As expected, South Korean entertainment giant HYBE has established its India-based subsidiary in Mumbai, marking the firm’s fifth international headquarters.
The Mumbai office joins HYBE’s other global headquarters in Japan, America, LatinAmerica, and China. It positions HYBE within India’s entertainment capital, home to the Bollywood film industry.
The move comes as HYBE seeks to develop region-specific content and capitalize on India’s growing music streaming market.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (September 23), HYBE said: “With approximately 185 million users, India’s music streaming market is the second-largest in the world, making it the perfect market to implement our growth strategy.
“With approximately 185 million users, India’s music streaming market is the second-largest in the world, making it the perfect market to implement our growth strategy.”
HYBE
The company added: “The remarkable rise of K-pop in India highlights the country’s potential as a major market, and we are excited to expand our presence.”
The India-based operation will implement HYBE’s artist training and development (T&D) system, conducting auditions and training programs adapted for local talent.
The subsidiary plans to discover Indian artists and connect them with international audiences through HYBE’s existing distribution network.
HYBE says the launch of HYBE India is part of what it calls its “multi-home, multi-genre” strategy, which the company says “aims to lead local markets by developing businesses that reflect regional cultures and characteristics.”
The launch comes less than three months after HYBE confirmed plans to expand in India in the second half of the year. A HYBE spokesperson told MBW at the time that the move is part of Chairman Bang Si-hyuk‘s “vision to export K-Pop methodologies”.
HYBE’s spokesperson said on July 1: “Our strategic expansion into India is driven by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s vision to export K-Pop methodologies, aligning with his conviction that the K-Pop business model must be adapted to other genres for sustained growth.”
As MBW previously noted, the expansion into India is a significant growth opportunity for HYBE.
India is the most populous country in the world, with more than 1.42 billion people, according to the US Census Bureau. It is also the world’s 15th largest recorded music market by annual revenues, according to data from the IFPI.
The company’s expansion into India comes as Bang Si-hyuk predicted that “the strategy of securing a foothold in the world’s major music markets and applying this methodology is producing results, and if the current trend continues, the landscape of the global music market dominated by the Big 3 global companies will change significantly,” according to a statement cited by Maeil Business Newspaper.
Bang’s vision of globalizing K-pop has led to the launch of the girl group KATSEYE in the US last year through HYBE’s partnership with Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records.
KATSEYE, which includes Indian-American member Lara Raj, recently won the MTV Push Performance of the Year Award for their song Touch at the 2025 MTV VMAs. They performed their hit song Gnarly during the awards show.
HYBE and Geffen are currently holding auditions for “The Final Piece” of a new girl group after KATSEYE’s success. It was recently revealed that three contestants from their 2023 Dream Academy competition, which produced KATSEYE, will join the new girl group.
Earlier this month, HYBE Latin America’s music incubator Medellín Music Lab, based in the city of Medellín in Colombia, auditioned over 400 aspiring artists and professionals. The contestants will be narrowed down to 160, who will then advance to creative camps and the program’s music incubator.
Olympic medal winning swimmer Elizabeth Beisel has released her first four song EP titled “seasons.”
The 33-year-old Beisel swam her last competitive meet at the 2017 World Championships. Since leaving the pool, she has been building a media career, which includes expanding her foray into music.
She has long been an accomplished violinist, a skill that has become more publicly part of her identity in recent years, which have included playing the national anthem at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
The EP features a song for every season and is a mostly acoustic folk-flavored instrumental album, accompanied by other instruments including banjos and pianos. The track summer contains more electronic elements.
Apple Music
Spotify
Beisel recorded at Big Nice Studio in her home state of Rhode Island and released the EP under the label Ready Room Records – an homage to the pre-race room where tension is highest for swimmers. It was produced by Bradford Krieger.
A long-time member of the U.S. National Team, Beisel won a pair of Olympic medals at the London 2012 Games: silver in the 400 IM and bronze in the 200 backstroke. She was also the 2011 World Champion in the 400 IM, among three career individual long course World Championship medalists.
