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Star power fails to perk up France's premiere wine auction

Hollywood stars including Eva Longoria and Dominic West on Sunday attended a centuries-old charity wine auction in the French town of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines, though the sums raised fell short of expectations.

Glastonbury 2025 tickets sell out in 35 minutes

Tickets for next year's Glastonbury Festival sold out within 35 minutes on Sunday, with more than 200,000 people expected to attend the world-renowned musical celebration in rural southwest England.

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'Final Beatles record' out this year aided by AI: McCartney

A "final Beatles record", created with the help of artificial intelligence, will be released later this year, Paul McCartney told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

Golden Globes journalist group to be dissolved as awards taken private

The scandal-hit association of foreign journalists that created the Golden Globes will be wound down as the Hollywood award show is formally purchased by private investors including US billionaire Todd Boehly, it was announced Monday.

The painstaking task of identifying WWI dead

At least 600,000 soldiers who died in France during the First World War are still officially missing, their resting places unknown and unmarked.

New life breathed into Tunisia's bagpipes

At his workshop in Tunisia's capital, Khaled ben Khemis pieces together a type of bagpipe once banned from airwaves but now embraced by artists infusing its sound into new musical styles.

Can you trust your ears? AI voice scams rattle US

The voice on the phone seemed frighteningly real -- an American mother heard her daughter sobbing before a man took over and demanded a ransom. But the girl was an AI clone and the abduction was fake.

'Joys of life': Hong Kong food traditions endure in city of flux

Bent over a low bench in his cluttered Hong Kong workshop, dark-framed glasses perched on his nose, Lui Ming deftly assembles a bamboo steamer, a utensil essential to Cantonese cooking.

Anti-LGBTQ backlash rattles US pride events

A spike in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and threats has taken a heavy toll on pride celebrations in the United States this year, organizers say -- especially in states where politicians want to curtail rights.

Lithuania capital turns pink for love of beetroot soup

Lithuania's capital was flooded with pink food, decor, and colourful outfits on Saturday, as residents celebrated the Baltic nation's love for a cold beetroot dish commonly known as "pink soup".

Giant rubber duck no match for Hong Kong's baking heat

Two giant yellow ducks meant to signify good fortune in Hong Kong ran into bad luck of their own after one was deflated Saturday to protect it from the heat.

Pixar returns with immigrant fable 'Elemental'

Pixar is seeking to rediscover its box office fortunes with timely immigrant fable "Elemental," the animation studio's first totally original new film to hit theaters since the start of the pandemic.

AI statue designed by Michelango on show in Sweden

A historical dream team of five master sculptors, including Michelangelo, Rodin and Takamura, have trained artificial intelligence (AI) to design a sculpture dubbed "the Impossible Statue", now on show in a Swedish museum.

Acrobats show off Art Nouveau heritage of Brussels

Belgium's capital Brussels is a treasure trove of Art Nouveau gems and now the city is trying to attract new audiences to its rich heritage, with the help of acrobats and trapeze artists.

Vienna Symphony appoints Petr Popelka as chief conductor

The Vienna Symphony on Friday announced it had appointed Petr Popelka as its new chief conductor to replace Andres Orozco-Estrada, who walked out 14 months ago.

A decade on, giant duck brings a friend home to roost in Hong Kong

Ten years after a giant inflatable yellow duck captivated crowds in Hong Kong, the art installation returned to the city's Victoria Harbour on Friday as a double-bill exhibition.

Meta's Zuckerberg shakes off Apple Vision Pro: report

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday told employees that while Apple's mixed reality gear may be nice, it is not his vision of the future, according to US media reports.

Glam rocker Simmons tells N.Ireland parties: KISS and make up!

KISS star Gene Simmons called Thursday for lawmakers in Northern Ireland to return to government, in an unlikely intervention in the UK province's dysfunctional politics.

France's ballet star on giving up the American Dream

He conquered the New York stage, married a Hollywood star and directed a daring new film version of "Carmen". But Benjamin Millepied says he had to give up the American Dream to return to France.

WhatsApp debuts one-to-many broadcasting 'Channels'

WhatsApp on Thursday began letting select organizations try a new feature called "Channels" that lets them broadcast to followers on the popular, Meta-owned messaging service.

