South Korean pop star Rain bid farewell to tearful fans as he put one of Asia's most successful entertainment careers on hold to enter boot camp and begin nearly two years of military service.
The 29-year-old singer and actor, his hair neatly cropped, gave a military salute to fans Tuesday before he disappeared into an army base in Uijeongbu north of Seoul - more than 50 years after Elvis Presley was drafted in the US army from the heights of stardom.
"Thank you for the 10 years of love," Rain told hundreds of gathered fans as tears welled in his eyes. Many of the fans were from Japan and China and held banners with messages meant to cheer him.
Rain is fulfilling his compulsory military service at a relatively late age and risks losing career momentum during the 21 months he spends out of the public eye. But he could otherwise face a backlash given South Korea's hostility toward draft dodgers.
Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, is not expected to receive any special treatment in the military.
Hungarian police seize weapons from Brad Pitt film
Hungarian police have seized a stockpile of weapons that was shipped to the Hungarian capital for the production of a film about zombies starring Brad Pitt, a film crew member said last week. Weapons expert Bela Gajdos, who has worked on the filming of zombie movie World War Z to ensure the safe handling of the weapons used, told national news agency MTI that each firearm had been converted to restrict its use to blank ammunition.
A young fashion designer from the German city of Hanover is making a splash in high fashion by designing clothes with a staple she can find in her fridge - milk. Anke Domaske, 28, has developed a fabric called QMilch made from high concentrations of the milk protein casein - the first manmade fiber produced entirely without chemicals.
All Bieber wants for Christmas is ... Mariah Carey
It's official. Justin Bieber is getting under the mistletoe with Mariah Carey. Bieber, 17, has finally revealed to his fans on Twitter that he will be collaborating with the Grammy-winning singer on his upcoming Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe.
"Billowy Red Scarf Girl," "Hipster Chick Who Passed Gas," "Looking for the Hot Girl in the Pink Dress," and "Seeking Girl Who Bit Me TWICE." These are some of the headlines taken from websites for people who've been smitten by chance encounters but who failed to pluck up the nerve to ask for a second meeting at the time.
For Brooklyn, New York-based illustrator Sophie Blackall, 40, the adverts provide the fodder and inspiration for her book Missed Connections: Love, Lost and Found.
"Moments of intimacy with strangers are minor detours we rarely explore, but those moments make us feel alive, and human, and part of something greater than ourselves," said Blackall. "They connect us to each other."
A Swiss motorist used his mobile phone to record himself driving on an autoroute near Geneva at 320 km an hour, nearly three times the speed limit, police said Wednesday. But the offense was only uncovered six months later when the 28-year-old was questioned in another case and investigators found the images still on the phone. Drunk Dutch drivers must fit "alcolocks" to cars.
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