At the University of Florida, she was a nine-time SEC Champion and was named the 2012 SEC Female Swimmer of the Year. She won individual NCAA titles in the 200 backstroke in 2012 and 400 IM in 2013 and was a first-team Academic All-American.
Beisel has some family history of celebrity: her great uncle Warren William Krech has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was one of the original fourteen members of the Screen Actors Guild. He was a prominent actor who appeared in more than 20 -plays and dozens of films in the early era of movies with sound. He was the first actor to play the famous character Perry Mason.
A study examining nearly 1,500 river sites in the US between 1980 and 2022 has shown that river heatwaves are happening up to four times faster than air heatwaves and lasting nearly twice as long. The finding has major implications for aquatic life.
“Our findings show that riverine heatwaves are increasing faster than air heatwaves, a trend likely happening worldwide,” said Kayalvizhi Sadayappan, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State, and lead study author. “This raises the risk of rivers experiencing both extreme heat and low water flows at the same time, which can cause conditions that can lower oxygen levels, stress aquatic life and even trigger large-scale fish die-offs.”
The study revealed that temperatures rose above 15 °C (59 °F) at 82% of sites studied for an average of 11.6 days per year. This is the temperature at which riverine life begins to get stressed. The researchers found that the temperatures have climbed fastest in the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains as well as in the Northeastern US.
The most extreme river heat waves were found in the Appalachian and Southern regions of the country, with large increases up to 20 °C (68 °F) observed in 74% of the sites. The area with the lowest river temperature rises was found to be the Midwest, where only five days on average saw temperatures climb above 15 °C and only one where the temperature crested 20 °F.
“Rivers are often thought of as safe and cool havens protected from extreme temperatures,” said corresponding author Li Li. “Our study shows, for the first time, that rivers are experiencing a more rapid increase in frequency, duration and intensity of heatwaves than air, and are increasing at about two to four times the rate of air heatwaves.”
The researchers cite warming temperatures as the primary contributor to river heat waves, but also say agriculture and the building of dams play roles as well.
“Agriculture has been mitigating riverine heatwaves via cooler air and water during irrigation, as indicated by declining trends in the frequency, duration and intensity of riverine heatwaves in crop-cultivated areas,” said Sadayappan. “On the other hand, dams have been accelerating trends in riverine heatwaves. In particular, large dams have been contributing towards elongating riverine heatwaves.”
In addition to harming wildlife, the study indicates that the rapid rise in river temperatures can also affect populations who rely on stable river temperatures for their livelihood, and it can also spike the cost of drinking water treatment. The researchers say their findings can now inform strategies to mitigate river heat waves, a phenomenon that, until now, has been relatively poorly studied and reported.
“This information can provide warning signals and support adaptive management during riverine heatwaves,” Sadayappan concluded. “More importantly, it can inform long-term mitigation efforts to restore vegetation along riverbanks to provide shade, improve dam management, expand green infrastructure and reduce water diverted from rivers.”
Every September, leaders from around the world gather at the United Nations in New York to debate and pass resolutions on the biggest issues facing the planet.
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) opens every year on the second Tuesday in September. This year, it began on September 9, when the incoming president took office, the agenda was adopted, and organisational work began. In the days since, delegates have held meetings, set up committees, and prepared for the high-level debate.
On September 23, the high-level General Debate begins, the key event where world leaders deliver speeches before the UNGA. Each speech is recorded, and the audio is posted on the UN website. Statements are expected to observe a voluntary 15-minute time limit, though many run longer.
The debate runs in two daily sessions: a morning session from 9am to 2:45pm local time (13:00 GMT-18:45 GMT), followed by a short lunch break, and then an afternoon session from 3pm to 9pm (19:00 GMT-01:00 GMT). However, meetings continue until all scheduled speakers have spoken.
Who will speak at the UNGA?
