Paris — The Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited tourist sites in the world, closed on Monday as staff went on strike in protest against the way the Paris monument is managed financially, disappointing the crowds below. The strike comes as Paris prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begin on July 26 and …
Read more “Strike Closes Eiffel Tower in Blow to Tourists Ahead of Paris Olympics”
BERLIN — This week’s Berlin international film festival is wrestling on- and off-screen with the weight of the Nazi past and the menace of a resurgent far right. The 74th Berlinale, as the event is known, has a reputation for confronting political realities head-on with high-profile movies and hot-tempered debates. German director Julia von Heinz brought …
Read more “Berlin Film Fest Grapples With Nazi Past, Far-Right Threat”
London — Atom bomb epic “Oppenheimer” won seven prizes, including best picture, director and actor, at the 77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, cementing its front-runner status for the Oscars next month. Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” took five prizes and Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” won three. Christopher Nolan won his first best director …
Read more “‘Oppenheimer’ Wins 7 Prizes, Including Best Picture, at British Academy Film Awards”
New York — Paramount Pictures’ Bob Marley biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” outperformed expectations to debut at No. 1 at the box office with a $27.7 million opening weekend, while Sony’s “Madame Web” flopped with one of the lowest debuts for a movie centered on a Marvel character. Both films launched in theaters on Tuesday to …
Read more “‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Stirs Up $27.7 Million Weekend at Box Office”
Los Angeles — Samantha Sumiko Pinedo and her grandparents file into a dimly lit enclosure at the Japanese American National Museum and approach a massive book splayed open to reveal columns of names. Pinedo is hoping the list includes her great-grandparents, who were detained in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II. “For a lot …
Read more “Solemn Monument to Japanese American WWII Detainees Lists More Than 125,000 Names”
KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s gods and goddess are returning home. An unknown number of sacred statues of Hindu deities were stolen and smuggled abroad in the past. Now dozens are being repatriated to the Himalayan nation, part of a growing global effort to return such items to countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere. Last month, four …
LONDON — Prepare for Poppenheimer. Poor Things and Oppenheimer are the leading contenders for the British Academy Film Awards, which will be handed out Sunday in front of an audience of filmmakers, movie stars and the heir to the British throne. Yorgos Lanthimos’ gothic fantasia is up for 11 trophies, while Christopher Nolan’s atom-bomb epic has …
Read more “What to Expect at Britain’s BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday”
paris — A new artificial intelligence tool that promises to create short videos from simple text commands has raised concerns along with questions from artists and media professionals. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and image generator DALL-E, said Thursday it was testing a text-to-video model called “Sora” that can allow users to create realistic videos with …
Read more “Media Creators Worry About New AI-Video Tool by Maker of ChatGPT”
London — An original draft “Star Wars” script left in a London apartment by actor Harrison Ford, who played Hans Solo in the movie, sold at a UK auction for $13,600 on Saturday. The script was used when Ford was filming the first installment of the epic saga, originally entitled “The Adventures of Luke Starkiller,” at …
Read more “Harrison Ford’s ‘Star Wars’ script fetches $13,600 at UK sale”
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Hybrid work relaxed office fashion, but formal attire might be making a comeback …
LOS ANGELES — The casts of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” gathered Monday for the annual Academy Award nominees’ luncheon along with other Oscar hopefuls coming together for photos, hugs and congratulations. The luncheon is a warm, feel-good, egalitarian affair where little-known first-time nominees in categories like best animated short get to rub shoulders and share tables with …
Read more “Oscar Nominees From Films ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Barbie’ Gather for Luncheon”
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MEXICO CITY — As the Super Bowl approaches, there could be problems for guacamole, a favorite game-time food in America: A lack of rain and warmer temperatures has resulted in fewer avocados being shipped from Mexico. The western state of Michoacan, which supplies almost 90% of the creamy textured fruit for the big game, has suffered …
Read more “Mexican Avocado Scarcity Affects Super Bowl Guacamole”
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday will elevate to sainthood the first female saint from his native Argentina, an event that will be attended at the Vatican by his former strong critic, Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei, a maverick right-wing libertarian, in the past called Francis an “imbecile,” a “son of a bitch preaching communism” …
Read more “First Female Argentine Saint Brings Together Pope Francis and Milei”
TOKYO — Will she make it in time? Taylor Swift’s last song was still ringing in the ears of thousands of fans at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night when the singer rushed to a private jet at Haneda airport, presumably embarking on an intensely scrutinized journey to see her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, play …
Read more “Taylor Swift to Cross 9 Time Zones for Super Bowl”
Washington — Lionel Messi, arguably the world’s most popular soccer player, is the object of uncharacteristic hostility in Hong Kong, where he was roundly booed by frustrated fans after sitting out an exhibition match this week. China’s state-controlled media was quick to suggest a CIA hand in the debacle. Messi later explained he had a hamstring …
Read more “Anger Escalates in China After Messi’s Absence in Hong Kong Soccer Game”
london — In British history, the secrecy of the monarch’s health has always reigned supreme. Buckingham Palace’s disclosure that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer shattered that longstanding tradition. On the heels of the shock and well-wishing that followed the official statement Monday came the surprise that the palace had announced anything at all. …
Read more “King Charles’ Cancer Announcement Raises Questions”
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A Catholic laywoman who lived in 18th-century Argentina and joined the Jesuits in their evangelical mission throughout the South American country will become the first female saint from the home country of Pope Francis on Sunday. María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, more commonly known by her Quechua name of “Mama Antula,” …
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TOKYO — Seiji Ozawa, the Japanese conductor who amazed audiences with the lithe physicality of his performances during three decades at the helm of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has died, his management office said Friday. He was 88. The internationally acclaimed maestro, with his trademark mop of salt-and-pepper hair, led the BSO from 1973 to 2002, …
Read more “Acclaimed Japanese Conductor Seiji Ozawa Dies at Age 88”
Participants of the Extreme Chainsaw Carving Show have just a few hours to turn a cedar block of wood into a beautiful work of art. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya reports from Arlington, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. …
LOS ANGELES — Las Vegas will be flooded with so many pre- Super Bowl events that Shaquille O’Neal lowered the prices to his popular carnival-themed “Shaq’s Fun House.” Instead of raising the rate, O’Neal decided to offer potential attendees more bang for their buck to the NBA legend’s sixth annual event planned for Friday in Sin …
Read more “Stars, Athletes Plan to Flock Las Vegas for Super Bowl Events”
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Annette Bening, a two-time Golden Globe winner who recently received her fifth Oscar nomination, was feted Tuesday with a raucous parade full of colorful costumes and drag performers as part of festivities honoring her as Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2024 Woman of the Year. A few hours later, Benning endured a celebrity …
Read more “Annette Bening Honored as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year”