LONDON (AFP) - Irish writer Lisa McInerney was awarded the prestigious Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction in London on Wednesday for her debut novel “The Glorious Heresies.”Margaret Mountford, the chair of the judges, said it was a “superbly original, compassionate novel that delivers insights into the very darkest of lives through humor and skillful storytelling.” The 30,000 pound ($43,500) award, previously known as the Orange prize, is presented each year to the best novel written by a woman

BooksJune 9, 2016

VERSAILLES, France (AFP) - It is so big he claimed it “almost holds up the sky.”But Danish artist Olafur Eliasson refused Monday to reveal just how tall the giant waterfall he has created at France’s Palace of Versailles actually is.“The height is perfect,” he told reporters as he unveiled the spectacular installation which cascades into the Grand Canal of the famous royal gardens outside Paris.“Just as I intended, it will obscure the sun when it sets” on Midsummer’s Day, said the artist, who ha

PerformanceJune 9, 2016

EXO dominated music charts at home and abroad with its third full-length studio album “EX’ACT,” which was released at midnight on Wednesday.The lead song “Monster” immediately topped eight domestic music charts -- MelOn, Genie, Olleh Music, Mnet, Naver Music, Bugs Music, Monkey3 and Soribada.“Monster” tells the story of a man fixated on his lover in the group’s signature dark and intense style. Suho (center), the leader of K-pop boy band EXO, speaks at a press conference Wednesday at SMTOWN at C

PerformanceJune 9, 2016

YG Entertainment, one of the country’s biggest entertainment agencies, unveiled the second member of its new girl group Wednesday.Lisa, who hails from Thailand, has been training at the agency for about five years, YG Entertainment said, adding that she was fluent in four languages: Korean, English, Japanese, and Thai. Lisa, the second member of the new girl group under YG Entertainment (YG Entertainment)She garnered great attention when a video of her dancing was uploaded on the agency’s offici

PerformanceJune 9, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Bridesmaids" was supposed to change the game for the female-driven comedy. But each new movie is still treated like a beta test for the genre and the next unwitting subjects are "Ghostbusters," out July 15, and "Bad Moms," out July 29. Isn't it supposed to be summer?"Let’s wait and see how Ghostbusters does" has become a common phrase in the press and the industry -- as if the future of female-led comedic blockbusters depends on Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones,

FilmJune 9, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- We need leaders. Beware false gods. Wear cool clothes.The design duo Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow opted out of the New York Fashion Week frenzy to present their latest ready-to-wear collection Tuesday -- instead of the usual February or September -- against a dystopian backdrop that served as an Orwellian wake-up call.Before their models race-walked down the runway, sirens blaring, workers stood silent in assembly lines, their faces covered in black mesh, hands hidden in yell

Arts & DesignJune 9, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- Okonomiyaki, anyone? A survey released Tuesday for the restaurant reservation site OpenTable showed that the savory Japanese pancake is the No. 1 most befuddling term among 2,035 diners, with one in five saying they won’t order something they don’t understand on a menu.Foodies, stand down. Many of the Top 10 most confusing terms you’re likely familiar with. For the rest of us, as chefs in America have expanded their horizons, we bring you gochujang, piri piri, yuzu and bibimbap,

FoodJune 9, 2016

PARIS (AFP) – It’s the world’s classiest flash mob, when a highly selective group of guerrilla gourmets armed with picnic baskets and linen napkins take over a famous landmark.The latest “Diner en Blanc” (Dinner in White) took place in Paris on Wednesday when some 7,000 people dressed in white from head to toe descended on the swanky Place Vendome to dine al fresco on fine food and wine in the heart of the capital’s luxury district.The venue of the annual event -- which has now spread across the

FoodJune 9, 2016

Gwangju expats Jeff Hamilton and Kelly Palmer Kim were conferred the Michael Simning Community Builders Award for their work in setting up and running the Global Families of Gwangju community organization.The pair created GFG five years ago to facilitate cross-cultural activities and exchanges in Gwangju as well as to run events to allow kids and international families to get together and enjoy typical family experiences that many expats have back home and miss in Korea, according to award organ

Expat LivingJune 8, 2016

Expats in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, are staging a massive fund-raiser on June 18 to support one of their own who has fallen on bad times.Shawn Morrissey, 37, from Victoria, Newfoundland, knew from early on that his daughter, Ha-yoon, would not have the healthiest life. She was born with Alagile’s Syndrome, a rare congenital disorder that affects the liver. On May 13, the 4-year-old went in for a liver transplant at Seoul National University Hospital. Despite having some of the best surgeons in K

Expat LivingJune 8, 2016

Life soon after arriving in Korea can seem like a bemusing blur of episodes, and the Changwon Community Theater has tried to re-create just that in a self-penned show.The group’s next production “Waygook-in Wonderland” runs this weekend, giving a view of life in Korea in some 45 short segments. The play was a collaborative project devised by the cast, led by director Cinthia Palmer, who describes the show as a smorgasbord of short sketches, song and dance turned into one long music video.“This i

Expat LivingJune 8, 2016

Not only does this production of “Hamlet” commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, it also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late director Lee Hae-rang, who staged Shakespeare for the first time in Korea in 1949. 　This year’s anniversary celebration of Shakespeare’s classic tale is slated to open next month with an all-star lineup of veteran stage actors including Kwon Seong-deok, Park Jeong-ja and Yu In-chon. The production’s nine-member cast has a

PerformanceJune 8, 2016