama City, Florida. A Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, was the most powerful storm ever to hit the Florida Panhandle
Getty
31/50 9 October 2018
The Darul Muttaqien Mosque was the heart of the community for many in Palu. A lot of the victims were inside their homes or at the mosque when the quake struck. Magareb prayer for many, was their last. Paddy Dowling travelled with UK based charity Muslim Aid to the disaster areas of North Sulawesi to witness the scale of Indonesia’s earthquake & tsunami. They are the only British NGO delivering aid out in Palu through local partners
Paddy Dowling
32/50 8 October 2018
People take part in a candle-light vigil in memory of Bulgarian TV journalist Viktoria Marinova in Ruse
Reuters
33/50 7 October 2018
Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, celebrate in front of his house during the general elections in Rio. The far-right congressman, who waxes nostalgically about the dictatorship, won the vote but not an outright victory. The second-round-run-off will be between Bolsoanro and the leftist Workers’ party Fernando Haddad
AP
34/50 6 October 2018
Demonstrators hold a banner that reads “freedom of the press, not allowed to be trampled” and “shame on the governments vindictive move” past a symbolic ‘political red line’ during a protest after Hong Kong immigration authorities declined a visa renewal for senior Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet, outside the immigration department building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s decision to effectively blacklist a senior Financial Times journalist required an “urgent explanation”, the UK said
AFP/Getty
35/50 5 October 2018
Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad announced as the winners of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. The pair were awarded the honour “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
AFP/Getty/Reuters
36/50 4 October 2018
Dutch security services expel Russian spies over plot targeting chemical weapons watchdog. This picture shows the four GRU officers who entered the Netherlands at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on April 10, travelling on official Russian passports. On April 13 they parked a car carrying specialist hacking equipment outside the headquarters of the OPCW in The Hague. At that point the Dutch counter-terrorism officers intervened to disrupt the operation and the four GRU officers were ordered to leave the country
PA
37/50 3 October 2018
Quake survivors make their way past a washed out passenger ferry in Wani, Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi, after an earthquake and tsunami hit the area on September 28. Nearly 1,400 people are now known to have died as UN officials warned the “needs remain vast” for both desperate survivors and rescue teams still searching for victims
AFP/Getty
38/50 2 October 2018
US first lady Melania Trump holds a baby during a visit to a hospital in Accra, Ghana. The first lady is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip, aiming to make child well-being the focus of a five-day, four-country tour
Reuters
39/50 1 October 2018
Indian school children dressed like Mahatma Gandhi perform yoga during a event at a school in Chennai ahead of his birth anniversary. Indians all over the country celebrate Gandhi’s birthday on October 2
AFP/Getty
40/50 30 September 2018
An Albanian man casts his vote at a polling station in the village of Zajas on September 30, 2018, for a referendum to re-name the country. – Macedonians cast ballots on September 30 on whether to re-name their country North Macedonia, a bid to settle a long-running row with Greece and unlock a path to NATO and EU membership
AFP/Getty
41/50 29 September 2018
Residents trying to salvage belongings from their homes which collapsed after an earthquake and tsunami hit Palu on Sulawesi island on September 29, 2018. – Nearly 400 people were killed when a powerful quake sent a tsunami barrelling into the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, officials said on September 29, as hospitals struggled to cope with hundreds of injured and rescuers scrambled to reach the stricken region.
AFP/Getty
42/50 28 September 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a press conference in Berlin. Erdogan’s official state visit has been met with protests
EPA
43/50 27 September 2018
Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters
AP
44/50 26 September 2018
Members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) search for victims after a building collapsed in New Delhi killing five people, the latest incident highlighting India’s poor urban planning and construction
AFP/Getty
45/50 25 September 2018
US golfer Tiger Woods tees off during a practice session ahead of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris
AFP/Getty
46/50 24 September 2018
President Donald Trump and US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, talk with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres during the General Assembly at UN Headquarters
AP
47/50 23 September 2018
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has claimed that his country is “ready to confront America”, following an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in which 25 people were killed. The attack has been blamed by Iranian government and military officials on gulf states that are allied with the US
AP
48/50 22 September 2018
Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to become a partner in the Beijing funded Belt and Road scheme that will improve and expand Pakistan’s infrastructure. The invite comes at the end of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s two day trip to the Middle Eastern country, where he met with Saudi King Salman
EPA
49/50 21 September 2018
A boat has capsized killing at 136 people in Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Rescue operations are ongoing
AFP/Getty
50/50 20 September 2018
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrates after the ruling liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo on September 20, 2018. – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won re-election as leader of his ruling party on September 20, setting him on course to become Japan’s longest-serving premier and realise his dream of reforming the constitution.
AFP/Getty
An earlier report by the Leiden Asia Centre found that as many as 800 forced labourers are in Poland working in the shipbuilding and construction sectors. Projects allegedly include a new Danish warship, according to an earlier investigation by public broadcaster DR.
The UN estimates that North Korea earns as much as £1.6bn a year from the labourers it sends overseas to be used as “modern slaves”.
