diplomacy

Iran filmmaker Panahi fears Iranians' interests will be 'sacrificed' in US talks

BY ADAM PLOWRIGHT

"They are okay, but all of them are in shock -- a shock that, like the rest of the people of Iran, has put everyone in a state of mourning," Panahi said.

Dissident Iranian film director Jafar Panahi told AFP he believes ordinary Iranians risk being "sacrificed" in talks between Iran and the United States on Friday, with his country still "in shock" over a deadly crackdown on protests.
"They are okay, but all of them are in shock -- a shock that, like the rest of the people of Iran, has put everyone in a state of mourning," Panahi said.

Dissident Iranian film director Jafar Panahi told AFP he believes ordinary Iranians risk being "sacrificed" in talks between Iran and the United States on Friday, with his country still "in shock" over a deadly crackdown on protests.

Panahi, Iran's best-known director, offered support for anti-government protests last month in which thousands of people were killed by security forces, according to rights groups.

US President Donald Trump, having initially encouraged the demonstrations, has since focused his attention on making a deal with Iran's clerical leadership over the country's nuclear and missile programmes.

In an interview in Paris on Wednesday, Panahi told AFP that "whatever happens in these negotiations they will not be in the people's favour".

"The people have no representative in these negotiations, and their interests are never taken into account. They can easily be sacrificed in these exchanges," he added.

Panahi's comments reflect concerns that the talks between US and Iranian officials scheduled for Friday in Muscat could help consolidate the power of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Panahi has been out of Iran for the last few months and his latest film "It Was Just an Accident" is in the running for Best International Feature at the Oscars.

The 65-year-old has been sentenced to a year in jail during his absence for "propaganda activities" against the state, but insisted to AFP he planned to return home.

Detention

The director is still absorbing the news that Mehdi Mahmoudian, who worked on the script of his latest film, was detained at the weekend in a sweep that also saw student leader Abdollah Momeni and journalist Vida Rabbani arrested.

"Friends told us that Mehdi Mahmoudian and Abdollah Momeni were each able to make a one-minute phone call to say they are okay and that they are in detention," Panahi said.

He met Mahmoudian, a human rights campaigner, while the two men were in jail during the second of Panahi's stints behind bars.

Iranian filmmaker Javad Ganji was shot dead during the protests in early January in Tehran, according to reports.

Despite his previous convictions, Panahi was one of several leading film figures to sign a statement supporting the latest anti-government demonstrations.

Panahi's son and other family members have remained in Iran during his foreign travels and talking candidly about recent events is impossible over unsecure phone lines.

"They are okay, but all of them are in shock -- a shock that, like the rest of the people of Iran, has put everyone in a state of mourning," Panahi said.

Rights groups and witness statements point to an unprecedented mass killing by Iranian security forces last month under the cover of a weeks-long internet blackout.

Tehran has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, while some rights groups think the final toll could be as high as 30,000.

"This number is beyond imagination. This shows that the regime has reached a point where it knows it has no legitimacy left. It lost legitimacy long ago, and this massacre is the final confirmation," Panahi said.

"As we've seen in other places -- India, South Africa -- when people emerge from mourning, when they rediscover themselves, they find ways to continue their struggle," he added.

'I will return'

"It Was Just an Accident" has won over critics and filmgoers as a wry and humane thriller that spotlights the dilemmas of a group of ordinary Iranians as they confront a man they believe to have tortured them in jail.

After being released from a travel ban last year, Panahi travelled to the Cannes Film Festival in France in May to present "It Was Just an Accident", which went on to scoop the top prize.

The feature is clearly allegorical, imagining what might happen to the country if the current clerical system headed by Khamenei falls.

"I have always felt that our people are non-violent, and this regime has always tried to inject violence into them," Panahi said.

Despite a prison sentence and a two-year travel ban hanging over him, he insisted he would return home after the Oscars ceremony on March 15.

"It is my home and I will return to my country," he told AFP.

adp/amj

SuperBowl

Bad Bunny promises to bring Puerto Rican culture to Super Bowl

BY ANDREW MARSZAL

An official trailer for the half-time show features Bad Bunny dancing with men and women of different ethnicities, including a white male in a cowboy hat.

Bad Bunny on Thursday pledged to bring Puerto Rican culture to his historic and highly anticipated Super Bowl half-time show that has triggered fury among right-wing US critics.
An official trailer for the half-time show features Bad Bunny dancing with men and women of different ethnicities, including a white male in a cowboy hat.

Bad Bunny on Thursday pledged to bring Puerto Rican culture to his historic and highly anticipated Super Bowl half-time show that has triggered fury among right-wing US critics.

The Latino singer -- one of the world's most popular artists -- is expected to perform the first-ever Super Bowl set entirely in Spanish this Sunday.

He has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, who is pointedly not attending this year's NFL flagship event, and used the Grammys stage last weekend to condemn the White House's immigration crackdown.

At a press conference Thursday, Bad Bunny steered clear of politics, instead promising "a huge party."

"I want to bring to the stage of course a lot of my culture," he said.

"But I don't want to give any spoilers. It's gonna be fun and it's gonna be a party.

"It's going to be easy. People only have to worry about dance... they don't even have to learn Spanish," he joked.

The 31-year-old -- real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio -- is wildly popular both stateside and abroad, and highly critically acclaimed.

He has been Spotify's most-streamed artist in the world four separate times, including last year, and won Album of the Year at last weekend's Grammys with "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" -- the first Spanish-language work to win music's highest accolade.

Yet the selection of Bad Bunny to perform at the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California, has drawn harsh criticism from the Trump administration.

Corey Lewandowski, a Department of Homeland Security advisor, said the choice of the Puerto Rican superstar -- a US citizen -- was "shameful" because he "seems to hate America so much."

Trump, who attended the Super Bowl last year but is staying away this time, recently called this year's entertainment lineup "a terrible choice" that will "sow hatred."

Also featuring in the opening ceremony of Super Bowl LX -- in which the New England Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks -- will be rock band Green Day, who have likewise been vociferous critics of Trump for years.

Right-wing political organization Turning Point USA has organized an alternative "All-American Halftime Show" featuring artists including Kid Rock.

'Unite people'

With anger soaring over the killing of two US citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last month, speculation has risen that Bad Bunny could use the Super Bowl platform to further rebuke Trump's policies.

Online betting website Polymarket has taken tens of thousands of dollars' worth of bets on whether Bad Bunny will directly call out ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the federal agency responsible for the immigration crackdown.

