Pokemon

Thieves steal Pokemon cards in armed robbery at US store

  • Earlier this month, around $300,000 worth of Pokemon cards were stolen in another armed robbery in California. 
  • Several valuable Pokemon cards were stolen in a gunpoint robbery at a New York store, US police said Thursday, with about $100,000 worth of merchandise reportedly taken. 
  • Earlier this month, around $300,000 worth of Pokemon cards were stolen in another armed robbery in California. 
Several valuable Pokemon cards were stolen in a gunpoint robbery at a New York store, US police said Thursday, with about $100,000 worth of merchandise reportedly taken. 
Images shared by the shop show a hooded man dressed in all black pointing what appears to be a pistol at someone sitting with their hands up. 
US media said some of the individual cards taken were worth as much as $5,500. 
Pokemon cards bearing "little monsters" attract children as well as adult superfans and collectors, with billions printed and some selling for millions of dollars.
Earlier this month, around $300,000 worth of Pokemon cards were stolen in another armed robbery in California. 
New York police said they received reports late Wednesday that three men had entered The Poke Court shop in Manhattan and "displayed a firearm and made threats to individuals."
"They then removed multiple merchandise and cash and a phone," a spokesman said.
No arrests have been made.
Courtney Chin, owner of The Poke Court, said in a video posted on Instagram that all customers and staff were safe. She spoke in front of display cases that had been smashed.
The store listed several cards as stolen, each stored in protective plastic cases called "slabs" that verify their authenticity. 
The stolen cards include those of famous Pokemon characters like Pikachu, the large yellow mouse with a lightning bolt-shaped tail. 
Several people were in the Manhattan store to attend a community event when the robbery unfolded. 
"This hobby should be a safe and welcoming place and while cardboard can be replaced, no one should ever have to go through this," the shop wrote on Instagram.
Characters from Pokemon games have been spun off into films, animated series and a plethora of merchandise.
The franchise racked up $12 billion in licensing revenue in 2024, according to specialist publication License Global -- more than toy giant Mattel.
bjt/acb

art

UK's Hockney warns moving Bayeux Tapestry would be 'madness'

  • "We send and receive thousands of loans each year -- including ancient frescoes and textiles which are older than the Bayeux tapestry -- and their condition and safety is always of paramount importance," he added in a statement to AFP. The 68-metre-long (224-foot-long) tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is now in a secret storage location, having been moved from its museum in the French town of Bayeux in Normandy for the first time in 40 years.
  • The British Museum Thursday vowed to protect the Bayeux Tapestry, after renowned UK artist David Hockney warned that sending it across the Channel from France for an exhibition this year was "madness".
  • "We send and receive thousands of loans each year -- including ancient frescoes and textiles which are older than the Bayeux tapestry -- and their condition and safety is always of paramount importance," he added in a statement to AFP. The 68-metre-long (224-foot-long) tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is now in a secret storage location, having been moved from its museum in the French town of Bayeux in Normandy for the first time in 40 years.
The British Museum Thursday vowed to protect the Bayeux Tapestry, after renowned UK artist David Hockney warned that sending it across the Channel from France for an exhibition this year was "madness".
"Some things are too precious to take a risk with," the artist wrote in an opinion piece for the daily Independent about plans for the 11th-century artefact. "Moving the Bayeux Tapestry is one of them.
"It is fragile, which makes it madness to think of moving it. It is too big a risk," he wrote in Wednesday's article.
Museum director Nicholas Cullinan said that while his team understood these concerns, the London museum "has a world-leading conservation and collections team who are experts at handling and caring for this type of material.
"We send and receive thousands of loans each year -- including ancient frescoes and textiles which are older than the Bayeux tapestry -- and their condition and safety is always of paramount importance," he added in a statement to AFP.
The 68-metre-long (224-foot-long) tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is now in a secret storage location, having been moved from its museum in the French town of Bayeux in Normandy for the first time in 40 years.
French President Emmanuel Macron last year agreed to loan the medieval tapestry to Britain for 10 months from September 2026 to celebrate Franco-British relations.
French museums will in exchange be loaned ancient treasures mainly from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo site, one of England's most important archaeological locations.
But the plan has sparked an outcry from heritage experts concerned over the ancient embroidery's already fragile state.

