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All BTS Members Renew Contracts with HYBE

People look at medals unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of global K-pop sensation South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, at a department store in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, 01 September 2023. (EPA)
People look at medals unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of global K-pop sensation South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, at a department store in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, 01 September 2023. (EPA)
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All BTS Members Renew Contracts with HYBE

People look at medals unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of global K-pop sensation South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, at a department store in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, 01 September 2023. (EPA)
People look at medals unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of global K-pop sensation South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, at a department store in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, 01 September 2023. (EPA)

All seven members of K-pop sensation BTS have renewed their contracts with agency HYBE, the company said Wednesday, with the group currently on "hiatus" as some of them perform South Korea's mandatory military service.

Since their debut in 2013, BTS have been credited with generating billions of dollars for their country, as well as boosting the image and soft power of South Korea -- now a global cultural powerhouse.

The K-pop juggernaut announced a "hiatus" from group activities last year and two members are currently undertaking their some 18 months of military duty.

Local reports have said the band could reunite around 2025, when all of its seven members will have completed their service in the army.

"Our company has completed the Board of Directors' resolution to renew the exclusive contracts of seven BTS members," the band's agency, HYBE, said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

"This fact was judged to be a management matter that could affect the company's financial status and investor decision-making, and was therefore disclosed," it added.

Since their debut 10 years ago, the band had previously renewed their contracts with HYBE in 2018, which would have expired in 2024.

The company did not disclose details of how long the new contracts were or when they would expire, but the latest announcement indicates that all seven members of the group will likely remain with the label even after they have completed their military service.

Some male K-pop stars have faced challenges in resuming their careers after fulfilling their duties, in an intensely competitive industry where artists can be easily replaced.

In March, Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE and the mastermind behind BTS, said making BTS do their military service was slowing the global growth of K-pop.

All able-bodied men in South Korea must serve at least 18 months in the military and, after a years-long debate about whether BTS deserved an exemption, Jin, the oldest member of the group, enlisted last year.

His bandmate J-Hope started his mandatory service in April.

A third member, SUGA, will begin his service on Friday.

HYBE shares closed down 0.82 percent in Seoul Wednesday.

K-pop contract renewals can be complex, with shares of BLACKPINK's agency YG Entertainment tumbling last week, after local media reports claimed member Lisa had rejected a renewal offer.

They subsequently bounced back, although the agency has yet to announce details of new contracts for BLACKPINK -- one of K-pop's most successful girl groups.

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Entertainment

George Clooney, His Wife Amal and Their Children Obtain French Citizenship

Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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George Clooney, His Wife Amal and Their Children Obtain French Citizenship

Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, have obtained French citizenship, along with ​their two children, official French government documents show.

Clooney told broadcaster RTL earlier this month that it was essential for him and his wife that their eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella could live in a place where they had ‌a chance to ‌live a normal ‌life.

“Here, ⁠they ​don’t ‌take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he told RTL on December 2.

The couple purchased a house on a vineyard, with an estimated value ⁠of around 9 million euros ($10.59 million), in the southern ‌French town of Brignoles ‍in 2021.

The property ‍also includes a swimming pool and ‍a tennis court, according to French media.
"We also have a house in the United States, but our happiest place is on this farm ​where the kids can have fun," he said.

US film director Jim Jarmusch ⁠on Friday told France Inter radio that he would also make an application to obtain French citizenship.

"I would like to have another place to escape from America if necessary," he told France Inter.

"And France, and Paris, and French culture are very deep in me. So I think I would be very honored if I ‌could have a French passport," he said.

Entertainment

France Split over Bardot Tribute

Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
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France Split over Bardot Tribute

Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)

French politicians were divided on Monday over how to pay tribute to the late Brigitte Bardot, who despite her screen legend courted controversy and convictions in later life with her far-right views.

The film star died on Sunday aged 91 at home in the south of France. Media around the globe splashed iconic images of her and tributes following the announcement.