But marketing experts say the commercial opportunity to bring in more Latino fans represented by Bad Bunny's appearance at the NFL's flagship event justifies any controversy.

"The NFL, are not idiots. They've crunched the numbers," said Patrick Bennett, Global Chief Creative Officer at marketing firm Jack Morton.

"They know where they're saturated in the marketplace. Getting a 55-year-old white guy from Texas to buy another cowboy shirt is only going to get them so far."

NFL chief Roger Goodell this week said he was confident Bad Bunny will use the Super Bowl space to "bring people together.

Bad Bunny was chosen in part because "he understood the platform he was on and that this platform is used to unite people," said the NFL commissioner.

An official trailer for the half-time show features Bad Bunny dancing with men and women of different ethnicities, including a white male in a cowboy hat.

"The world is gonna be happy this Sunday," said Bad Bunny.

amz/rcw

crime

Top US news anchor pleads with kidnappers for mom's life

The news anchor confirmed that she had heard media reports of a ransom letter and said her family was working to do "everything that we can."

US news anchor Savannah Guthrie tearfully pleaded with kidnappers to share proof that her 84-year-old mother was still alive in a video posted to her social media Wednesday night.
The news anchor confirmed that she had heard media reports of a ransom letter and said her family was working to do "everything that we can."

US news anchor Savannah Guthrie tearfully pleaded with kidnappers to share proof that her 84-year-old mother was still alive in a video posted to her social media Wednesday night.

"We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her," Guthrie said, after noting that "voices and images are easily manipulated."

Flanked by family members, the 54-year-old NBC News co-host of the morning program "Today" addressed kidnappers directly, weeping.

"We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen."

Police in Arizona said Monday they believed Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her home in Pima County after she went missing Sunday under suspicious circumstances.

"She did not leave on her own, we know that," Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told a press conference Monday, describing the home as a "crime scene."

Nanos said in a statement posted to X on Wednesday that "investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest" in the case.

'Where is Nancy?'

In his post, Nanos said detectives "continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie."

"We're working towards, where is Nancy? Where is Ms. Guthrie? We want to find her," Nanos told CBS News on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform Wednesday he had spoken to Savannah Guthrie "and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family's, and Local Law Enforcement's, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY."

"We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely," Trump added.

In the video she posted, Guthrie described her mother's fragile heart and health, saying "she lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, and she needs it not to suffer."

The news anchor confirmed that she had heard media reports of a ransom letter and said her family was working to do "everything that we can."

She also addressed her missing mother directly.

"Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God's precious daughter, Nancy," Savannah Guthrie said.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing after she didn't show up to her regular Sunday church service, the New York Times reported.

des-sla/jgc/cms/lga

Sony

Sony hikes forecasts even as PlayStation falters

BY MATHIAS CENA

Sony's forecast for the estimated impact of tariffs this year imposed on Japanese imports by US President Donald Trump's administration remained at 50 billion yen. mac-stu/pbt

Japanese giant Sony hiked its full-year forecasts on Thursday, as a weaker yen compensates for its ageing PlayStation games console and a memory chip crunch.
Sony's forecast for the estimated impact of tariffs this year imposed on Japanese imports by US President Donald Trump's administration remained at 50 billion yen. mac-stu/pbt

Japanese giant Sony hiked its full-year forecasts on Thursday, as a weaker yen compensates for its ageing PlayStation games console and a memory chip crunch.

Sony now expects net profit of 1.13 trillion yen ($7.2 billion) in the 2025-26 fiscal year, up from its previous projection of 1.05 trillion yen, and a six percent rise on last year.

It also projected a 20.6 percent rise in operating profit and revenues of 12.3 trillion yen, up 2.2 percent, as well as an improved operating margin of 12.5 percent, a statement said.

For its third quarter, Sony's net profit rose 11 percent and revenues were up one percent. Operating income of 515 billion yen beat analysts' expectations.

Sony's PlayStation 5 (PS5), launched in 2020, is beginning to get old, and sales volumes of the games console fell 16 percent in the last quarter.

The company offered steep discounts on the device last year in an attempt to boost demand.

However, the Japanese group, like its competitors worldwide, is suffering from a growing shortage of memory chips.

That is driving up the prices of the chips and eroding profit margins of all sorts of electronic goods.

Shares in Nintendo, maker of the rival Switch 2, dived 11 percent on Wednesday over concerns about software sales and the impact of the memory chip supply crunch.

Sony shares initially soared almost six percent on Thursday but were flat in late trade in a falling overall market.

AI boom

The artificial intelligence boom has pushed up prices and shipments of conventional NAND and DRAM memory chips, while demand for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI servers has soared.

"It will definitely get more difficult to offer reduced prices (of the PS5) this year than in 2025," gaming industry consultant Serkan Toto told AFP.

Sony made no comment on the chip issue in its earnings release, which analysts say could also hit its hardware products such as cameras, TVs and smartphones, as well as its image sensor segment.

Last month, Sony said it was spinning off its home entertainment business -- which includes TVs -- into a joint venture with Chinese giant TCL.

It might also force Sony to delay the launch of a potential PlayStation 6 to the second quarter of 2028, Yasuo Nakane from Mizuho said in a recent note.

The hotly anticipated upcoming release of "Grand Theft Auto VI" is also important for the PlayStation's continued sales.

GTA's creators Rockstar Games delayed the launch again last year, this time until November.

"In 2026, GTA VI will do to PS5 what Covid did a few years ago to Sony: provide a massive boost, enough to carry the platform to 2028," Toto said.

"Nobody doubts that GTA VI will be the biggest game launch (and perhaps of an entertainment product) of all time."

Sony is also banking on growth in the music division thanks to increased sales related to concerts and merchandise, while results are expected to stagnate in film and consumer electronics.

It began reducing its exposure to this low-margin sector several years ago to focus on entertainment and imaging technologies, its main growth drivers.

Sony's forecast for the estimated impact of tariffs this year imposed on Japanese imports by US President Donald Trump's administration remained at 50 billion yen.

mac-stu/pbt

art

Rijksmuseum puts the spotlight on Roman poet's epic

BY STéPHANIE HAMEL

"Everybody to whom we said we want to make an exhibition about "Metamorphoses" was immediately enthusiastic, because it's a theme that has inspired artists over so many centuries, and there was never really an exhibition about it," Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits told AFP. There are paintings from Italian master Caravaggio and the Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte, while a 17th-century marble sculpture, Bernini's Sleeping Hermaphroditus, is one of the centrepieces.

