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Composer of Piaf's 'Non, je ne regrette rien' dies aged 95

Songwriter and singer Charles Dumont, who composed the song "Non, je ne regrette rien" ("No, I do not regret anything") made world famous by Edith Piaf, has died aged 95, his partner told AFP Monday.

Quincy Jones awarded posthumous Oscar

The late Quincy Jones was posthumously awarded an honorary Oscar at an emotional and star-packed Hollywood gala on Sunday that also handed golden statuettes to the producers of the James Bond movie franchise.

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Iran mother's pain and hope in film on daughter's execution

She was executed for killing the man who was trying to rape her. Now the subject of a devastating documentary, her mother says there are seeds of hope in her terrible story.

US state to require parental consent for social media

Utah on Thursday became the first US state to require social media sites to get parental consent for accounts used by under-18s, placing the burden on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to verify the age of their users.

Pussy Riot wins Woody Guthrie prize for challenging oppression

The Russian music and performance collective Pussy Riot will receive this year's Woody Guthrie prize honoring art for social change, award organizers announced Thursday.

Disinformation attack targeted key Sahel state Niger: AFP investigation

A wave of disinformation attacks has hit Niger, a country that has become a linchpin in western strategy in the jihadist-torn Sahel, an AFP investigation has found.

Inside TikTok's operation to win over Washington

With a giant billboard at Washington's main train station, an army of influencers on Capitol Hill and ad campaigns in the political press, TikTok is pulling out all the stops as it fights for survival in the US capital.

TikTok chief faces off with US lawmakers as ban looms

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew battled for the survival of the hugely popular video-sharing app in the United States on Thursday, as he faced skeptical Washington lawmakers over the company's alleged ties to the Chinese government.

'Man on Wire' Philippe Petit still risks it all at 73

Almost 50 years after his famed tight-rope walk between the Twin Towers in New York, Philippe Petit still has his head in the clouds.

S.Africa art show highlights destructive ties between Man and Nature

A lioness towers over a seemingly dead hunter, her paws pinning his body to the ground.

TikTok chief faces US Congress as lawmakers mull ban

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will fight for the survival of the hugely popular video-sharing app in the United States on Thursday, as he faces skeptical Washington lawmakers over the company's alleged ties to the Chinese government.

Cold shower for Hungary's famed hot baths

Hungary's grand thermal baths are struggling to stay afloat, buffeted by rocketing energy bills.

'Cleanfluencers' sweep TikTok, drawing millions

Marie Kondo may have admitted defeat, but a new generation of "cleanfluencers" is taking social media by storm, with millions watching them scour filthy homes and dole out cleaning hacks.

Europe's first majority Black orchestra debuts stateside

After more than three decades in the classical music industry, British double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku began grappling with the question that had troubled her for years: Why was she consistently the only Black musician onstage?

Across globe, women battle 'gendered disinformation'

Fake photos showing Ukraine's first lady sunbathing topless, incorrect video subtitles defaming Pakistani feminists for "blasphemy", slow-motion clips falsely depicting "drunk" female politicians -- a barrage of disinformation targets women in the public eye.

TikTok users protest proposals for US ban at Congress

A group of TikTok content creators descended on the US Capitol Wednesday to protest against calls for a ban on the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app, amid fears that it presents a national security threat.

TikTok boss to deny China ties to US lawmakers

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will staunchly deny allegations by US lawmakers Thursday that the hugely popular video-sharing app had ever, or ever would, share data with the Chinese government.

Joking Biden teases 2024 run at arts awards ceremony

Joe Biden used an arts awards ceremony Tuesday -- where one honoree was an actress who famously played a fictional president -- to drop perhaps his heaviest hint yet that he's seeking a second White House term in 2024.

Bad Bunny ex seeking $40 mn, alleging unauthorized use of voice note

A former girlfriend of Bad Bunny has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the Puerto Rican megastar, alleging he used a recording of her voice in several songs without permission.

TikTok says half of Americans use site as ban threat looms

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said Tuesday that US user numbers had soared to 150 million -- almost half the total population -- as he prepared to fight at US Congress for the Chinese owned site's future.

'Veep' actress gets (real) White House honor

It will be the recognition that her bumbling character in "Veep" always longed for when actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Tuesday is awarded the nation's highest honor for artistic contribution by President Joe Biden at the White House.

