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End of a love affair: news media quit X over 'disinformation'

News outlets have begun quitting X, formerly Twitter, once a favourite of global media but now accused of enabling the spread of disinformation under its owner, president-elect Donald Trump ally Elon Musk.

Jeff Beck guitar collection to go under the hammer in January

A collection of guitars and other musical equipment owned by influential rock guitarist Jeff Beck will go on sale in London in January, Christie's auctioneers announced on Friday.

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Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini dies at 82

Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini, a virtuoso of Chopin and Beethoven who enjoyed a decades-long collaboration with La Scala, died Saturday age 82, the Milan opera house announced.

And justice for all: US court throws out Metallica insurance claim

Heavy metal legends Metallica have lost a lawsuit against their insurers over Covid-era losses, with the judge quoting Taylor Swift in her ruling.

Gun attack at Moscow concert leaves dead and injured: mayor

Gunmen opened fire at a rock concert in a Moscow suburb Friday leaving dead and wounded before a major fire spread through the theatre, Moscow's mayor and Russian news agencies reported.

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' to premiere at Cannes

"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", the latest instalment of the post-apocalyptic franchise, will get its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, organisers said Thursday.

Global music biz sees 10.2% growth in 2023: industry

Global music revenues were up 10.2 percent last year to $28.6 billion, according figures released Thursday, but record firms are concerned over how to maintain growth in the streaming era.

Salman Rushdie: AI only poses threat to unoriginal writers

Artificial intelligence tools may pose a threat to writers of thrillers and science fiction, but lack the originality and humour to challenge serious novelists, Salman Rushdie wrote in a French journal published Thursday.

Neuralink shows quadriplegic playing chess with brain implant

Neuralink on Wednesday streamed a video of its first human patient playing computer chess with his mind and talking about the brain implant making that possible.

Ramadan culinary traditions defy crisis to bring Libyans together

Dressed in tracksuits with their sleeves rolled up, about 30 residents in Tajura, a suburb east of Libya's capital, volunteer every day to cook and give away some 300 meals during Ramadan.

Codices offer glimpse of centuries-old Mexican life

Centuries-old codices offering a glimpse into Mexico's past will be added to the country's national anthropology library, experts said Wednesday.

Social media company Reddit rides high in IPO

The Reddit social network said Wednesday it had priced at the top of its expected range ahead of going public on the New York Stock Exchange, in a sign of enthusiasm by investors.

French regulator hits Google with 250-mn-euro fine

French regulators said Wednesday they were fining Google 250 million euros ($272 million) for breaching commitments on paying media companies for reproducing their content online and using their material for its AI chatbot without telling them.

Nvidia expects no 'doomsday' in US vs China tensions

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang said Tuesday he does not expect a "doomsday scenario" but is readying for the worst over tension between China and the United States.

Cezanne and Renoir: Clash of the titans in Milan

One structured and austere, the other sensual and joyous -- Paul Cezanne and Auguste Renoir were two founding fathers of Impressionism, but a new Milan exhibition explores their sharply different styles.

Fashion designer Dries Van Noten to retire

The feted Belgian designer Dries Van Noten will step down as creative director of his namesake fashion label this summer, he announced Tuesday.

Pakistan interior minister urges new laws for online speech

Pakistan's new interior minister said Tuesday the country needed better laws to regulate internet free speech, as disruption of social media platform X stretched into its fifth week.

US linguist couple map fantasy languages for the screen

From Dothraki and Valyrian in "Game of Thrones" to the Chakobsa desert tongue in "Dune", American couple David and Jessie Peterson have devised numerous imaginary languages -- apparently the only two people in the world who earn a living concocting fantasy grammar and vocabulary for film characters.

Ancient city that could bridge Turkey and Armenia's bitter divide

Look at this stone bridge," said writer Vedat Akcayoz pointing to the crumbling stumps of a 10th-century span over the Arpacay river that marks the closed border between Turkey and Armenia.

Malaga Picasso Museum reorders works in new exhibition

The Picasso Museum in Malaga, the southern Spanish city where the artist was born, will open a new exhibition on Tuesday which groups his works according to theme instead of by period.

Ropes, brass, salt, stone: Reinventing jewellery in Kenya

Sisal ropes, salt crystals, volcanic rocks and aged brass: award-winning Kenyan designer Ami Doshi Shah has always chosen unlikely materials to make sophisticated jewellery that redefines value in a carat-obsessed industry.

Dissident Russian band returns to stage after Thai detention

A Russian-Belarusian rock band that denounces Moscow's Ukraine invasion returned to the stage this week, voicing defiance after being detained in Thailand in January and threatened with deportation to Russia.

Gemini's flawed AI racial images seen as warning of tech titans' power

For people at the trend-setting tech festival here, the scandal that erupted after Google's Gemini chatbot cranked out images of Black and Asian Nazi soldiers was seen as a warning about the power artificial intelligence can give tech titans.

France probes racist backlash against Nakamura over Olympics

French investigators have opened an inquiry over alleged racism against French-Malian pop superstar Aya Nakamura following reports she might perform at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, prosecutors said Friday.

London 'everywoman' sculpture to grace Trafalgar Square

A sculpture depicting modern women in the British capital will stand on the Fourth Plinth of London's Trafalgar Square from 2026, organisers said Friday.

'Squid Game' star found guilty of sexual misconduct

South Korea's "Squid Game" actor O Yeong-su has been found guilty of sexual misconduct, a local court said Friday, after he was charged with assaulting a woman in 2017.

Vienna gets first museum on shock 'Actionist' art movement

Vienna's first museum on the shock "Actionist" art movement opens its doors on Friday, aiming to highlight the work of its four key artists who long faced contempt and even persecution for their radical actions.

Patronage or conquest? Saudis move in on Egypt's culture

Saudi largesse is flooding Egypt's cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new "cooperation" between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh.

New York museum harnessing technology to spotlight art

Billed as the place where art meets technology, New York's latest museum is promising to reinvent the format with an "immersive and sensory" experience.

Meghan Markle launches new lifestyle brand

Meghan Markle, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry, is launching a new lifestyle brand seemingly named after the couple's oceanside California home.

Steven Mnuchin: banker, Hollywood exec, Trump loyalist... TikTok bidder?

His career has already taken him through the highest spheres of American power, from Wall Street to Hollywood to politics -- so perhaps it is not all that surprising that Steven Mnuchin has now set his sights on owning TikTok.

Mexican artist crushes Tesla under giant stone head

A giant stone head resembling an ancient Indigenous sculpture sits on top of a crushed Tesla car. It's not the scene of a freak accident, but a piece of art -- whose creator says he wanted to provoke Elon Musk.

Trump ex-Treasury chief seeks TikTok buyout bid as China seethes

Steve Mnuchin, the former US treasury secretary under Donald Trump, said Thursday he was preparing a buyout bid of TikTok, as Beijing blasted a bill moving through Congress that would force the sale of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.

Provocative performance artist Abramovic returns to Amsterdam

Performance art pioneer Marina Abramovic turns to the Dutch television interviewer sitting next to her and tells him to take his clothes off. And he obliges.

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