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum on Friday opens the biggest exhibition ever devoted to art inspired by "Metamorphoses", Roman poet Ovid's most famous work, featuring contributions from artists as varied as Caravaggio, Magritte and Bernini.
"Everybody to whom we said we want to make an exhibition about "Metamorphoses" was immediately enthusiastic, because it's a theme that has inspired artists over so many centuries, and there was never really an exhibition about it," Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits told AFP. There are paintings from Italian master Caravaggio and the Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte, while a 17th-century marble sculpture, Bernini's Sleeping Hermaphroditus, is one of the centrepieces.

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum on Friday opens the biggest exhibition ever devoted to art inspired by "Metamorphoses", Roman poet Ovid's most famous work, featuring contributions from artists as varied as Caravaggio, Magritte and Bernini.

Ovid's epic poem, written more than 2,000 years ago, has been the source for countless Roman, Greek and modern era paintings, statues and literary works.

More than 80 of them -- from more than 50 museums around the world -- have been assembled by the Rijksmuseum and the Borghese gallery in Rome for this exhibition.

The exhibition, said the museum, would reveal the work's "passion, desire, lust, jealousy and cunning".

"Everybody to whom we said we want to make an exhibition about "Metamorphoses" was immediately enthusiastic, because it's a theme that has inspired artists over so many centuries, and there was never really an exhibition about it," Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits told AFP.

There are paintings from Italian master Caravaggio and the Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte, while a 17th-century marble sculpture, Bernini's Sleeping Hermaphroditus, is one of the centrepieces.

Ovid's 15-book "Metamorphoses" tells the story of the world from its creation until the death of Emperor Julius Caesar through myths.

The Sleeping Hermaphroditus tells how nymph Salmacis falls in love with Hermaphroditus and implores the gods to unite the two. Their bodies become one, both man and woman.

"It's a very modern idea in itself, with its fluidity of gender," said Frits Scholten, head of sculpture at the the Rijksmuseum.

"But at the same time, it's very ancient, which makes it all the more relevant."

'Universal' theme

Modern readers may find "Metamorphoses" somewhat impenetrable, Scholten conceded. But it still inspires art even after more than 2,000 years.

"The theme is universal," he argued.

"You find it in games, you find it in modern art, you find it everywhere, people are constantly inspired, it's like with fairy tales, and these are the fairy tales -- to a certain extent -- of the ancient period."

The figure of Medusa, represented in the exhibition by works dating from the 16th to the 21st century are shown in the exhibition.

Long presented as an evil symbol, Medusa, raped by the god Poseidon and whose eyes have the power to petrify anyone who meets her gaze, has been reclaimed in recent decades as a feminist symbol.

The exhibition has different forms of Medusa "to show that each generation uses its own, takes the motifs from Ovid, from the Metamorphoses, for its own use," said Scholten.

The exhibition runs until May 25 at the Rijksmuseum before transferring to the Borghese gallery in Rome.

sh/tw/jj

music

Barry Manilow cancels Las Vegas shows but 'doing great' post-surgery

"I'm doing great and recovering very well after my surgery," he said in a post on Instagram Wednesday.

US singer-songwriter Barry Manilow on Wednesday announced the cancellation of his upcoming run of shows in Las Vegas, but assured fans he was recovering well from surgery to remove lung cancer.
"I'm doing great and recovering very well after my surgery," he said in a post on Instagram Wednesday.

US singer-songwriter Barry Manilow on Wednesday announced the cancellation of his upcoming run of shows in Las Vegas, but assured fans he was recovering well from surgery to remove lung cancer.

The 82-year-old crooner, known for 1970s hits "Copacabana" and "Mandy," revealed a lung cancer diagnosis in December and planned to have an operation to treat it.

"I'm doing great and recovering very well after my surgery," he said in a post on Instagram Wednesday.

"With my doctor's guidance and recommendation, however, we have decided to postpone my residency dates at Westgate Las Vegas from February 12-21 so I can stay focused on healing and getting ready for the tour that's kicking off at the end of February," he added.

Born and raised in New York, Manilow saw his biggest success in the 1970s, and has since continued to perform and record, with frequent residencies in Las Vegas.

rfo/vla/des/sla

award

On a roll, Brazilian cinema seizes its moment

BY LUCíA LACURCIA

It has been nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Actor for Wagner Moura and Best Casting.

For the second year in a row, a Brazilian movie has wowed international audiences and critics, securing multiple Oscar nominations and drawing fresh interest in the Latin American giant's film industry.
It has been nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Actor for Wagner Moura and Best Casting.

For the second year in a row, a Brazilian movie has wowed international audiences and critics, securing multiple Oscar nominations and drawing fresh interest in the Latin American giant's film industry.

Experts say the success of "The Secret Agent", which has won four Oscar nominations, a year after "I Am Still Here" won Brazil its first Oscar, is no fluke, with a bit of a push from the country's political climate.

"This is neither a coincidence nor a miracle. It is the result of a lot of work, consistent policies, and, of course, talent," Ilda Santiago, director of the Rio International Film Festival and an Oscar voter, told AFP.

Directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, "The Secret Agent" is a political thriller infused with magical realism. Like "I Am Still Here", it is set during Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

It has been nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Actor for Wagner Moura and Best Casting.

Santiago said these two big Brazilian movies resonated with foreign audiences "because they show how our daily lives can be transformed by governments, and that is a mirror of today's world."

This is especially true for Brazil, whose far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro -- an open admirer of the dictatorship -- is serving a 27-year prison term for plotting a coup.

Before Bolsonaro came to power in 2019, Brazil's film industry had well-established financing mechanisms, much like those in countries like France, Canada and Germany.

Brazil has enjoyed waves of international breakout moments, with films such as 'Central Station' in 1998, 'City of God' in 2002 and 'Elite Squad' starring Moura in 2007.

Mendonca Filho was also behind the art house hits 'Aquarius' (2016) and 'Bacurau' (2019).

Film revived under Lula

During his time in office Bolsonaro cut the budget of the Audiovisual Sector Fund by almost half, froze bidding for film project grants and threatened to shut down the national film agency if it did not impose an ideological "filter."

"Brazilian cinema was plugged back in with Lula's election in 2022, after four years in which culture, in practical terms, was extinguished," Mendonca Filho told AFP in an interview.

Lula's government reactivated the funding application process and injected record amounts into the sector. The film industry received 1.4 billion reais ($269 million) in 2025, 180 percent more than in 2021.

Nevertheless, "putting each of those bricks that were dismantled back in place is a task that takes years", said Santiago.

Influential film critic Isabela Boscov said that in the past "there was a failure to take advantage" of hit films.

