Asia

At least 81 people have died, with more than 250 seriously injured, after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Friday (Jan 15). According to an update on Monday (Jan 18) by disaster mitigation spokesman Raditya Jati, rescue workers have stepped up efforts to find people buried beneath the rubble. The epicenter of the […]

Wednesday (Apr 1) – On April 1, K-pop star and former JYJ group member, Kim Jaejoong, decided to address his 1.9 million followers on his Instagram account to announce that he was positive for Covid-19. A post from the website allkpop.com shared a translation of his message where he says, “I’ve been infected with COVID19. […]

In the early hours of March 19 (Thurs) the South Korean actor Lee Yi-kyung helped save a man from committing suicide. While the K-drama actor, who is best known for his role in Descendants of the Sun, is used to playing roles on television, what unfolded right before his eyes was far from acting. Mr Kyung […]

Thursday (Mar 26) – BTS and their record label, Bit Hit Entertainment, have just announced that they will be launching a new web series to help fans learn how to speak Korean. The K-pop group, who will put 30 sessions up on the Weverse site starting March 24, said that these videos will be “designed […]

Less than a week after the shocking news of the sudden death of Korean actor Moon Ji Yoon, his agency has released a letter from his father addressed to those who had sent their condolences and words of comfort to the family. Mr Moon Kwang Suk wrote: “It has already been three days since I […]

Former Nine Muses leader and vocalist Hyuna announced via Instagram on Sunday (March 22) that she is 27 weeks pregnant. The video that she posted on her page had the caption “Don’t be surprised” and an uploaded ultrasound scan of the foetus moving. It showed tiny hands and feet, as well as played the sound […]

Disgraced former K-pop star Seungri enlisted in the South Korean army Monday, meaning a military court will now hear his trial on charges stemming from a sex and drug scandal last year. The 29-year-old singer from popular boyband BIGBANG has been indicted on accusations including prostitution arrangement, embezzlement and illicit gambling. All able-bodied South Korean men […]

With everyone scrambling to get their hands on surgical face masks as a means of protection from the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak which started from Wuhan, China, many individuals are extending assistance to those in need. Among those is Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu who flew to Japan to purchase 10,000 masks to be sent to […]

It appears that the on-screen chemistry of Crash Landing On You stars Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin extends to their real-life friendship. The stars of the popular Netflix drama have been sharing photos of themselves in everyday activities like grocery shopping and celebrating each other’s birthday. Although they have denied all dating rumours, fans cannot help […]

Seoul – Former Big Bang member Seungri has been indicted on prostitution, oversees gambling and other financial criminal charges, a year after allegations were made against him. On Fri (Jan 31), new developments were released about the ongoing drug and sex scandal investigation involving Seungri, who is also known as Lee Seung-Hyun. The youngest former […]

Indian police have launched a sedition investigation against a primary school over a play that allegedly criticised a contentious citizenship law, officials said Wednesday. There have been widespread street demonstrations against the law introduced by the Hindu-nationalist government that grants citizenship to religious groups from three neighbouring countries, but excludes Muslims. Police said they were […]

India is now capable of making Pakistan “bite the dust” in less than 10 days in any new war with its arch-rival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars and last February came close to a fourth with tit-for-tat airstrikes sparked by an attack on Indian troops in Kashmir. Modi […]

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to authorize sanctions against Chinese officials who interfere in the process of determining the Dalai Lama’s successor, raising pressure as the Tibetan spiritual leader approaches 85. Under the legislation, Washington would freeze any US assets and ban travel to the United States of Chinese officials found to […]

A deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has infected thousands and spread around the world since emerging in China, has also spawned many false claims on social media. Here’s a selection of misinformation debunked by AFP’s Fact Check service. Sydney food not contaminated In Australia, multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claimed to show a list of […]

China has enacted extraordinary measures to contain the spread of a new coronavirus that has killed more than 130 people, infected thousands and reached some 15 countries. Here is a rundown of the steps taken so far in an unprecedented effort: Millions under lockdown More than 56 million people are subject to travel curbs in […]