'Vulnerable'

Since 2020, experts have meticulously documented 24,204 stains, 9,646 holes and 30 tears in the artwork.
A feasibility study for the transport of the Bayeux Tapestry to London, completed by three experts in March 2022, remains "confidential" at the request of the Normandy cultural authorities who commissioned it. 
Hockney, who first saw the tapestry in 1967, says he has visited it 20 times in the past three years, adding it was "fundamental to our island story".
But he warned: "The linen backing is weakened by age, and the wool embroidery threads are vulnerable to stress."
"Rolling, unrolling, or hanging it in a new way can cause tearing, stitch loss and distortion of the fabric."
The tapestry was added to UNESCO's "Memory of the World" register in 2007.
A two-year renovation project had been due to begin in 2025 but was postponed indefinitely and the relic was instead off display while the museum currently housing it undergoes renovations of its own.
Hockney suggested it should stay where it is, and that "an identical copy" should be made.
"It is not difficult. It would look fantastic."
jkb/har/jj

art

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei debuts in India

  • "This is my first exhibition in India... although there are only a dozen of my artworks, it covers several key points that trace more than 20 years," the artist, who did not attend the opening, said in a statement.
  • The first solo exhibition in India by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei opened Thursday, featuring sculpture, installation and mixed media spanning his career, as well as his "homage" to the country.
  • "This is my first exhibition in India... although there are only a dozen of my artworks, it covers several key points that trace more than 20 years," the artist, who did not attend the opening, said in a statement.
The first solo exhibition in India by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei opened Thursday, featuring sculpture, installation and mixed media spanning his career, as well as his "homage" to the country.
The son of a revered poet, 68-year-old Ai is perhaps China's best-known modern artist.
He helped design the famous "Bird's Nest" stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but fell out of favour after criticising the Chinese government and was imprisoned for 81 days in 2011. He eventually left for Germany four years later.
His show at New Delhi's Nature Morte gallery comes as India's relations ease with neighbouring China, although the world's two most populous nations remain strategic rivals in the region.
"This is my first exhibition in India... although there are only a dozen of my artworks, it covers several key points that trace more than 20 years," the artist, who did not attend the opening, said in a statement.
Gallery co-director Aparajita Jain said the show aimed to broaden understanding and artistic exchange.
"We're simply a space for expression -- a place for conversation where we can learn about art practices from around the world and share histories," she told AFP.
The exhibition includes Ai's large-scale Lego compositions "Surfing" and "Water Lilies", alongside works made from porcelain, stone and even buttons.
The exhibition includes three pieces made "as a homage to India", Jain added -- toy-brick works based on historic Indian paintings.
Visual arts student Disha Sharma, 20, travelled 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the city of Rohtak to see the opening.
"It's not art that you immediately understand," said Sharma. "It makes you think."
Srishti Rana Menon, an artist based at Nature Morte, said that seeing the work in India was exciting.
"I wonder how he has put every little Lego piece together," she said, praising the "contemporary take" on traditional works.
Jain said she hoped the exhibition would signal a broader shift in India's engagement with global art, so that people will "no longer only seek India in the world" but also find "the world in India".
uzm/pjm/mjw