Bardot shot to fame in 1956 and went on to appear in about 50 films, but turned her back on cinema in 1973 to throw herself into fighting for animal rights.

Her links to the far-right stirred controversy however.

Bardot was convicted five times for hate speech, mostly about Muslims, but also the inhabitants of the French island of Reunion whom she described as "savages".

She slipped away before dawn on Sunday morning with her fourth husband Bernard d'Ormale, a former adviser to the far right, by her side.

"She whispered a word of love to him ... and she was gone," Bruno Jacquelin, a representative of her foundation for animals, told BFM television.

- 'Cynicism' -

President Emmanuel Macron hailed the actor as a "legend" of the 20th century cinema who "embodied a life of freedom".

Far-right figures were among the first to mourn her.

Marine le Pen, whose National Rally party is riding high in polls called her "incredibly French: free, untamable, whole".

Bardot backed Le Pen for president in 2012 and 2017, and described her as a modern "Joan of Arc" she hoped could "save" France.

Conservative politician Eric Ciotti suggested a national farewell like one organized for French rock legend Johnny Hallyday who died in 2017.

He launched a petition online that had garnered just over 7,000 signatures on Monday.
But few left-wing politicians have spoken about Bardot's passing.

"Brigitte Bardot was a towering figure, a symbol of freedom, rebellion, and passion," Philippe Brun, a senior Socialist party deputy, told Europe 1 radio.

"We are sad she is gone," he said, adding he did not oppose a national homage.

But he did hint at her controversial political views.

"As for her political commitments, there will be time enough -- in the coming days and weeks -- to talk about them," he said.

Communist party leader Fabien Roussel called Bardot a divisive figure.

But "we all agree French cinema created BB and that she made it shine throughout the world," he wrote on X.

Greens lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau was more critical.

"To be moved by the fate of dolphins but remain indifferent to the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean -- what level of cynicism is that?" she quipped on BlueSky.

- Garden burial? -

Bardot said she wanted to be buried in her garden with a simple wooden cross above her grave -- just like for her animals -- and wanted to avoid "a crowd of idiots" at her funeral.

Such a burial is possible in France if local authorities grant permission.

Born on September 28, 1934 in Paris, Bardot was raised in a well-off traditional Catholic household.

Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier.

After quitting the cinema, Bardot withdrew to her home in the Saint-Tropez to devote herself to animal rights.

Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, "The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot". To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.

"I'm very proud of the first chapter of my life," she told AFP in a 2024 interview ahead of her 90th birthday.

"It gave me fame, and that fame allows me to protect animals -- the only cause that truly matters to me."

Entertainment

Perry Bamonte, Keyboardist and Guitarist for The Cure, Dies at 65

Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Perry Bamonte, Keyboardist and Guitarist for The Cure, Dies at 65

Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Perry Bamonte, keyboardist and guitarist in The Cure, has died at 65, the English indie rock band confirmed through their official website on Friday.

In a statement, the band wrote that Bamonte died "after a short illness at home" on Christmas Day.

"It is with enormous sadness that ‌we confirm ‌the death of our ‌great ⁠friend and ‌bandmate Perry Bamonte who passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas," the statement said, adding he was a "vital part of The Cure story."

The statement said Bamonte was ⁠a full-time member of The Cure since 1990, ‌playing guitar, six-string bass, ‍and keyboards, and ‍performed in more than 400 shows.

Bamonte, ‍born in London, England, in 1960, joined the band's road crew in 1984, working alongside his younger brother Daryl, who worked as tour manager for The Cure.

Bamonte first worked as ⁠an assistant to co-founder and lead vocalist, Robert Smith, before becoming a full member after keyboardist Roger O'Donnell left the band in 1990.

Bamonte's first album with The Cure was "Wish" in 1992. He continued to work with them on the next three albums.

He also had various acting ‌roles in movies: "Judge Dredd,About Time" and "The Crow."