She said Brazil was now "breaking out of the bubble", much like Iranian cinema in the 1990s, Mexican cinema in the 2010s, and more recently, South Korean cinema.

'Small and big victories'

Last year 'I Am Still Here' racked up several international awards, and won Fernanda Torres a Golden Globe for best actress.

The film won Brazil its first Oscar -- for best international feature film.

"The Secret Agent" first earned plaudits at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won for best director and Wagner Moura won best actor.

The movie then won two Golden Globes, for best non-English film and best male actor.

"It's an accumulation of small and big victories, like Cannes, which form the foundation on which a campaign is built," said Boscov.

She also pointed to the charm and wit of actors like Torres and Moura on the talk show circuit ahead of awards season as playing a fundamental role in promoting their films.

Several other movies have scored successes at film festivals, such as 'Manas' in 2024 which tells the story of a 13-year-old confronting abuse on an Amazon island, and the dystopian 2025 drama 'The Blue Trail' -- in which Brazil's elderly are ordered to move to remote housing colonies.

ll/app/fb/dw

theft

Empress's crown dropped in Louvre heist to be fully restored: museum

The Louvre said in a statement the piece had been "badly deformed", but remained "nearly intact" and would be restored to its original state, "without the need for reconstruction".

The crown of French Empress Eugenie, which was abandoned by fleeing thieves who staged a brazen robbery at the Louvre last year, is nearly intact and will be fully restored, the museum said Wednesday.
The Louvre said in a statement the piece had been "badly deformed", but remained "nearly intact" and would be restored to its original state, "without the need for reconstruction".

The crown of French Empress Eugenie, which was abandoned by fleeing thieves who staged a brazen robbery at the Louvre last year, is nearly intact and will be fully restored, the museum said Wednesday.

The thieves who robbed the famed Paris museum last October made off with an estimated 88 million euros ($104 million) in jewels, but dropped the empress's diamond- and emerald-studded crown as they escaped, leaving it crushed and broken.

Investigators have yet to locate the other jewels, but recovered the dropped crown.

The Louvre said in a statement the piece had been "badly deformed", but remained "nearly intact" and would be restored to its original state, "without the need for reconstruction".

The museum said the crown was damaged when the thieves tried to remove it through a narrow hole they had sawed in the glass case where it was displayed.

The Louvre said the crown still had all its pieces, except for one of the eight golden eagles that adorned it.

It retains all 56 of its emeralds and all but 10 of its 1,354 diamonds, the museum said.

It said an expert committee led by the museum's president, Laurence des Cars, had been selected to supervise the restoration, which would be carried out by a qualified expert chosen in a competitive selection process.

Authorities have arrested all four alleged members of the heist crew, but have not found the mastermind -- or the remaining jewels.

The thieves made off with eight other items of jewellery, including a diamond-studded tiara that belonged to Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III.

agu/jlo/cbn/jhb/gv

church

Artist rubs out Meloni church fresco after controversy

The agency, part of the Italian culture ministry, had ordered an inspection of the fresco on Saturday. jra/dt/ar/gv

An artist who restored a fresco in a church in central Rome with a likeness of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has wiped out his own artwork after it sparked outrage.
The agency, part of the Italian culture ministry, had ordered an inspection of the fresco on Saturday. jra/dt/ar/gv

An artist who restored a fresco in a church in central Rome with a likeness of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has wiped out his own artwork after it sparked outrage.

The story began on Saturday when La Repubblica daily revealed that the face of a freshly-restored winged figure in the San Lorenzo in Lucina church closely resembled Meloni.

Meloni herself left a bemused comment on Instagram next to her supposed likeness, saying: "No, decidedly I do not resemble an angel."

The artist behind the restoration, Bruno Valentinetti, told La Repubblica that he had rubbed out her face on Tuesday night following a request by the Vatican administration.

Contacted by AFP, the Vatican did not immediately confirm this claim -- but an AFP reporter confirmed the likeness had been removed.

The restorer also told the paper that he had indeed painted the figure to resemble Meloni after initially denying it.

"Well, it really was Meloni but in the same style of the fresco that was there before," he told La Repubblica.

The church, located just a few metres from Meloni's office, has seen a large influx of curious onlookers in recent days.

Arianna de Gregoriis, 23, said she had come to see the Meloni fresco and was returning after reading the news that the face had been deleted.

She said she was "even more curious" and wanted to "come back and see it".

"I think putting the face of a political figure inside a place of worship like this one and more generally in a work of art is not a positive message," she said.

The agency in charge of cultural preservation in Rome said in a statement on Wednesday that authorisation "accompanied with a sketch of the image" would be required for any further restoration.

The agency, part of the Italian culture ministry, had ordered an inspection of the fresco on Saturday.

jra/dt/ar/gv

trial

Netflix film probes conviction of UK baby killer nurse

BY ALEXANDRA DEL PERAL

Her case shocked the nation during lengthy trials in 2023 and 2024, after which she was convicted and jailed for life for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more.

A Netflix documentary released Wednesday about a former UK nurse jailed for life for murdering seven babies is taking a fresh look at the puzzling case of the prolific child killer.
Her case shocked the nation during lengthy trials in 2023 and 2024, after which she was convicted and jailed for life for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more.

A Netflix documentary released Wednesday about a former UK nurse jailed for life for murdering seven babies is taking a fresh look at the puzzling case of the prolific child killer.

Lucy Letby, 36, from Hereford, western England, was charged in 2020 following a string of deaths at a hospital's neo-natal unit.

But she has always maintained her innocence and a panel of international experts has since argued her conviction was wrong.

Her case shocked the nation during lengthy trials in 2023 and 2024, after which she was convicted and jailed for life for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more.

Her young victims were either sick or born prematurely, and she was accused of injecting them with air, overfeeding them milk and poisoning them with insulin.

Ahead of the release of "The Investigation Of Lucy Letby", the former nurse's parents called the film "a complete invasion of privacy" for its use of previously unseen police bodycam footage of their daughter being arrested at their family home, The Sunday Times reported.

In a statement after watching the film's trailer, John and Susan Letby said they did not plan to watch the documentary.

"It would likely kill us if we did," they said.

"The previous programmes made about Lucy, including Panorama and the almost nightly news showing her being brought out handcuffed in a blue tracksuit are heartbreaking for us," they said.

"However, this Netflix documentary is on another level. We had no idea they were using footage in our house."

The film opens with the scene they refer to, of Letby's arrest in June 2019.