US

Hit TV show 'Heated Rivalry' a welcome surprise for gay hockey community

BY BEN SIMON

  • Quitting hockey at 19 "was awful," he said.
  • Growing up in a rural, religious community in western Canada, Kyle McCarthy loved hockey, but once he came out at 19, he quit, convinced being openly gay and an active player was untenable.
  • Quitting hockey at 19 "was awful," he said.
Growing up in a rural, religious community in western Canada, Kyle McCarthy loved hockey, but once he came out at 19, he quit, convinced being openly gay and an active player was untenable.
So the 32-year-old says he is "very surprised" by the runaway success of "Heated Rivalry," a Canadian-made series about the romance between two closeted gay players in a sport that has historically made gay men feel unwelcome.
Ben Baby, the 43-year-old commissioner of the Toronto Gay Hockey Association (TGHA), calls the success of the show -- which has catapulted its young lead actors to stardom -- "shocking," and says viewers have bought into its authentic portrait of a relationship.
McCarthy and Baby are not alone -- "Heated Rivalry" is a veritable cultural phenomenon. 
The show, an adaptation of a series of hockey-themed queer romance novels by Rachel Reid, charts the budding careers and secret relationship of two young hockey stars -- one Canadian, one Russian -- over a series of years.
After premiering on the Canadian streaming platform Crave in late November, the series hit HBO Max and took off, becoming one of its most popular shows by Christmas.
Variety called it "the biggest TV surprise" of 2025, and the show has even reportedly drawn a massive audience in China, where fans are watching pirated episodes.
The stars, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, were unknown, struggling actors before being cast.
Now, they are being mobbed by fans, joining A-listers on red carpets like at the Golden Globes, and have made their late night talk show debuts.
"Our expectations were kind of nonexistent," Storrie said on the Globes red carpet.
"For it to turn out so good and also go on HBO and be involved in this level is unreal."

'Toxic, homophobic'

Writing in Maclean's magazine in December, Reid -- who is Canadian -- said the novels were inspired by her "lifelong love of hockey, but also an awareness of the problems with the sport's culture more broadly."
"I thought a lot about how difficult it would be to be a closeted pro player."
For McCarthy, hockey was his first love -- until it wasn't.
"My brother played, my sister played, my dad coached us all," he told AFP. "Hockey was 100 percent of my life."
But by age 12, as he began to realize he was gay, McCarthy became uncomfortable in a sport he said had a "toxic, homophobic" culture.
Quitting hockey at 19 "was awful," he said.
"I love the game and didn't want to walk away from it," he said. But his gear sat unused in his garage "for eight, nine years."
Then he reconnected with the sport through a Vancouver-based LGBTQ+ hockey association now called The Cutting Edges, where he is president. 

'Safe space'

Baby grew up in the northern Ontario city of Timmins, which, like many small Canadian communities, has a deeply rooted hockey culture.
He told AFP he feared playing as a child, because he "instinctively" knew it "wouldn't have been a safe space."
After moving to Toronto as a teenager in the late 90s and discovering the TGHA, Baby took up the sport.
Hockey has made advances toward being more inclusive over the last 20 years, he said, but noted progress has been uneven.
He said the NHL's decision in 2023 to ban the use of rainbow-colored Pride tape on sticks was a "fiasco."
The league ultimately rescinded the ban due to player and public outrage.

Broader impact?

The NHL is alone among the so-called Big Four male professional sports leagues with no active or retired players who have come out as gay.
Luke Prokop, a prospect drafted in 2020 who is gay, has not yet appeared in an NHL game.
For McCarthy, the absence of an openly gay NHL player is "100 percent" due to persistent issues with hockey culture.
Baby nevertheless credited the NHL with quieter efforts to make LGBT fans feel welcome and applauded the league's apparent embrace of "Heated Rivalry."
"There are so many ways to get hooked on hockey and, in the NHL's 108-year history, this might be the most unique driver for creating new fans," the league said last month.
Baby noted that popular podcasts hosted by "straight hockey bros" are offering commentary on each episode.
"Queer characters are often flat, one-sided and stereotypical," but the leads in "Heated Rivalry" are "complex," he said.
"They're rich, they're interesting. They're the antidote to stereotypes."
Asked whether he believed "Heated Rivalry" could make hockey more welcoming for the LGBTQ community, McCarthy said: "I hope it can, I don't know that it will."
bs/sst

music

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias prepares defence against abuse allegations: Hola! magazine