More than 150 heads of state and government will take the podium at the UNGA. All member states are invited to speak, with the session called to order by the UNGA president, currently Annalena Baerbock, a former German foreign minister.
By tradition, Brazil is always the first country to speak, a practice that began in 1955 when it volunteered to open the debate. The United States, as the host country, usually speaks second. This year, that sets up an interesting dynamic: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is scheduled to speak on his country’s behalf, has been locked in a tense relationship with US President Donald Trump, who will speak right after him. Trump has accused Lula’s government of political vindictiveness against the US president’s ally, Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president who was convicted last week of plotting a coup after losing the 2023 election to Lula.
UNGA President Annalena Baerbock addresses its 80th session at the UN headquarters at the start of the high-level week on September 22, 2025 [Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo]
For all other member states, the speaking order is determined by the level of representation (head of state, head of government, or minister), expressed preferences, and geographic balance.
The Holy See (Vatican City), the State of Palestine, and the European Union are also invited to participate, with their speaking slots set according to their representation.
The debate continues through Saturday, September 27, and resumes on Monday, September 29, as no sessions are held on Sunday.
The daily schedule is published on the UN website, and sessions are livestreamed on the UN’s official channels. The speakers for day one are shown in the graphic below.
Where is the UNGA held?
The UNGA is held at the UN headquarters, which is located along the East River in Manhattan, New York City.
The complex, built between 1949 and 1952, is owned by the UN and is considered international territory. It serves as the main hub for international diplomacy.
The campus comprises:
The Secretariat – The central hub of the UN’s administrative work.
The General Assembly – The hall has a seating capacity of 1,800.
The Conference Building – This houses the Security Council (UNSC), Trusteeship Council, and Economic and Social Council.
Dag Hammarskjold Library – Named after the second UN secretary-general (1953-61).
North Lawn – Features sculptures and artwork from member states.
The complex also includes a parking garage building and a south annex building, both constructed in the 1980s to accommodate the UN’s expanding staff and operations.
The UNGA has not always been held in New York. The first six UNGA sessions took place in different cities, beginning in London and later including Paris. Since 1952, however, nearly all sessions have been held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Some notable exceptions include 1988, when the UNGA met in Geneva, Switzerland, after the US denied a visa to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
This year, Palestinian representatives were again denied a visa by the US, so they will participate virtually.
The Trump administration’s decision has drawn widespread criticism, with the UN asserting that it violates the Host Country Agreement, which obligates the US to allow heads of state and government to travel to New York for annual meetings and other diplomatic business, with full diplomatic immunity.
In 2020, the UNGA was held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is on the agenda this year?
The 80th UNGA has the theme “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights”.
This year, Palestine’s participation is a major focus, alongside climate change, artificial intelligence, global food crises and conflicts around the world, among other major issues.
On Monday, France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood at a high-level summit in New York, co-convened by France and Saudi Arabia. Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, which formally recognised Palestine a day earlier, also spoke at the meeting.
The State of Palestine is now recognised as a sovereign nation by 157 of the 193 UN member states, representing 81 percent of the international community.
These moves reflect a growing international trend towards recognising Palestinian statehood, even as efforts to grant it full UN membership remain blocked, specifically by the US, which has a long history of vetoing resolutions critical of Israel.
When did each nation join the UN?
The UN was established after World War II, growing from 51 members in 1945 to 193 today, with two non-member observers: Palestine and the Holy See (Vatican City).
The aim of the UN was to prevent future conflicts, promote international peace and security, foster cooperation among nations, protect human rights, and support social and economic development worldwide — goals that many critics say it is increasingly failing to deliver on.
Use the table below to search for when each country joined the UN.
How is a country admitted into the UN?
Being a UN member means that a country can participate in UN decisions, adhere to the UN Charter, and access UN programmes and support.
In the UNGA, the rule is: one country, one vote for the delegations that come from every member state.
Admission to the UN is not the same as diplomatic recognition by other countries.
To become a full UN member, a country has to follow these steps:
The country applies to the UN secretary-general, declaring that it accepts the UN Charter and will fulfil its duties.
