Short news
Shares of Hybe Co., the agency that manages the South Korean pop phenomenon BTS, plunged by a record after the band said they’ll focus on individual projects for a while. Hybe sank as much as 28% on Wednesday in Seoul, headed for its lowest close on record since its trading debut in October 2020 and wiping out as much as $1.7 billion in market value.
Source: aljazeera.com
A turtleshell-shaped box and a sacrificial altar are among a treasure trove of 13,000 relics dating back over 3,000 years discovered by archaeologists in southwest China. The relics -- many made of gold, bronze and jade -- were unearthed in six sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui archaeological site, near Chengdu, Chinese state media reported Monday. Historians know relatively little about the Sanxingdui culture, which left behind no written records or human remains, though many believe it to be part of the ancient kingdom of Shu.
Source: cnn.com
In a message on social media, Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne wrote: “Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy’s surgery! Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery! Your love means the world to him.” Ozzy was pictured leaving hospital in Los Angeles in a wheelchair, but was able to stand and climb into a waiting car. Sharon and the Osbourne family have not publicly detailed the surgery.
Source: theguardian.com
Sofia-Rose Adams skillfully scoops ice cream onto cones and manages the cash register at Les Gourmandes cafe and ice cream parlor in Canada's Montreal region. The 13-year-old, who wears a blue cap and round glasses, is one of an increasing number of teens who have decided to work after school, helping to address the country's labor shortage.
Source: france24.com
Squid Game is becoming reality. The dystopian Korean drama series – Netflix’s biggest series ever – is being turned in to a reality competition series with 456 players competing (although presumably not being killed off). Netflix has ordered ten-part series Squid Game: The Challenge, which will see English-language speakers from around the world compete for a $4.56M cash prize – the largest cash prize for a reality series.
Source: deadline.com
Turkey has said it is willing to delay Swedish and Finnish membership of Nato for more than a year unless it receives satisfactory assurances that the two Nordic countries are willing to address support for Kurdish groups it regards as terrorist organisations. Finland’s prime minister said on Tuesday that the two nations’ Nato applications could stall if the issue is not resolved before a vital Nato summit due to start in Madrid on 29 June.
Source: theguardian.com
South Korean boy band BTS, whose catchy, upbeat songs have won them legions of fans, have announced they are going on hiatus. The group told fans during a televised dinner celebrating their anniversary they had decided to take an extended break and pursue solo projects. Band member Jimin said the group had been going through a "rough patch". "We're trying to find our identity and that's an exhausting and long process," he explained.
Source: bbc.com
The World Health Organization says it is working with experts to come up with a new name for monkeypox. It comes after more than 30 scientists wrote last week about the "urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising" name for the virus and the disease it causes. Continued reference to the virus as African is both inaccurate and discriminatory, they said. Some 1,600 cases of the disease have been recorded globally in recent weeks.
Source: bbc.com
Actor Hugh Jackman has had to back out of performing in Broadway show "The Music Man" for the next week after he tested positive for COVID-19 a second time. The Australian star, 53, posted a video message on his Twitter page late on Monday. The news came a day after the "X-Men" and "The Greatest Showman" actor performed at the Tony Awards. A post on the production's Twitter page said that Jackman would return on June 22.
Source: reuters.com
A territorial dispute between Denmark and Canada over a barren and uninhabited rock in the Arctic has come to an end, with the two friendly countries agreeing to divide the tiny island between them. Under the agreement, to be signed on Tuesday, a border will be drawn across the 1.3 square kilometres Hans Island, in the waterway between the northwestern coast of the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island.
Source: aljazeera.com
Serena Williams is set to make her comeback at Wimbledon a year after her last match in any competition, writing on Instagram on Tuesday: "See you there." The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion posted an image of her white trainers on grass along with the caption: "SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022, see you there." It is unclear whether Williams, now ranked a lowly 1,208th in the world, is intending to play singles or doubles.
Source: france24.com
Barcelona will promote the U.N. refugee agency’s logo on the back of its jerseys for the next four seasons under a partnership announced on Tuesday. The agreement comes after the UNHCR recently said an unprecedented 100 million people had been forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution, propelled by deadly conflicts. Barcelona handed over sponsorship space on its jerseys to the UNHCR rather than selling to a commercial entity despite the club having debts of 1.3 billion euros.
Source: apnews.com
A man once married to singer Britney Spears - for 55 hours - has been charged with felony stalking after showing up unannounced during her wedding to Sam Asghari. Jason Alexander, 40, pleaded not guilty to the charge, as well as to trespassing, battery and vandalism. He was arrested last week after allegedly gate-crashing and streaming a video from inside Spears' home.
Source: bbc.com
Avraham B. Yehoshua, one of Israel's most revered and prolific novelists and a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, has died aged 85, Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital said Tuesday. Yehoshua, who was born in Jerusalem in 1936 to parents with roots in Greece and Morocco, published his first collection of short stories in 1963. Decades of critically-acclaimed writing saw him win a string of international awards and his works translated into more than 30 languages.
Source: france24.com
Singer Justin Bieber has said his faith in Jesus has helped him deal with a recent spate of medical problems. The star revealed over the weekend that he is suffering from facial paralysis. "I know this storm will pass but in the meantime I know Jesus is with me," Bieber wrote on Instagram. The 28-year-old said on Saturday that the condition is due to a diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Source: bbc.com
All five entrances to Yellowstone National Park in the United States have been closed after record floods triggered by heavy rain and glacier melt destroyed roads and bridges and inundated nearby communities. The flooding cut off road access to Gardiner, a town of about 900 people and home to many Yellowstone staff, just outside the park’s North Entrance.
Source: aljazeera.com
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 - his second bout with the illness this year - but that he was feeling OK and isolating, per health guidelines. Trudeau was at the Summit of the Americas in California last week, where he met with U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders to discuss issues impacting the region. He returned to Ottawa on Saturday.
Source: reuters.com
The United States and South Korea warned Monday of a swift response if North Korea conducts a nuclear test, including US military "adjustments," but again offered talks as a way out. Meeting his South Korean counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States was working with allies in Tokyo and Seoul "to be able to respond quickly should the North Koreans proceed with such a test."
Source: france24.com