Police enter her bedroom and she is seen sitting up in bed, in pyjamas, appearing confused, as police say they are arresting her for murder. She is then taken away in her dressing gown.

The 90-minute film does not claim to be exhaustive, but aims to offer the public the perspectives of both sides of a case that continues to prompt questions and accusations of a miscarriage of justice.

It highlights unsettling elements, such as Letby responding "no comment" to police questions while in custody, and excerpts from her diary where dates coinciding with the babies' deaths are marked with an asterisk.

'Wrong person?'

Conversely, the film also includes testimony from Canadian physician Shoo Lee, who challenged the expert evidence presented at trial. It ends with that of John Gibbs, a former pediatrician at the hospital where Letby worked.

"I live with two guilts," he says.

"Guilt that we let the babies down, and tiny, tiny, tiny guilt: did we get the wrong person? You know, just in case: a miscarriage of justice. I don't think there was a miscarriage of justice, but you worry that no one actually saw her do it."

Letby was twice denied permission to appeal against her convictions in 2024.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is considering evidence presented on her behalf from an international panel of medics who claim poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the babies.

Inquests into the deaths of six babies who Letby was convicted of murdering have been opened and then adjourned to May 5.

The inquest into the seventh baby did not determine the cause of death.

The senior coroner at the inquests adjourned them until September pending the outcome of a public inquiry into the Letby case which is due to be published this year.

Health Minister Wes Streeting told LBC radio Wednesday her fate should be decided by the courts and not campaigners "unless and until there is a judicial process that says that the court has got it wrong".

adm/mp/jkb/gv

film

Acclaimed Iraqi film explores Saddam Hussein's absurd birthday rituals

BY JéRéMY TORDJMAN

- Tragic 'randomness' - Hadi drew on his own memories of a country that lacked everything but was required to celebrate each of the dictator's birthdays.

For Iraqis who lived through the 1990s, dictator Saddam Hussein's birthday on April 28 was a disorientating day of celebration and propaganda.
- Tragic 'randomness' - Hadi drew on his own memories of a country that lacked everything but was required to celebrate each of the dictator's birthdays.

For Iraqis who lived through the 1990s, dictator Saddam Hussein's birthday on April 28 was a disorientating day of celebration and propaganda.

Parties were staged across the sanctions-hit country to mark the occasion, while many public squares and bridges around Baghdad were decorated with coloured lights.

State radio played endless songs to the glory of the ruthless national leader and callers were asked to recount improvised poems in his honour.

In schools, children would be tasked with baking cakes for "Mr. President" -- the inspiration for a new film by 37-year-old Iraqi director Hasan Hadi which is making waves internationally.

"We had strategies to avoid being picked such as going to the bathroom during the draw, calling in sick, or trying to bribe the teacher," Hadi told AFP in an interview in Paris.

"The President's Cake" is his first feature-length film, which picked up a top award at the Cannes Film Festival last year and has gone on earn a wide international release.

Hadi also won over American producer Chris Columbus, whose past credits include "Gremlins" and "Harry Potter", who fell in love with the movie and signed on as an executive producer.

The story follows nine-year-old Lamia who must brave the dangers of gathering the precious ingredients needed to bake a cake for Saddam and escape punishment for failing.

At the time, Iraq was under crippling UN sanctions after Saddam's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, putting eggs, flour and sugar beyond the reach of many ordinary Iraqis.

Lamia and her grandmother can barely afford to eat themselves but the pair set off from their home in the marshlands in southern Iraq to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients.

Tragic 'randomness'

Hadi drew on his own memories of a country that lacked everything but was required to celebrate each of the dictator's birthdays.

"This was one of the many contradictions you had to live with," added Hadi, who only tasted a full-fat cake as a teenager, having grown up eating date-based ones.

He always managed to escape the school baking task but he remembered the tragic fate of one of his classmates who failed to prepare a cake in time.

He was expelled from school, then conscripted into the Iraqi army as a child before dying a few years later.

"The randomness and the silliness of something as stupid as failing to bake a cake could change your destiny and fate forever," added Hadi, who grew up watching banned films on smuggled VHS cassettes.

"Dictatorship not only destroys freedom of speech, it destroys the elements that make you a straight human," Hadi explained. "It makes you lie, it makes you a hypocrite, it makes you deceitful and it lasts long after it's gone."

Saddam himself would usually appear on state TV on the evening of his birthday, often wearing a white suit, to enjoy an extravagant and lavishly decorated cake that defied the national shortages.

With "The President's Cake", Hadi hopes to deliver a timely reminder to his country, where Saddam's rule "hasn't been explored enough".

The Hollywood Reporter has called it a "tragicomic gem", while Variety said it was "a compassionate and winsome debut".

Once a thriving producer of films, Iraqi cinema is still struggling to recover from the chaos the country has endured over the last two decades.

Only around 40 cinemas are estimated to still exist.

"I hope people will be more receptive to Iraqi films in coming years," said Hadi.

jt-adp/phz

UN

UNESCO recognition inspires hope in Afghan artist's city

BY ISABELLE WESSELINGH AND MOHSEN KARIMI

"When I paint, I'm taken back 500 years, to the streets of Herat back then," when the rulers of the Timurid empire were patrons of artists such as Behzad, Qane said with a smile.

Hundreds of years after the celebrated painter Kamal ud-Din Behzad roamed the streets of Herat, artists in the Afghan city are finding joy and hope in his recognition by UNESCO. Sitting cross-legged on a red carpet, artist Mohammad Younes Qane uses an ultra-fine paintbrush to trace details such as a horse's mane or the beads of a necklace.
"When I paint, I'm taken back 500 years, to the streets of Herat back then," when the rulers of the Timurid empire were patrons of artists such as Behzad, Qane said with a smile.

Hundreds of years after the celebrated painter Kamal ud-Din Behzad roamed the streets of Herat, artists in the Afghan city are finding joy and hope in his recognition by UNESCO.

Sitting cross-legged on a red carpet, artist Mohammad Younes Qane uses an ultra-fine paintbrush to trace details such as a horse's mane or the beads of a necklace.

"When I paint, I'm taken back 500 years, to the streets of Herat back then," when the rulers of the Timurid empire were patrons of artists such as Behzad, Qane said with a smile.

Since he was a teenager, the 45-year-old has been practising Behzad's celebrated miniature art style, which inspired French artist Henri Matisse.

A contemporary of Italian masters Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, Behzad brought a new style to Herat before settling in Tabriz, in modern-day Iran.

Celebrating his "vibrant cultural expression", the UN's cultural agency inscribed Behzad's style of miniature art on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December.

