Actor Anne Heche 'Not Expected to Survive' after Crash: US Media

US actress Anne Heche is 'not expected to survive' after spending a week in a coma following a fiery car crash Angela Weiss AFP/File
US actress Anne Heche is 'not expected to survive' after spending a week in a coma following a fiery car crash Angela Weiss AFP/File
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Actor Anne Heche 'Not Expected to Survive' after Crash: US Media

US actress Anne Heche is 'not expected to survive' after spending a week in a coma following a fiery car crash Angela Weiss AFP/File
US actress Anne Heche is 'not expected to survive' after spending a week in a coma following a fiery car crash Angela Weiss AFP/File

US actor Anne Heche is "not expected to survive" after suffering a serious brain injury in a car crash in Los Angeles last week, US media has reported.

The fiery crash left Heche, 53, comatose with a "severe anoxic brain injury," according to a statement from a representative quoted by several outlets on Thursday, AFP said.

"It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she's being kept on life support to determine if any are viable," the statement said.

It also thanked Heche's well-wishers, along with those caring for her at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital.

"Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit," the statement added.

"More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life's work -- especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love. She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light."

Heche has been comatose since crashing her car into a two-story house in the Mar Vista neighborhood on August 5, resulting in "structural compromise and... heavy fire" at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The ensuing blaze took 59 firefighters 65 minutes to contain and fully extinguish, the department said.

Los Angeles police said in a statement on Thursday that they would be conducting tests of Heche's blood, and that investigators intended to "present this case to the appropriate prosecuting office", though they did not specify a charge.

Local media reported the same day that preliminary tests had come back positive for narcotics, though more were needed to ensure the drugs had not been administered in the course of her treatment.

Celebrity gossip outlet TMZ, citing unnamed police sources, said Heche had tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl, with the latter sometimes used for pain relief in clinical settings.

Heche starred in a number of movies from the 1990s including "Six Days, Seven Nights," "Donnie Brasco" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer."

Heche is also known for her role on the soap opera "Another World," for which she won a Daytime Emmy in 1991.

During the 1990s, she was in a high-profile relationship with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.



The New BTS Album Title and What to Know about the K-Pop Band’s Comeback

South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
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The New BTS Album Title and What to Know about the K-Pop Band’s Comeback

South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)

After a nearly four-year musical hiatus, the K-pop giants BTS are back. Well, almost.

On Thursday morning, the entertainment company BigHit Music shared on social media that the septet — RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope — will release a new album on March 20 titled “ARIRANG.” It is their fifth album.

So, what can listeners expect?

In addition to news of the album title, the retailer Target announced it was partnering with BTS for exclusive preorder editions of “ARIRANG.” Starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, fans can preorder 10 different vinyl album editions. And for fans of CDs, there are two exclusive editions with collectible photocards.

Other than that, details are limited. BigHit Music shared a link on social media Thursday morning that led to WeVerse, the online fan platform owned by BTS management company HYBE. The webpage included international pre-order details for “ARIRANG” but appeared to omit all album artwork.

Earlier this month, BigHit Music shared a somewhat cryptic note on X: “March 20 comeback confirmed.” It wasn't much to go off, but it did further confirm news from last summer, when the group teased a world tour and announced that a new album would be released in the spring of 2026. At the time, they said they would begin working on the project in July 2025.

On Tuesday, the band announced a 2026-2027 world tour, kicking off in South Korea in April and running through March 2027 with over 70 dates across Asia, North America, South America, Australia and Europe.

This marks the group’s first headline performances since their 2021–22 Permission to Dance on Stage tour. See the full tour dates here.

All seven members of BTS were tasked with completing South Korea’s mandatory military service.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18-28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea.

The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren’t subject to such privileges.

Rapper Suga was the last group member to be released — from his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to serving in the military that he reportedly chose because of a shoulder injury. That was in June 2025. The six others served in the army.

BTS tiered their enlistments, giving ample time for its members to focus on solo projects while the group was on a break.

Jin, the oldest member, was the first to enlist in 2022. He was also the first to be discharged, in June 2024.


Singer Julio Iglesias Accused of ‘Human Trafficking’ by Former Staff

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
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Singer Julio Iglesias Accused of ‘Human Trafficking’ by Former Staff

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)

A criminal complaint filed by two former employees of veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias accuses him of "human trafficking" and "forced labor", according to advocacy groups supporting the women.

The women allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said late Tuesday.

The organizations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor" and "crimes against sexual freedom".

Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off," according to testimony collected by the two groups.

One of the women, a Dominican identified as Rebeca, who was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she spoke out to seek justice and set an example for other employees of the singer.

"I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember he is not invincible," she said, according to a statement by Women's Link.

The allegations were first detailed in an investigation published Tuesday by US television network Univision and Spanish newspaper elDiario.es.

Spain's Equality Minister, Ana Redondo, has called for "a full investigation" into the allegations.

Iglesias, 82, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time. Best known for his romantic ballads, he enjoyed huge success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.

Iglesias has not publicly responded to the allegations.


K-Pop Heartthrobs BTS to Kick Off World Tour in April

Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
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K-Pop Heartthrobs BTS to Kick Off World Tour in April

Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)

K-pop megastars BTS will kick off their first world tour in four years in April, their label said on Wednesday, part of a hotly-anticipated comeback following a hiatus for the South Koreans whose music has become a global phenomenon.

BTS -- known for funky and fun hits like "Dynamite" and "Butter" -- hold the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify and are the first K-pop act to have topped both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts in the United States.

But the Bulletproof Boy Scouts -- as their name means in Korean -- haven't toured or released music since 2022 as they underwent the national military service required of all South Korean men under the age of 30.

Now that all seven members have completed their military service the band's label announced on New Year's Day they would release a new album in March before heading on tour the following month.

Spanning 34 cities with 79 performances, it will be the largest-ever single tour by a K-pop group in terms of total shows and the "widest regional reach for a South Korean artist," according to the band's agency, HYBE.

The world tour will kick off in South Korea's Goyang on April 9, with two additional concerts in the city before moving on to neighboring Japan.

They will then head to the United States and Europe, with the tour ending in March 2027 in Manila.

The band's label said that more cities will be announced, including additional stops in Japan and the Middle East.

Their new album -- as yet unnamed -- will be their first since the anthology "Proof", which became South Korea's bestselling record of 2022.

- 'Right kidney is waving' -

BTS's famously loyal fanbase -- known as ARMY -- reacted with elation at news of the world tour.

One fan wrote in response to the news on Facebook that to buy a ticket their "Right kidney is waving".

"Army hunger games are about to start," another wrote, drawing a comparison between fans trying to get tickets and a series of popular young adult novels in which contestants fight to the death.

BTS is big business in South Korea -- before their military service, they generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) for the country per year, according to Seoul's Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to roughly 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP.

HYBE's shares traded higher at Wednesday's market open on news of their world tour, rising around three percent.

And investment bank IBK Securities on Wednesday projected the firm's operating profits this year would soar tenfold compared to 2025.