CULTURE

Venice announced on Thursday that it would introduce a fee for day tourists to enter the city's overcrowded historic centre on 29 days next year as it seeks to come to grips with overtourism.

A spate of thefts of rare Russian classics worth millions of euros from libraries across Eastern Europe has left a trail that points all the way to auctions in Russia.

Britain celebrates the 60th anniversary of science-fiction series "Doctor Who" Saturday as fans hail a programme that has enthralled generations since it was first broadcast.

Known as the "Dutch Trump" both for his bouffant dyed hair and firebrand rhetoric, Geert Wilders' anti-Islam, anti-immigrant and anti-EU message seems to have finally swept him to first place at the polls.

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1989, according to a court filing reported by US media and seen by AFP on Wednesday.

Works by the celebrated Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, including haunting headless sculptures, enigmatic tapestries and mask-like portraits, will go on auction Thursday.

Eyes closed, hips swaying, retiree Polly Chan danced like no one was watching at a community centre in Hong Kong, where experts warn of a loneliness epidemic among the ballooning elderly population.

A rare nugget of information about the famously enigmatic street art superstar Banksy emerged Tuesday when he gave his first name as "Robbie" in an unearthed 2003 BBC interview.

Eleven letters sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, including dispatches from the Kremlin, have gone on sale following the blockbuster auction of the diminutive French emperor's hat for $2.1 million.

A silk shirt with a ruffled collar that helped define late music legend Prince's distinctive style has sold for $33,000.

By recruiting former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman following his surprise ouster by ChatGPT's parent company, Microsoft is hiring a tech industry star at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution.

Colombian superstar Shakira goes on trial in Barcelona on Monday in a tax fraud case, with Spanish prosecutors seeking a jail term of over eight years for the Grammy-winning singer.

A bottle of The Macallan 1926, described by Sotheby's auction house as the "most valuable whisky in the world", on Saturday went under the hammer for a record GBP2.1 million.

American superstar Taylor Swift on Saturday postponed a show in Rio de Janeiro due to extreme heat, after a fan died at the singer's concert the previous night.

Sam Altman, the tech titan behind ChatGPT, was abruptly fired Friday by OpenAI, the company that launched the revolutionary artificial intelligence chatbot.

Snoop Dogg, the acclaimed rapper whose image has long been tied to his professed love of marijuana, on Thursday said he's giving up smoking.

Joaquin Phoenix said he was surprised to discover a version of Napoleon who was more like a soppy "teenager in love" than an all-conquering commander as he researched his epic new role.

Refugee goalkeeper Pyae Lyan Aung fears for his safety if he returns home to Myanmar but he says he has no regrets about raising an anti-junta salute before a game two years ago.

Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel is returning -- again -- to host the Oscars for a fourth time, organizers said Wednesday.

Netflix's acclaimed series "The Crown" chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, draws to a close from Thursday, focusing on a subject still highly sensitive to the British monarchy -- the death of Princess Diana.

For the first time in nearly a century, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City will stage a performance in Spanish on Thursday, as the company works to expand its appeal to wider audiences.

How was the air breathed by Caesar, the Prophet Mohammed or Christopher Columbus?

A complaint of "anti-Semitism" was filed against Roger Waters in Argentina Wednesday as the former Pink Floyd frontman, on tour, accused "the Israeli lobby" of barring him from hotels in South America.

A new biopic on the life of Edith Piaf will use artificial intelligence to allow the French star to narrate her own story, Warner Music and her estate said on Tuesday.

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sports car sold for $51.7 million in New York on Monday, making it the second most expensive car ever sold at auction, Sotheby's said.

The Israeli TV action series "Fauda" has won Netflix fans worldwide for its gritty take on the exploits of an undercover unit that fights Palestinian militants.

New superhero film "The Marvels" is making history, and not in a good way: its estimated $47 million North American take over the weekend marks the lowest debut ever for a movie from Disney's normally money-cranking Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Peter Nygard, the founder of one of Canada's largest clothing brands, was found guilty Sunday on four counts of sexual assault, a court announced in Toronto.

Sebastian Steudtner already holds the world record for the largest wave ever surfed, but as the giant wave season begins, the German is looking to science and technology to chase a new high.