Uncategorized

Japanese entertainment industry mogul Johnny Kitagawa died at the age of 87. For more than five decades, the agency he founded Johnny & Associates turned multiple bands into household names such as SMAP, Arashi and KAT-TUN. The artists he made famous also became TV show celebrities. He died at a hospital in Tokyo after suffering […]

American rapper Nicki Minaj cancelled her upcoming concert in Saudi Arabia in a show of support for women’s and gay rights in the ultra-conservative kingdom. Her scheduled appearance in the western city of Jeddah next week as part of a cultural festival triggered a social media backlash over human rights in the country. “After careful […]

A woman in the United Kingdom died by accidental impalement through her left eye and brain. The culprit—a reusable metal straw in a mason jar-style glass. The coroner who worked on her case has since issued warnings over the use of these trendy and otherwise environmentally sound replacements for disposable plastic straws. As first reported […]

US regulators have approved a $5 billion penalty to be levied on Facebook to settle a probe into the social network’s privacy and data protection lapses, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The newspaper said the Federal Trade Commission approved the settlement in a 3-2 vote, with the two Democratic members of the consumer protection […]

‘Aquaman’ and ‘Justice League’ actor Jason Momoa was recently body-shamed on social media for not having a six-pack. He has been taking the time off spending a vacation in Europe with wife Lisa Bonet and children, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf. The body-shaming started when topless photos of Momoa beside a swimming pool in Venice was uploaded […]

Donald Trump expressed his mistrust of cryptocurrency Thursday, saying it was “not money” and warning that those wishing to join the trade would have to abide by banking regulations. “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” Trump […]

by Claire LEE A simmering diplomatic row with Japan is threatening South Korea’s output of components that drive smartphones and computer displays, which analysts say could batter the global tech market and hike prices for consumers. Tokyo last week said it would restrict exports of three chemicals vital to South Korea’s world-leading chip and smartphone […]

Hong Kong – It is a common concert tradition to wave a banner in support of your favorite artist or give them a bouquet in appreciation. However, in light of the zero-waste lifestyle that is currently trending, certain practices have started to change. Sammi Cheng, the queen of Cantopop, went on Instagram on July 9 […]

North Korea on Thursday said South Korea’s planned deployment of new US stealth fighter jets was an “extremely dangerous action” that would compel it to use “special armaments” to shoot them down. South Korea, a major US ally, received its first two F-35A jets — one of the world’s most advanced military aircraft — in […]

A Guatemalan woman whose infant daughter died after being held by US immigration authorities denounced the “cruelty” of the country’s migrant detention centers on Wednesday.   Yazmin Juarez spoke out at “Kids in Cages: Inhumane Treatment at the Border,” a congressional hearing staged amid a series of scandals over poor conditions suffered by detained migrants […]

US President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into France’s planned tax on internet services that will hit American tech giants especially hard, officials said Wednesday. The probe into unfair trade practices could pave the way for Washington to impose punitive tariffs — something Trump has done repeatedly since taking office. And it adds yet […]

“Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?” The UK government said Wednesday that Britons will be able to get an answer to this and other simple medical questions from the National Health Service (NHS) using their Amazon smart speakers. The state-run health system’s tie-up with the California-based technology giant drew praise from overworked doctors and […]

Reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian faced backlash when she launched her shapewear brand named Kimono. The shapewear line will undergo a major change just a week after its launch. The move came after Kim received criticism that she was appropriating Japanese culture with the original name, Kimono. Kim responded in an Instagram post saying […]

by Alice RITCHIE There is a long charge sheet against Britain’s Boris Johnson but among Conservative party activists who will choose the country’s next prime minister, Brexit appears to trump everything. The former foreign minister and ex-London mayor is accused of lying, incompetence and using divisive rhetoric, and also faces questions over his colourful private […]

by Andrew BEATTY / with Max Blenkin in Canberra Facing a wobbly ally in the United States and an increasingly bellicose China, Australia’s military strategists are cautiously debating whether the country needs to consider developing its own nuclear deterrent. For a long time, the country’s defence forces had relatively little to worry about. A century-old […]