The loneliness of one of Albania's last sworn virgins

For decades, Gjystina Grishaj chopped wood, drove tractors and tended livestock as the man of the house in a remote valley in northern Albania, only to find herself alone after years of sacrifice supporting her family.

$Nathaniel Mary Quinn's fractured portraits set off Paris show$

Nathaniel Mary Quinn's fractured portraits set off Paris show

Artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn discovered his unique cut-up style when he decided to produce an additional portrait for an exhibition with only five hours to spare.

In DR Congo's capital, homeless teens pin future on rap

Life on the streets is grim and desperate, says "Business," a homeless teen in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa.

California Love: Tupac honored with star in Hollywood

Slain rap legend Tupac Shakur was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Wednesday, almost three decades after the best-selling artist was gunned down in a drive-by shooting.

CNN chief Chris Licht ends turbulent run at network

Chris Licht, the embattled head of CNN, has stepped down "effective immediately," the network's parent company Warner Brothers Discovery announced Wednesday, as the global news outlet struggles to reverse a ratings decline.

Francoise Gilot, the woman who dumped Picasso, dies aged 101

France's Francoise Gilot, who died Tuesday aged 101, survived what she called the "hell" of being Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's mistress and muse to become a renowned artist in her own right.

Apple TV+ announces Messi documentary

Streaming platform Apple TV+ on Tuesday announced a four-part documentary series on Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi.

Deezer to detect AI-generated music clones

Music streaming app Deezer said Tuesday it was launching a tool to detect and tag songs with AI-generated vocal clones in a bid to protect the revenues of the real artists.

Papua New Guinea women weave their way to a living

Inside a compound in Papua New Guinea's capital, Betty Nabi is putting six decades of expertise to work, weaving traditional bags that can last a lifetime.

Apple unveils Vision Pro, its $3,500 headset

Apple on Monday unveiled its first-ever mixed reality headset, challenging Facebook-owner Meta in a market that has yet to tempt users beyond videogamers and tech geeks.

Apple unveils Vision Pro, its first mixed reality headset

Apple on Monday unveiled its first-ever virtual reality headset challenging Facebook-owner Meta in a market that has yet to tempt users beyond videogamers and tech geeks.

Saudi designer Ashi first from Gulf in French couture federation

Saudi fashion designer Mohammed Ashi announced Monday he had joined France's haute couture federation, becoming the first couturier from the Gulf region to join the prestigious roster.

Splendid isolation and shifting sands: France's Mont Saint-Michel

The Mont Saint-Michel, one of France's most iconic landmarks, celebrates its 1,000th birthday this year.

Putting the K in hip-hop: South Korea's Jay Park

K-pop idol. Used tyre salesman. Hip-hop mogul. The course of true success has never run smoothly, but Korean-American entertainer Jay Park has had an unusually bumpy ride to stardom.

Here Comes the AI: Fans rejoice in 'new' Beatles music

When the Beatles broke up more than 50 years ago, devastated fans were left yearning for more. Now, artificial intelligence is offering just that.

Australia's rugby league eyes rockers U2 to help sell game to America

Australia's National Rugby League is planning 10 matches in Las Vegas with talks underway for Irish rockers U2 to help promote the game in America, according to media reports on Sunday.

Human extinction threat 'overblown' says AI sage Marcus

Ever since the poem churning ChatGPT burst on the scene six months ago, expert Gary Marcus has voiced caution against artificial intelligence's ultra-fast development and adoption.

Paris celebrates night-time art festival

Paris's night-time arts festival kicked off with a sporting theme on Saturday as the French capital limbers up to host the Olympics next summer.

Twitter safety exec quits after anti-trans video strife

Twitter's head of trust and safety on Friday confirmed she had quit the company, her departure coming after owner Elon Musk endorsed an anti-transgender video shared on the platform.

Chinese dissidents in New York open world's only Tiananmen Square museum

Chinese dissidents who took part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests unveiled a museum in New York on Friday dedicated to remembering the "democratic dreams of the Chinese people," two days ahead of the 34th anniversary of the uprising's "brutal suppression."

Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho dead at 70

Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho died Friday in Paris at the age of 70, her family and publisher said in separate statements.

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