The UNSC, which comprises five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US) and 10 non-permanent members (rotated every two years), reviews the application. Admission requires at least nine affirmative votes and no vetoes from any permanent member.
If the UNSC recommends admission, the UNGA must approve it with a two-thirds majority.
Once approved, the country becomes a full UN member, gaining full rights and broader international recognition. Its flag is added to the UN headquarters, and it is entitled to participate fully in all UN activities, including voting in the UNGA.
How the US has used its veto to block full UN membership for Palestine
In 2012, the UNGA upgraded Palestine’s status from an observer entity to a non-member observer state.
This change did not make Palestine a full UN member, so it cannot vote on resolutions, but it can attend meetings and participate in debates.
On April 18, 2024, the US vetoed a widely supported resolution in the UNGA that would have granted Palestine full UN membership, blocking the upgrade despite broad international backing.
The US has a long history of vetoing UNSC resolutions critical of Israel, having done so at least 50 times since joining the UN. This consistent use of the veto has often prevented measures addressing Israeli military actions, settlements, or the occupation of Palestinian land from being adopted.
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A mother in New Zealand has been found guilty of killing her two children and hiding their bodies in suitcases, in a high-profile case that shocked the country.
Hakyung Lee, 44, was convicted of murder at Auckland High Court on Tuesday, after a trial that lasted about two weeks. She had pleaded not guilty.
Lee’s lawyers argued that she was insane at the time of the killing, which happened months after her husband died of cancer. But prosecutors argued that her actions were calculated.
The remains of her children were discovered in 2022 by a family who had purchased the contents of an abandoned storage unit at an auction in Auckland.
The bodies were believed to have been stored there for several years.
Lee was arrested in Ulsan, South Korea, in September 2022 and extradited to New Zealand later that year.
During the trial, the court heard that the children’s bodies had no sign of trauma, though it was clear they had been killed by someone.
The court heard that Lee picked up her prescription for the drug from a pharmacy in August 2017 – five months after her husband, Ian Jo, was diagnosed with cancer.
The defence claimed Lee’s mental health deteriorated after her husband’s death and came to believe it was best if they all died together.
This led her to try to kill herself and her children with the antidepressant, but shegot the dose wrong – when she woke up, her children were dead. While she did kill her children, she was “not guilty of murder by reason of insanity,” her lawyer said.
But the prosecution argued that Lee had demonstrated rational thought by hiding the children’s remains, changing her name and moving back to South Korea, the prosecution said.
The killings were a “selfish act to free herself from the burden of parenting alone”, the prosecution said.
On Tuesday, Lee had her head down and gave no reaction when the jury delivered the verdict, which came after around three hours of deliberation.
Lee is set to be sentenced in November. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, AFP reported.
new video loaded: Egypt’s President Pardons Imprisoned Arab Spring Activist
By Axel Boada•
Alaa Abd El Fattah, pardoned after spending most of the past 12 years imprisoned, gained prominence through his biting, visionary commentary on Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Disney said Monday that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show will return to ABC on Tuesday, after suspending it last week amid a revolt from network affiliates over the comedian’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” the company said in a statement. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
In addition to backlash from Disney customers, top conservatives criticized the FCC for suggesting it would take regulatory action against media companies for airing Kimmel’s show.
Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul said that while they disagree with what Kimmel said, the FCC chairman’s comments risked infringing on free speech.
During his show last Monday, Kimmel criticized what he called the “MAGA gang” for “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Afterward but before ABC pulled the show, FCC Chair Brendan Carr called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and hinted at regulatory action against the network and Disney, warning “we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.”
Sinclair Broadcasting, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, also removed the show and demanded Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “substantial personal donation” to them and Turning Point USA.
After Kimmel’s suspension, Carr later told CNBC that “we’re not done yet.”
On Monday, Sinclair it will be continue preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC stations and replace it with news programming.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” it added.
Nexstar hasn’t announced yet what it will do.
