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Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war

Christmas revellers around the world donned red and white Santa hats, offered meals to the homeless and lit candles on Wednesday, as Pope Francis launched observation of the global holiday with a sombre mass in the Vatican.

As India's Bollywood shifts, stars and snappers click

From riding pillion on zooming motorbikes to round-the-clock airport stakeouts, India's celebrity-hunting paparazzi photographers have gone from "outcasts" to becoming a key part of Bollywood's vast film industry machine.

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US actor William Hurt dies age 71

American actor William Hurt, known for much-loved films such as "The Big Chill" and "A History of Violence," has died at age 71, US media reported Sunday.

Russian bloggers bid tearful farewell to Instagram

Russians were relishing their final moments scrolling through Instagram on Sunday, while bloggers and small businesses that rely heavily on the platform scrambled to lure followers elsewhere online.

US journalist shot dead in Ukraine

A US journalist was shot dead and another wounded on Sunday in Irpin, a frontline suburb of Kyiv that has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine.

BAFTA awards held under cloud of Ukraine war

London hosts the star-studded BAFTA film awards on Sunday with sci-fi epic "Dune" and dark Western "The Power of the Dog" leading the nominations at the red carpet event held under the cloud of the war in Ukraine.

Campion wins top Hollywood director prize for 'Power of the Dog'

Jane Campion hailed the shattering of Hollywood's glass ceiling as her movie "The Power of the Dog" was named the year's best film by her fellow directors Saturday -- a major accolade which historically leads to Oscars glory.

Vietnam bans new Tom Holland film over South China Sea map

Vietnam has banned a new Hollywood film starring Tom Holland over scenes with a map showing Beijing's claims to the South China Sea, state media reported Saturday.

Chinese artist unveils painting for Ukraine, 'which has already won'

China has so far refused to condemn its ally Russia's war, but Chinese painter Huang Rui is convinced that Ukraine has already won.

'All we have is our talent': Ukraine violinists find peace in Denmark

With three friends, all violinists like her, Nadia Safina fled the invasion of Ukraine to find peace at a music school in Denmark, a horrific ordeal that took 10 days.

US small-screen series explore the drama of startups

As the founders of massive startups like Theranos, WeWork and Uber fall from grace, their failures have proven rich territory for television series.

YouTube expands block of Russian state media to apply globally

YouTube on Friday broadened its blocking of Russian state-linked media channels to apply internationally after initially barring them only in Europe following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Baldwin wanted to finish 'Rust' after fatal shooting: legal filing

Actor Alec Baldwin wanted to finish filming "Rust" in the weeks after the fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer, new legal documents showed Friday.

Burberry gets 'back to reality' with live London show

Burberry returned to live fashion shows after two years of pandemic-induced absence on Friday with Italy's Riccardo Tisci taking over a church in central London outside of fashion week for a celebration of Britishness.

Mexico president lambasts EU lawmakers' plea to protect press

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hit out Friday at EU lawmakers who urged his government to protect journalists and accused him of intimidating the press, branding their statement slanderous.

Russia restricts Instagram access over violent post policy

Russia restricted access on Friday to Instagram and launched a criminal case against its owner Meta, as Moscow fired back at the tech giant for allowing posts calling for violence against Russian forces.

Kyiv City Ballet become exiles overnight in Paris

Kyiv City Ballet is used to being away from home, often touring for nine months of the year.

Court refuses to drop rape charge against actor Gerard Depardieu

A Paris court on Thursday rejected a bid by Gerard Depardieu to have rape charges against him dropped, the chief prosecutor in the case said, raising the prospect of a trial for the iconic French actor.

K-pop's BTS on stage for first Seoul gig since pandemic

Tens of thousands of BTS fans were gathering in Seoul on Thursday for the K-pop superstars' first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic began -- although Covid rules will prevent them from dancing or singing along.

K-Pop's BTS back on stage for first Seoul gig since pandemic

Tens of thousands of BTS fans were gathering in Seoul on Thursday for the K-Pop superstars' first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic -- although Covid regulations will prevent them from dancing or singing along.

World clamours to air Ukrainian president's hit TV series

First one, then two, then 20: a small Stockholm agency has in recent days been deluged with bids for the rights to air the hit comedy series starring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former actor turned wartime hero.