Such recognition was "truly joyful news", coming "at a time when we are in darkness and facing very difficult conditions", Qane said.

Since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021 and imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, many artists have left Afghanistan.

Qane has closed his gallery and works at home, with clients now rare and exhibitions non-existent.

He sometimes climbs the hill to a white tomb believed to be Behzad's, where he finds peace.

Taliban officials have banned music in public places, as well as the representation of living things.

'Proud of Behzad'

Numerous residents pointed to the increasing enforcement of the ban on showing human faces, which are a common feature of Behzad-style artworks.

"It's very sad, because we are proud of Behzad in Herat," said one resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Ahmad Jawid Zargham, the former head of the provincial arts and culture department, said paintings were "simple and without soul" before Behzad.

"He introduced scenes from people's everyday life. For example, ordinary people, passersby, dervishes, mullahs, scenes of teaching girls and boys, or groups of workers busy with architecture," Zargham told AFP.

At Herat's central mosque, which is covered in blue ceramic tiles, there are delicate floral and geometric motifs created by Behzad.

But his decorated manuscripts are kept abroad, at world-renowned institutions such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Library in London and the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul.

Michael Barry, a leading specialist in miniature art, said that people being deprived of their cultural patrimony was "the height of injustice".

At the same time, he remained "very aware of the care that is required to maintain these delicate works", which can easily be damaged by light exposure.

Conscious of the difficulties of repatriating Behzad's artworks, Barry instead enlarged and reproduced them in 2017 for an exhibition at Herat's citadel.

But residents can no longer view the bright autumn colours of the tree of life, a symbol often painted by Behzad, as the wooden door has been padlocked shut.

Despite welcoming the UNESCO recognition, the provincial arts and culture department did not give an explanation for its closure.

'Freedom'

Recalling Herat's importance, Barry said the city was the "world capital of painting, poetry, music, philosophy, mathematics. The Florence of the Islamic world".

"The most important centre of Islamic civilisation in the 15th century endorsed figurative art," he added.

But nowadays, at the citadel, faces shown on panels about the city's history have been painted black.

Despite such measures enforced by the Taliban government's morality police, Behzad is still inspiring young Afghans.

Around a dozen women gathered in a workshop to paint miniature art scenes on glass or paper, which they sell through social media or to acquaintances.

The UNESCO recognition is motivating, said Parisa Narwan, 24, who has been unable to participate in scholarships and exhibitions abroad because it has become practically impossible to get visas.

Artists need opportunities "including international exhibitions and financial support", she said.

One of the other artists contemplated how she would address Behzad today: "I wish he could have lived now -- I would ask him to improve the women's life in Afghanistan because it is really difficult."

Girls are banned from school beyond the age of 12, and women are barred from most jobs.

Asia Arnawaz, 22, said the long hours focusing on miniature art are a form of therapy for her.

"When I sit and work, I feel completely released," she told AFP.

"I come to understand how pure Allah's creation is: that He created me free, and in that moment, I truly feel that freedom."

str-iw/rsc/ami/cms

Syria

Love in a time of war for journalist and activist in new documentary

BY HUW GRIFFITH

In an effort to refocus her editors on the conflict in Syria, she asks Habak for human stories -- "nothing with blood," she tells him -- and the pair work on packages about rooftop gardening in a war zone.

An unlikely love story blossoming in the thick of war provides the backdrop to a new documentary that raises questions about how modern media cover conflict.
In an effort to refocus her editors on the conflict in Syria, she asks Habak for human stories -- "nothing with blood," she tells him -- and the pair work on packages about rooftop gardening in a war zone.

An unlikely love story blossoming in the thick of war provides the backdrop to a new documentary that raises questions about how modern media cover conflict.

"Birds of War" traces the growing relationship between Syrian activist-cameraman Abd Alkader Habak and Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos, who was working for the BBC in London as Syria's civil war unfurled.

What began as a strictly professional relationship -- on-the-ground activists were vital for international media whose journalists found it difficult to operate in Syria -- develops into something more.

"It's about understanding who this person is you're working with," Boulos told AFP on the fringes of the Sundance Film Festival, where the documentary premiered last week.

"He's not a source, he's not a story. He's not somebody who's helping me advance my career. He's a human being. He has emotions. He has a cause."

Through text messages and their own personal video archive created over 13 years, Boulos and Habak have reconstructed the growth of their relationship for a documentary that won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact at Sundance.

The film traces Boulos' growing disenchantment with her job in the Arabic service at Britain's public broadcaster as global headlines inevitably moved on from the tragedy in Syria.

"The agenda changes quickly. At one point, we focus on the migration across the Mediterranean and the people dying... Then there is a tsunami in Indonesia.

"A week later, we forget about the tsunami. We're talking about something else. And I'm, like, 'What's happened to those people? Why are we not talking about them anymore?'"

In an effort to refocus her editors on the conflict in Syria, she asks Habak for human stories -- "nothing with blood," she tells him -- and the pair work on packages about rooftop gardening in a war zone.

As the topics soften, their relationship evolves.

Text messages and voice notes stray from the practical to the personal -- a morning greeting or videos of pets -- and the couple begin calling each other "little bird."

Then Habak becomes the story when he is photographed rescuing a child from the wreckage of a civilian convoy that is attacked while fleeing a city under seige.

The picture goes viral as it ricochets around the world and puts a target on his back for Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Habak sees no other option but to flee Syria, heading to Turkey, like hundreds of thousands of his compatriots during the war.

Determined to see the man she has been talking to for years, Boulos goes to meet him, and what she thought was harmless online flirting quickens into love.

They marry and move to London, where Habak struggles to reconcile the safety of his new life with his longing for a revolution he had been filming since it began when he was just 18.

"Everybody wants to be in their home, but some people can't be there," Boulos said.

"We live in London because at that time, we didn't have a choice. But doesn't mean that we're not guilty about it. Doesn't mean we're not suffering from witnessing what's happening to our countries from a distance."

For Boulos, the world of mainstream journalism she has now left behind -- she is no longer at the BBC -- cannot paint the picture of such complexity because it cannot stop to focus for long enough.

She and Habak are now making independent documentaries that they hope will be better suited for this task.

"Everybody can be a story, but at the same time, everybody's a human being," she said.

"We all love. We all want to be loved. We all are fighting for survival. And I think once we understand that people have their own voices, and we give them the chance to use their voices, I think we will have a better journalism."

hg/dw

culture

Homage or propaganda? Carnival parade stars Brazil's Lula

BY LUCíA LACURCIA

Lula, 80, who is expected to attend the parade as a spectator, is seeking a fourth term in the October elections.