Disney drew flak for taking Kimmel’s show off the air last week. Protestors appeared outside the corporate headquarters in Burbank, Calif., while angry Disney+ and Hulu users flooded social-media accounts and customer service pages.
The internet lit up with users sharing screenshots of canceled subscriptions to Disney-owned streaming services or canceled vacations at Disney properties. Then celebrities—and even actors who previously worked for Disney—joined in.
Tatiana Maslany, who starred in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, posted a behind-the-scenes image from the show on Instagram with text overlaid that said “cancel your @disneyplus @hulu @espn subscriptions!”
In addition, Marisa Tomei, who played Aunt May in Spider-Man movies distributed by Sony as well as Avengers movies from Disney, reposted a call to “unsubscribe and boycott” Disney platforms.
That followed other talent threatening to turn away from Disney. Writer and producer Damon Lindelof, whose show Lost ran on ABC, expressed his solidarity with Kimmel and said he hopes the suspension of his show is lifted soon.
“If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it,” he added.
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Prominent Egyptian-British human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been freed after spending most of the past 12 years in prison, his family said, a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned him and five other prisoners.
“I can’t even describe what I feel,” Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, said from her house in Giza early on Tuesday as she stood next to her son, surrounded by jubilant family and friends.
“We’re happy, of course. But our greatest joy will come when there are no [political] prisoners in Egypt,” she said.
Considered to be among the most high-profile political prisoners in Egypt, Abd El-Fattah’s lengthy imprisonment and repeated hunger strikes had prompted international pleas for the Egyptian government to release him.
The former blogger had been detained before the Arab Spring uprising that toppled Egypt’s hardline leader, Hosni Mubarak, in 2011 and during the years of upheaval that followed.
But it was his criticism of government crackdowns on political dissidents after then-army chief el-Sisi gained power in Egypt in 2014 that landed him his lengthiest prison stints by far.
In 2014, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for protesting without permission. He was briefly released in 2019, but remained on parole, and was arrested again later that year and sentenced to another five-year term.
Friends, family and supporters shared photos on social media of the activist after his release, showing a smiling Abd El-Fattah embracing his mother and other relatives.
British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, centre, who was released from prison after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued a presidential pardon for him, stands next to his mother, Laila Soueif, left, and sister, Sanaa, at their home in Giza, Egypt, on September 23, 2025 [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]
His sister, Mona Seif, celebrated her brother’s release on social media: “The world is full of nightmares, injustice, violence, and many things that break the heart.. but we can take a breath and give happiness a chance to fill our hearts.. and keep going.”
“Oh Lord, the same joy for the families of all the detainees,” she wrote in a separate post.
“Can you imagine if this happened, how much beauty and happiness would fill our world in a single moment?”
Abd El-Fattah’s lengthy detention had become emblematic of the fraying of Egypt’s democracy.
“I strongly welcome the news that Alaa Abd El-Fattah has received a Presidential pardon,” United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
“I’m grateful to President Sisi for this decision. We look forward to Alaa being able to return to the UK, to be reunited with his family.”
Abd El-Fattah, who obtained UK citizenship through his mother in 2021, comes from a family of well-known activists and intellectuals who had launched several campaigns for his release.
His mother met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year to lobby for her son’s release.
Intensifying her campaign in September 2024, when she was expecting her son’s release due to the time he spent in pre-trial detention, Soueif staged a lengthy hunger strike in the UK, ending it only after pleas from her family as her health significantly deteriorated.
Starmer had promised he would do everything he could to secure the release of Abd El-Fattah, who has also staged multiple hunger strikes in detention, most recently in early September, to protest against his imprisonment and in solidarity with his mother.
But his most dramatic hunger strike was in 2022, as Egypt hosted the annual United Nations climate summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The strike ended when Abd El-Fattah lost consciousness and was revived with fluids.
Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights, a state-funded body, also welcomed his release, saying it signalled a growing emphasis on swift justice for Egyptian authorities.
