South Korea is investigating the case of a North Korean defector who became a celebrity refugee in Seoul, but recently appeared on Pyongyang television to claim she had returned home from the “hell” of the capitalist South.Lim Ji-Hyun, a female defector in her 20s, arrived in Seoul in 2014 and soon became a public figure after starring in several South Korean TV shows featuring escapees from the North. But on Sunday Lim abruptly appeared in a video on the North's propaganda network, describing h

A Swiss couple that disappeared in the Alps 75 years ago has been found preserved in a receding glacier, ending decades of uncertainty for their family, relatives and media said Tuesday.The bodies were found lying near each other in the Diablerets massif in southern Switzerland on Thursday, along with backpacks, a bottle, a book and a watch, according to Le Matin daily. A DNA search has been planned to definitively establish their identities, but Maryline Dumoulin told AFP police were “99 percen

The young woman labored up the steps, past brightly decorated walls akin to a child’s nursery, her daughter in her arms. Opening a hatch in the wall, she put her inside, turned around and walked away.She ran her hands over her head but did not look back, surveillance camera footage showed. She may never see the girl again.South Korea has risen from the ruins of war to become Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a member of the OECD club of developed countries. It was for a time one of the world’s b

      LONDON -- Prince Philip, the 96-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has been admitted to hospital as a "precautionary measure" for treatment of an infection, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday.   The infection arose from "a pre-existing condition", the palace said. The Duke of Edinburgh, who is to retire from public duties later this year, was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London on Tuesday night.   Prince Philip was due to accompany the monarch to the state opening of parliame

At least 64 people were killed and hundreds  wounded Wednesday when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul's diplomatic quarter, shattering the morning rush hour and bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital.Bodies littered the scene and a towering plume of smoke rose from the area, which houses foreign embassies, after the blast blew out the windows in several missions and residences hundreds of metres away.Witnesses described dozens of cars choking the roads as wounded survivors

   CANNES -- Swedish satire "The Square", a send-up of political correctness and the confused identity of the modern male, won the Palme d'Or top prize at the Cannes film festival Sunday.    In a stunning upset, the nine-member jury led by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and including Hollywood stars Jessica Chastain and Will Smith awarded the trophy to director Ruben Ostlund.Swedish director Ruben Ostlund poses during the Award Winners photocall after he won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) Prize

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise revealed Wednesday he plans a sequel to the cult action film Top Gun, with filming set to begin next year.Rumours have swirled for years that he would revisit the 1986 movie that made him a household name, and Cruise finally spoke out while in Australia to promote his latest flick "The Mummy".Asked by a Channel Seven breakfast TV host about whether a second instalment of the action drama was on the cards, he replied: "Yes, it's true." Poster of the original "Top Gu

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom -- Nineteen people have been killed and around 50 others injured following a suspected explosion in Manchester Arena that is being treated as a terrorist incident, police in the northern English city said on Tuesday."So far 22 people have been confirmed dead, with around 50 others injured. This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise," police said in a statement.A fleet of ambulances was seen rushing to the Manchester Arena venue

North Korea has detained another US citizen for committing "hostile acts," it said Sunday, its second arrest of an American in a fortnight with tensions high between Pyongyang and Washington.The arrest of Kim Hak-Song means that the North now is holding four US citizens, with the two countries at loggerheads over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile ambitions.Kim was detained on Saturday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. "A relevant institution is now conducting detailed investigatio

French voters went to the polls Sunday to pick a new president, choosing between young centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen in a watershed election for the country and Europe.   Polling day follows an unprecedented campaign marked by scandal, repeated surprises and a last-minute hacking attack on Macron, a 39-year-old who has never held elected office.   The run-off vote pits the pro-Europe, pro-business Macron against anti-immigration and anti-EU Le Pen, two radically dif

  The Philippines has asked South Korea to donate a decommissioned warship to Manila, the defence department said Thursday, to help them patrol their waters and perform counter-terrorism operations.   "We have transmitted a letter of intent to the South Korean government to acquire one Pohang-class corvette which we hope to get within the year," ministry spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP in a text message.   The vessel will be acquired at a "token fee" of $100, though it will be refurbished at