The face of the Brazilian president is omnipresent as a samba school rehearses its Carnival parade in front of thousands of spectators chanting the refrain of its theme song: "Ole, ole, ole, ola; Lula, Lula!"
Lula, 80, who is expected to attend the parade as a spectator, is seeking a fourth term in the October elections.

The face of the Brazilian president is omnipresent as a samba school rehearses its Carnival parade in front of thousands of spectators chanting the refrain of its theme song: "Ole, ole, ole, ola; Lula, Lula!"

The decision by samba school Academicos de Niteroi to pay homage to veteran leftist President Inacio Lula da Silva at this year's Carnival extravaganza has raised eyebrows just eight months before elections.

Academicos de Niteroi will be the first to parade down Rio de Janeiro's Sambodrome on February 15, at the start of the three-day competition that is the peak of the city's annual Carnival festivities.

Twelve samba schools will compete in parades featuring thousands of participants, with colossal, often animated floats, booming drum sections, and dancers draped in little more than beads and glitter.

Each year the schools choose a theme linked to Brazilian culture, history, or popular figures.

While Academicos argues it wants to honor Lula to thank him for his social welfare policies, the opposition has denounced the parade as equivalent to a campaign event months before official campaigning begins in August.

Lula, 80, who is expected to attend the parade as a spectator, is seeking a fourth term in the October elections.

"This is not propaganda, it's a tribute. Many people in our school were able to get an education thanks to the president's public policies," Hamilton Junior, one of the school's directors, told AFP.

'One of Brazil's greatest presidents'

Junior said it was a story of a man from Brazil's poor north-east who "faced many hardships and became one of Brazil's greatest presidents."

During technical rehearsals at the Sambodrome -- which draw large crowds -- dancers dressed as steelworkers in reference to Lula's past occupation.

The lyrics of the song recount Lula's poor childhood in rural Pernambuco, his move to Sao Paulo, his union activism, and social policies implemented under his different administrations.

There is no mention of the October election, but the song does not shy away from Brazil's current political scene.

It refers to "tariffs and sanctions" imposed by US President Donald Trump to punish Brazil for putting his ally, former far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for plotting a coup.

Trump has since lifted many of these measures.

The song also includes the phrase "no amnesty," a nod to efforts by Bolsonaro's supporters to reduce a 27-year prison sentence he began serving in November.

A large screen mounted on the back of a truck displayed images mocking Bolsonaro -- showing him in a prison uniform or with blood-stained hands, a reference to his Covid-skepticism.

Bolsonaro has anointed his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, as his political heir and presidential candidate.

Opposition complains

One of the composers of the samba told local media that Lula had cried when Academicos leaders travelled to Brasilia last year to play the song for him.

Center-right lawmaker Kim Kataguiri filed a lawsuit demanding Academicos return the one million reais ($180,000) each of the 12 schools receives in federal funding for the parade.

"It is unacceptable that the president sends one million reais, and even worse in an election year, to a samba school to celebrate a festival whose main theme is the president himself," Kataguiri told AFP on Tuesday.

Lawmakers from the right-wing Partido Novo asked Brazil's Federal Court of Auditors to block the funding.

A senator allied with Bolsonaro demanded that the courts prohibit the television broadcast of the parade.

The Brazilian agency for the promotion of international tourism, Embratur, which provides the funds, said in a statement that it "respects the artistic autonomy and freedom of expression of the samba schools."

Watching the rehearsal, Adriano Santos, a 43-year-old social worker from the Rocinha favela, said the samba school was "being brave, innovative."

"There will be those who like it and those who don't, but I believe this parade will represent Brazil."

ll/app/fb/msp

streaming

Disney names theme parks chief Josh D'Amaro as next CEO

In a concurrent move, Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, was named president and chief creative officer -- a new role in which she will report directly to D'Amaro and oversee creative output across the company.

The Walt Disney Company announced Tuesday that Josh D'Amaro, head of its theme parks division, will replace Bob Iger as chief executive when the entertainment titan steps down in March.
In a concurrent move, Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, was named president and chief creative officer -- a new role in which she will report directly to D'Amaro and oversee creative output across the company.

The Walt Disney Company announced Tuesday that Josh D'Amaro, head of its theme parks division, will replace Bob Iger as chief executive when the entertainment titan steps down in March.

D'Amaro, 54, will take the helm on March 18 following a unanimous board vote, the company said. He will succeed Iger, who has led Disney for nearly two decades across two separate stints.

"Josh D'Amaro possesses that rare combination of inspiring leadership and innovation, a keen eye for strategic growth opportunities, and a deep passion for the Disney brand," said board chairman James Gorman.

The 28-year Disney veteran oversees the company's largest business segment, which generated $36 billion in revenue in fiscal 2025 and employs 185,000 people worldwide across 12 theme parks and 57 resort hotels.

D'Amaro has led major expansions including "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" and plans for a new park in Abu Dhabi, as well as Disney's partnership with Epic Games on Fortnite integration.

He also spearheaded plans to expand Disney's fleet of cruise ships from 7 to 13.

Iger praised D'Amaro's "instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences."

In a concurrent move, Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, was named president and chief creative officer -- a new role in which she will report directly to D'Amaro and oversee creative output across the company.

Iger will serve as senior advisor through December 2026 before retiring from the company he has led to "unprecedented creative and business success," the statement said.

Under Iger's leadership, Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox. It also opened its first theme park in China -- the Shanghai Disney Resort -- and launched the Disney+ and ESPN+ streaming services.

Iger previously resigned as Disney CEO in February 2020 after 15 years, handing control to Bob Chapek.

But their clashes during the Covid-19 pandemic led to Chapek's ouster in November 2022 and Iger's return as CEO.

During his return, Iger cut costs, laid off thousands of employees, and restructured divisions amid streaming losses and a post-Chapek "mess" he publicly criticized.

The handover comes amid intensifying pressures in the traditional media and video streaming businesses, with Disney+ taking years to reach profitability after its launch to compete with Netflix in 2019.

The company is dabbling in generative AI with a three-year licensing deal signed with OpenAI in December that will allow fans to create short videos featuring Disney characters through artificial intelligence.

Amid doubts about the future, Disney's share price has stagnated over the past three years.

"Strategically, there's nothing wrong with this company. There are things we can do better," Gorman, the board chairman, told CNBC.

arp/md

Kpop

Netflix to livestream BTS comeback concert in K-pop mega event

"BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG will stream live exclusively on Netflix March 21," the streaming giant said.

