Scarlett Moffatt’s joyful news heals past traumas

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent Japanese author Oe Kenzaburo, the winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature, has died at age 88. His date of death, ascribed to old age, was March 3. A total of six films have been made from Oe’s work, most recently the 2001 “Gibier d’élevage,” a reworking of “The Catch” by Cambodian director Rithy Panh. Born in 1935 in Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Oe began writing while still a student of French literature at the University of Tokyo. Not long after graduating in 1957, he published “The Catch,” a novella about a Black American airman who finds himself captured by rural Japanese villagers in the waning days of the war. It won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize and was made into a 1961 film by Japanese Nouvelle Vague auteur Oshima Nagisa.

As far as this year’s Oscars goes, it was undoubtedly the year of the comeback.

A HGV driver was fined by police after being spotted 'spending a penny' while parked on the hard shoulder of the M62.

Dancing on Ice star Vanessa Bauer has spoken out after she missed out on winning the ITV skating competition alongside Joey Essex. The pair, who have been subject to romance rumours but are yet to officially confirm if they are an item, competed together for the last time on Sunday night (March 12).

It's now a two-horse race as Manchester City and Arsenal aim to win this season's Premier League.

The Greater Manchester puppet masters who created the stars of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio have said they are "thrilled" with the film's Oscars triumph.

Gary Lineker is set to return to BBC Match of the Day this weekend following a row over impartiality.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag admitted that he was pleased with Jadon Sancho's contributions from the attacking-midfield position during Sunday's goalless draw with Southampton at Old Trafford.

The Home Office has warned travellers that they could face “disruption” when entering the UK on Wednesday, March 15 due to Border Force strikes.The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced industrial action lasting until around 7am on March 16.

An animal-loving gran was mauled to death by a dog she took in as a stray.

Lucien Laviscount had his sweary Good Morning Britain appearance bleeped AND blurred as he spoke to one of the show's reporters hit the white carpet at one of the Oscars' star-studded parties. The 95th Academy Awards took place on Sunday night (March 12) Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Post-Truth,” a Chinese comedy film about a cemetery plot salesman trying to salvage his reputation in the face of online assaults, topped the cinema box office in mainland China over the weekend, ahead of another new release title “Revival.” Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed that “Post-Truth” earned $17.0 million between Friday and Sunday. Including preview, it has a cumulative of $20.3 million. Crime drama, “Revival” earned $10.3 million over the weekend and has a running total of $11.4 million including previews. The two newcomers dominated the box office and relegated Hong Kong-produced courtroom drama “A Guilty Conscience” to a distant third place. “Guilty” took $2.3 million (RMB15.8 million) for a cumulative of $23 million since releasing on Feb. 24.

Squid Game in 2021, Netflix scored another hit in the K-drama space with the dark fantasy drama series Hellbound. The show became as the streaming service’s most-watched show the week it debuted, besting other popular releases such as League Of Legends animated series Arcane and the second season of Tiger King.Based on show director Yeon Sang-ho’s own webtoon series of the same name, Hellbound is set in a world where apparitions appear before those supposedly guilty of wrongdoing, announcing ‘decrees’ of when they’d be condemned to hell.In the face of this revelation, two organisations – the cult-like New Truth Society fronted by Jung Jinsu (played in season 1 by Yoo Ah-in) and the militia-esque Arrowhead group – work together to gain power by leveraging on the fear of the populace and public demonstrations of sinners being sent to hell.Season one of Hellbound left viewers wanting answers about apparitions and decrees, with an unexpected cliffhanger that challenged the notion of what it means, within the show, to be sent to hell.

Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has confirmed that it’s been the victim of a hack, following claims that “a huge amount of materials” from the game would be leaked if the Ukrainian studio does not apologise to Russian fans.Details of the hack first surfaced on Saturday (March 11) when a user from Russian social media site VK claimed to have “tens of gigabytes” of content taken from Stalker 2, including the game’s story, maps and cutscene information.The statement was accompanied by a number of unreleased screenshots and concept art from the game.In the post, the hacker demanded that GSC Game World “rethink [its] attitude towards players from Belarus and Russia,” remove the ban on the hacker’s account from Stalker 2‘s official Discord, and announce a Russian-localised version of Stalker 2.Currently, Stalker 2 is not available for purchase in Russia.The hacker has threatened to release the stolen Stalker 2 footage if GSC Game World does not comply by March 15 and claimed that “it is not necessary to spoil the game for people because of politics”.Yesterday (March 12) GSC Game World confirmed that although an employee had been hacked, it had no plans to comply with the hacker.A message from GSC Game World team pic.twitter.com/rqRM0tFZmO— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023“This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information,” wrote the studio.

John Travolta paid tribute to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John during this year’s Oscars.The actor attended the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday (March 12) where he introduced the in-memoriam section to remember those from the industry who had died over the past year.While he didn’t name Newton-John, Travolta quoted her track ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ from the 1978 musical during his introduction.“In this industry, we have the rare luxury of getting to do what we love for a living,” an emotional Travolta said. “And sometimes getting to do it with people we come to love.

Kathy McDonald Now that the Oscars are over and the 2022-23 awards season has ended (at least until Emmys campaigning starts in earnest in June), you may be searching for realness as you set vacation plans. Travelers increasingly crave authentic experiences that allow them to connect with nature, local culture and wellness. The trend towards connectivity and experiential travel has only accelerated since the pandemic, as people get back out on the road seeking a sense of discovery of self and place. Here’s where to travel truly and deeply in California. Winery Escape Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, Calistoga, Calif.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Football commentator Gary Lineker is set to return to hosting duties on the BBC this weekend after being pulled off air due to comments about the U.K.’s refugee policy that were deemed to have breached the broadcaster’s impartiality policy. In a statement on Monday morning, the BBC revealed that it will conduct a review of its social media guidance “with a particular focus on how it applies to freelancers outside news and current affairs,” which is the category for star talent such as Lineker. The “Match of the Day” host said in a comment: “I am glad that we have found a way forward. I support this review and look forward to getting back on air.”

BTS rapper and dancer J-hope has discussed his parents’ initial disapproval when he first started dancing.On March 12, the K-pop idol appeared on Korean-American singer Jay Park’s talk show The Seasons — Jay Park’s Drive, where he discussed his new J. Cole collaboration ‘On The Street’ and his journey as a dancer.After a performance and introduction of ‘On The Street’, which nods to J-hope’s beginnings as part of a street dance team, Park asked the idol if his parents were worried when he first began dancing.“There was huge disapproval.

Scarlett Moffatt has said she is 'loving pregnancy' as she shows off her blossoming baby bump. The former Gogglebox star, 32, looked stunning as she cradled her growing baby in a glam midi dress. She posted pictures of her on Instagram wearing the mauve cowl-neck dress which came down to her ankles and had a matching long cardigan to go with it.