Music icon Caetano Veloso urges Brazil to stop Bolsonaro

Singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso, a living legend of Brazilian music, was jailed and exiled by his country's military dictatorship in the 1960s.

Cold shoulder for Russian artists sparks debate over cultural boycotts

As Moscow's invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, a pall has fallen over Russian artists, long crown jewels of a country whose fine arts are an eminent source of soft power.

In rare pandemic upside, NY Phil expedites $550-million revamp

As the pandemic reduced the performing arts to streamed concerts and quarantine albums, New York's Philharmonic found a glimmer of hope in their darkened hall, accelerating plans to gut, renovate and upgrade it with a whole new sound.

Elon Musk aims to end controls on his Tesla tweets

Tesla chief Elon Musk is trying to cancel an agreement he made in 2018 with the US stock market regulator (SEC) that requires some of his tweets to be approved by lawyers before they are posted.

Bob Dylan to release new book in November

Nobel laureate and folk-rock legend Bob Dylan will release a new book on songwriting in November, his publisher Simon and Schuster said Tuesday.

First photos from the Moon under the hammer in Denmark

The first NASA photographs taken on the Moon, including the first shot of an "Earthrise" and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface, will be auctioned off in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

UK court stages mistaken world debut of Ed Sheeran song

Diehard Ed Sheeran fans would pay good money to hear his unreleased material, but attendees at a high-profile copyright trial inadvertently heard a snippet for free on Tuesday.

K-Pop's BTS back for first Seoul show after thriving in pandemic

South Korean supergroup BTS return to the stage in Seoul to play for their adoring home-grown fans for the first time since 2019 on Thursday, after tickets for the three-night stadium concerts sold out in minutes.

Solemn Paris Fashion Week draws to a close

Paris Fashion Week, which ends on Tuesday, has been over-shadowed by the war in Ukraine, with designers struggling for ways to balance declarations of solidarity with the glamour and spectacle of their shows.

'The bottom line': Scuba divers help preserve historic Bangkok mansion

A 200-year-old Chinese mansion in Bangkok's heart isn't an obvious place for a scuba school, but in a city relentlessly demolishing its architectural heritage the business is helping preserve the historic home.

Lanterns light the way as Basel carnival comes back

Revellers in fancy costumes lit up the freezing streets of Basel in the early hours of Monday as Switzerland's biggest carnival returned for the first time since 2019.

British firm acquires entire catalog of folk icon Leonard Cohen

British song management firm Hipgnosis said Sunday it has acquired the entire catalog of famed Canadian singer-poet Leonard Cohen, in the latest big catalog purchase to hit the music world.

Not for the faint-hearted, Taliban embrace buzkashi in new Afghanistan

The announcer roared over the public address system as a lone rider separated from a melee of horses and galloped towards a chalk circle drawn in the middle of a muddy field in the Afghan capital.

UK woman on 11-year mission to reproduce Bayeux Tapestry

Curled up on her sofa in the east of England, former teacher Mia Hansson carefully adds another stitch to her life-size reproduction of the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry.

To fight its war, Russia closing digital doors

Russia's blocking of Facebook is a symptom of its broader effort to cut itself off from sources of information that could imperil its internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine, experts say.

Facebook blocked as Russia backs jail time for 'fake news'

Russia on Friday blocked Facebook and moved to impose harsh jail terms for publishing "fake news" about the army as part of efforts to muffle dissent over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

McCartney, Eilish, Lamar to headline Glastonbury

Paul McCartney and US rapper Kendrick Lamar will join Billie Eilish to headline the UK's Glastonbury festival when it returns in June after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus, organisers said on Friday.

Russia backs jail time for 'fake' army news, restricts media

Russian lawmakers approved legislation Friday to impose fines and harsh jail terms for publishing "fake news" about the army -- the latest move to silence dissent one week after Moscow launched the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia says 'limiting' sites of BBC, Deutsche Welle, Meduza

Russia's media watchdog said Friday it had restricted access to the BBC and other independent media websites, tightening controls over the internet more than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine.

'Woven air': Bangladesh revives elite forgotten fabric

With wooden spinning wheels and hand-drawn looms, Bangladesh is painstakingly resurrecting a fabric once worn by Marie Antoinette and Jane Austen but long thought forever lost to history.

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