Duran Duran to reunite with original guitarist Andy Taylor

Duran Duran, the British band who led the New Romantic movement in the 1980s, are to reunite with guitarist Andy Taylor for a new project.

Iraq fashionistas champion climate-friendly vintage wear

In a palm grove north of Baghdad, bemused Iraqi shepherds looked on as models paraded second-hand garments down an improvised catwalk, seeking to raise awareness of the fashion industry's environmental impact.

Electro-pop master M83: 'We're losing the mystery in music'

Anthony Gonzalez, the man behind M83, the group that helped define electro-pop, fears for a music industry that increasingly wants artists to be influencers.

Three found guilty of murdering US rapper XXXTentacion

A Florida jury on Monday found three young men guilty in the shooting death of the rising rap star known as XXXTentacion in 2018.

Media mogul Murdoch, 92, engaged for fifth time

Conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch will tie the knot for the fifth time, at the age of 92 years, he said Monday in an interview with his own newspaper, the New York Post.

Spurred by TikTok, some Americans return to cash to curb spending

Manicured fingers meticulously place cash in transparent envelopes marked "food," "gas" and other categories, demonstrating in a TikTok video a retro technique for controlling what you spend that is newly popular with some money-conscious Americans.

How AI 'revolution' is shaking up journalism

Journalists had fun last year asking the shiny new AI chatbot ChatGPT to write their columns, most concluding that the bot was not good enough to take their jobs. Yet.

How AI could upend the world even more than electricity or the internet

The rise of artificial general intelligence -- now seen as inevitable in Silicon Valley -- will bring change that is "orders of magnitude" greater than anything the world has yet seen, observers say. But are we ready?

'I'M BACK': Trump returns to Facebook, YouTube after two-year ban

Former president Donald Trump wrote his first posts on his reinstated Facebook and YouTube accounts Friday, more than two years after he was banned over the US Capitol insurrection.

'The Wire' star Lance Reddick dead at 60: publicist

Actor Lance Reddick who played steely Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in hit TV show "The Wire" has died, his publicist said Friday. He was 60.

Microsoft seeks EU nod for Activision Blizzard bid with new offer

Microsoft said on Friday that it has offered formal commitments to the EU in its bid to persuade the bloc to approve its $69-billion takeover of video game giant Activision Blizzard.

Two halves of Flemish 17th century family portrait reunited

Two separated halves of a 17th century Flemish painting have gone on display together for the first time, reuniting the family portrayed 200 years after they were torn apart.

Paris fire exposes hidden iron holding up Notre-Dame

The fire that engulfed Notre-Dame four years ago has revealed a long-hidden secret about the Paris landmark: it was the first Gothic cathedral in which iron staples were used extensively throughout construction.

One billion users, but trouble mounts for TikTok

TikTok's breakneck rise from niche video-sharing app to global social media behemoth has brought plenty of scrutiny, particularly over its links to China.

Philippine social media users face barrage of bogus medical posts

Philippine vlogger Rosanel Demasudlay holds a heart-shaped "virginity soap" bar in front of the camera and assures her hundreds of YouTube followers it can be safely used to "tighten" their vaginas.

TikTok confirms US urged parting ways with ByteDance to dodge ban

TikTok confirmed Wednesday that US officials have recommended the popular video-sharing app part ways with its Chinese parent ByteDance to avoid a national ban.

Brazil's first lady turns heads, champions causes with fashion

Whether sporting a red Workers' Party star on her wedding dress, breaking taboos by wearing pants to her husband's inauguration, or rocking eco-friendly clothing, Brazil's new first lady is turning heads and making statements with her fashion choices.

Once dying, then a novelty, vinyl is back and thriving

Like many people in his generation, Vijay Damerla finds most of his new music online -- but the 20-year-old is slowly becoming a vinyl junkie, amassing records in his room.

BTS absence hurting global K-pop growth: HYBE chairman

Making megastars BTS do their South Korean military service is slowing the global growth of K-pop, the chairman of the septet's agency HYBE said Wednesday.

Satellite constellations multiply on profit hopes, geopolitics

The massive constellation of satellites operated by SpaceX, while still growing, will soon be joined in low Earth orbit by many more commercial competitors, but also government-sponsored programs.

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