Streaming giant Netflix said Tuesday it will livestream BTS's comeback concert to around 190 countries in what could be the largest live K-pop event to date as the megastars return from military service.
"BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG will stream live exclusively on Netflix March 21," the streaming giant said.

Streaming giant Netflix said Tuesday it will livestream BTS's comeback concert to around 190 countries in what could be the largest live K-pop event to date as the megastars return from military service.

The global stars and South Korea's biggest music act have been on a hiatus since 2022 while members completed mandatory military service.

All seven members were discharged last year, and the band have confirmed they will release a new album, ARIRANG, on March 20 and stage a free comeback concert in central Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square the following day before heading on tour.

"BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG will stream live exclusively on Netflix March 21," the streaming giant said.

It said the performance would be broadcast live to viewers in more than 190 countries.

Their new album, ARIRANG, named after a Korean folk song about longing and separation often seen as an unofficial national anthem, will be their first since the anthology "Proof", which became South Korea's bestselling record of 2022.

The new album "contains a deep reflection on the team's origins and identity", Netflix said, adding a new documentary featuring the band's return, titled "BTS: THE RETURN" will be launched on March 27.

Their world tour, kicking off in April, will span 34 cities with 79 shows -- the largest single tour by a K-pop group by total performances and the widest regional reach for a South Korean artist, according to their label HYBE.

BTS are big business in South Korea. Before their military service, they generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.8 billion) for the country a year, according to Seoul's Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP.

HYBE shares were up 2.5 percent in the morning trade in Seoul.

cdl/mtp

art

Trump says not 'ripping' down Kennedy Center -- much

Trump said the Kennedy Center renovations, which are due to start on July 4, would cost "probably around $200 million" but did not say where the funding would come from.

US President Donald Trump said Monday he would not demolish the Kennedy Center but hinted at major changes, a day after announcing he is closing the famed Washington arts venue for two years for renovations.
Trump said the Kennedy Center renovations, which are due to start on July 4, would cost "probably around $200 million" but did not say where the funding would come from.

US President Donald Trump said Monday he would not demolish the Kennedy Center but hinted at major changes, a day after announcing he is closing the famed Washington arts venue for two years for renovations.

Trump revealed on Sunday that he was temporarily shuttering the complex -- where several prominent artists have canceled shows after he branded the center too "woke" and then affixed his own name to the facade.

"I'm not ripping it down, I'll be using the steel," Trump, a former construction magnate, told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he planned to tear down the building.

"So we're using the structure, we're using some of the marble, and some of the marble comes down.

"But when it's opened it'll be brand new and really beautiful."

Trump said the Kennedy Center renovations, which are due to start on July 4, would cost "probably around $200 million" but did not say where the funding would come from.

The billionaire Republican previously gave a similar cost for his construction of a new White House ballroom, which is paid for by private donors, although he has since said that project will now cost $400 million.

Trump has long declared that the structure -- built as a living memorial to slain US president John F. Kennedy and opened in 1971 -- is dilapidated and in need of a facelift.

Since his return to power just over a year ago, Trump has launched a forceful takeover of the once non-partisan center, branding some of its performing arts programming as too "woke."

The 79-year-old Trump is chairman of a handpicked board that runs the complex in the US capital, and which voted in December to rename it the "Trump-Kennedy Center."

A number of artists have in recent months called off appearances, including a production of the musical "Hamilton," operatic soprano Renee Fleming and composer Philip Glass.

dk/jgc

award

S. Korea celebrates breakthrough K-pop Grammy win for 'Golden'

The Song of the Year nominations for "Golden" and "APT." were "meaningful milestones" even though they did not win, Kyunghyang said. kjk/pbt

Critics and fans welcomed South Korea's first major Grammy win for the song "Golden", from the hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters", describing it on Monday as a breakthrough for the genre.
The Song of the Year nominations for "Golden" and "APT." were "meaningful milestones" even though they did not win, Kyunghyang said. kjk/pbt

Critics and fans welcomed South Korea's first major Grammy win for the song "Golden", from the hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters", describing it on Monday as a breakthrough for the genre.

The track, performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as the fictional girl group Huntrix in the film, won Best Song Written for Visual Media to claim an accolade that had long eluded the industry despite its global popularity.

K-pop megagroups BTS, for example, has been nominated multiple times in different categories since 2021 but has yet to be recognised at the music industry's biggest night.

One YouTube commentator, who uses the handle striderz1971, noted that neither BTS nor Blackpink had been able to score a Grammy and said that "a path had now been forced open".

"With that barrier now breached, K-pop artists may finally begin to receive the recognition they deserve," they said.

Music columnist Kim Do-hoon told AFP that the Grammys had long sidelined K-pop because of what he said was its "cookie-cutter format".

"The Grammys have traditionally placed strong emphasis on musical quality -- an area in which K-pop is not widely recognised," he said.

"They are also known for avoiding heavily produced music, which is often the case with K-pop artists," Kim said.

"Golden" was also nominated for Song of the Year alongside "APT.", sung by K-pop idol Rose and Bruno Mars in a high-octane opening to the ceremony.

Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell won the coveted category for "Wildflower", a result that surprised some observers in a crowded field.

South Korea has won Grammys in the past in the technical and classical categories, but the award for 'Golden' was the first for a K-pop production.

South Korean media were quick to welcome the song's success in a major award category.

"'Kedehun', which has captivated the world, has triumphed at the Grammys," a Yonhap news agency headline read, using a shorthand title for the film that has been widely adopted in South Korea.

The Kyunghyang Shinmun daily noted that the Grammys had until now stopped short of honouring K-pop acts.

"The Grammys have long been seen as a conservative awards show that is not particularly open to diverse music genres, making it difficult for K-pop to break through," it said.

The Song of the Year nominations for "Golden" and "APT." were "meaningful milestones" even though they did not win, Kyunghyang said.

kjk/pbt

award

S. Korea celebrates breakthrough Grammy win for K-pop's 'Golden'

The Song of the Year nominations for "Golden" and "APT." were "meaningful milestones" even though they did not win, Kyunghyang said. kjk/pbt

Critics and fans welcomed South Korea's first Grammy win for the song "Golden", from the hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters", describing it on Monday as a breakthrough for the genre.
The Song of the Year nominations for "Golden" and "APT." were "meaningful milestones" even though they did not win, Kyunghyang said. kjk/pbt

Critics and fans welcomed South Korea's first Grammy win for the song "Golden", from the hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters", describing it on Monday as a breakthrough for the genre.