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By Kang Jin-kyu, AFP New Jeans' Hanni (centre) arrives to testify at the National Assembly in Seoul on 15 October, 2024. Photo: AFP / Kim Min-Hee A member of chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans has tearfully testified to South Korean lawmakers as part of an enquiry into workplace harassment, amid a boardroom drama over her super producer. In recent years, South Korea's K-pop industry has become a global juggernaut powered by the success of groups like BTS, but domestically it is known for imposing strict standards and controls on fledgling stars. Rising K-pop idols are expected to adhere to their powerful agency's behaviour and appearance guidelines, with many stars describing receiving extreme backlash from fans over perceived mistakes in their personal lives, for example dating. Han...

By Jason Morris, Nick Valencia, Devan Cole and Sara Murray, CNN Donald Trump, left, and Kamala Harris, right, during their presidential debate in September. Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB A record number of early votes have been cast in Georgia as residents head to the polls in a critical battleground state that is grappling with the fallout from Hurricane Helene and controversial election administration changes that spurred a flurry of lawsuits. Roughly 252,000 ballots have been cast Tuesday (local time), Gabe Sterling of the Georgia secretary of state's office said on X. "Spectacular turnout. We are running out of adjectives for this." The previous first day record was 136,000 in 2020, Sterling said. The swing state is one of the most closely watched this election, with former president Do...

By Harry Pearl, BenarNews Satellite photo of the abandoned former Rio Tinto Panguna mine (center) in Bougainville, with the regional capital Arawa (top left) and tailings waste spilling downstream (bottom right), pictured 26 September 2017. Photo: Trevor Hammond / Planet Labs via Reuters An initial hearing of a class action against mining giant Rio Tinto over the toxic legacy of the Panguna copper mine on the autonomous island of Bougainville has been held in Papua New Guinea. The lawsuit against Rio Tinto and its subsidiary Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is seeking compensation, expected to be in the billions of dollars, for what plaintiffs allege is historic mismanagement of the massive open copper-and-gold mine between 1972 and 1989. More than 5000 claimants backed by anonymous...

By Maani Truu, ABC News Anthony Albanese. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in the process of buying a AUD$4.3 million (NZD$4.7m) cliff-top home on the New South Wales Central Coast, where his fiancee's family is from. The Copacabana property is touted as being "clifftop perfection" with "uninterrupted ocean views from all levels", according to 2GB presenter Ben Fordham, who first reported the story on Tuesday. A real estate listing describes the home as "a premiere location to enjoy sun, whale watching or spectacular sunsets year-round". The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was sold in September for an undisclosed price, according to Domain. The listing details "timber-lined cathedral ceilings", a "master suite with walk-through ensuite", a...

By Necter Gan, CNN Bao Li in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China in 2024. (File Photo) Photo: AFP - Roshan Patel / Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Two giant pandas from China landed in Washington, marking the first time the US capital has welcomed a new set of furry diplomats from Beijing in 24 years. The FedEx cargo plane dubbed "Panda Express", carrying Bao Li and Qing Bao, both 3 years old, landed at Washington Dulles Airport at 9.53am Tuesday. Amid tight security and heavy media coverage, two large metal boxes with the precious cargo were carefully lowered from the belly of the jet on a scissor lift and ferried to the terminal. From there, the two pandas were trucked to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, where they will remain on loan for ...