BY IMRAN MARASHLI

  • Iglesias is preparing his defence and wishes to clear any doubts about what happened, Hola!
  • Veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias is preparing his defence against sexual abuse and human trafficking allegations by two women ex-employees that have dominated headlines in Spain, celebrity magazine Hola!
  • Iglesias is preparing his defence and wishes to clear any doubts about what happened, Hola!
Veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias is preparing his defence against sexual abuse and human trafficking allegations by two women ex-employees that have dominated headlines in Spain, celebrity magazine Hola! reported.
The story published late on Wednesday comes after the accusations against one of Spain's cultural icons were revealed by Spanish newspaper elDiario.es and US television network Univision on Tuesday.
The women -- a domestic worker and a physiotherapist -- allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.
Advocacy groups Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off", according to testimony collected by the two groups.
Grammy-winning crooner Iglesias, 82, has made no public comments about the allegations.
Hola! said it spoke by telephone with Iglesias, who told them the truth would come out and everything would be clarified, but provided no direct quotes from the conversation.
Iglesias is preparing his defence and wishes to clear any doubts about what happened, Hola! wrote, saying it obtained the exclusive interview thanks to a years-long friendship with him.
Iglesias's entourage has denied the accusations in private and is shocked, Hola! added.
Jovana Rios Cisnero, executive director of Women's Link, told a press conference on Wednesday that the complainants would testify before public prosecutors at an unspecified date, saying it was "a very important step in the search for justice".
The organisation's legal director for Europe, Gema Fernandez, said the complaint was submitted in Spain and not the Caribbean countries where the crimes allegedly took place because Spanish legislation on gender-based violence and trafficking "may be an interesting option to provide access to justice for these women".

 Public shock

The allegations have sparked strong reactions in Spain, with members of the leftist government backing the complainants and demanding that an investigation establishes the truth.
The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, told Telecinco television on Wednesday he was "very, very, very surprised" but urged against "speculating".
Iglesias's former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco that he was "very affectionate" and enjoyed "physical contact" but stressed he never saw the music icon "behave aggressively".
Iglesias is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, with more than 300 million records sold in a career spanning decades.
Advocates say the wave of claims against high-profile entertainment and music figures in recent years, driven by the #MeToo movement that rose to prominence in 2017, has exposed systemic abuse.
imm/ceg

film

Actor McConaughey seeks to patent image to protect from AI

  • Attorney Kevin Yorn, who represents McConaughey, said the aim of filing with the patent office was "to make sure that our clients have the same kind of protections that their businesses have."
  • Actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence platforms, a representative said Wednesday.
  • Attorney Kevin Yorn, who represents McConaughey, said the aim of filing with the patent office was "to make sure that our clients have the same kind of protections that their businesses have."
Actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence platforms, a representative said Wednesday.
Several video clips and audio recordings were registered by the commercial arm of the just keep livin Foundation, a non-profit created by the Oscar-winning actor and his wife Camila, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office database.
Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools.
Several US states have adopted legislation that serves as consumer protection against certain AI systems and deepfakes, but much of this applies mainly to malicious use or commercial purposes.
Only a few, notably Tennessee's ELVIS Act passed in 2024, offer more targeted protections for artists against AI-generated cloning or impersonation.
A few actors have taken legal action to assert their rights. Among the most notable is Scarlett Johansson, who sued the image-generating app Lisa AI in 2023 for creating an AI-generated avatar in her likeness for an advertisement without her consent.
McConaughey's approach is novel in that he is taking the lead in protecting his image and voice.
The star of "Interstellar" and "Dallas Buyers Club" is no opponent of generative artificial intelligence. 
He has acquired a stake in ElevenLabs, a startup specializing in AI voice modeling, and the company has created an AI audio version of McConaughey -- with his permission.
Attorney Kevin Yorn, who represents McConaughey, said the aim of filing with the patent office was "to make sure that our clients have the same kind of protections that their businesses have."
"The second part is to make sure that our clients are able to capture some of the value that is being created with this new technology using their voice and likeness," he added.
tu-mlm/aha

film

Golden Globes viewership shrinks again

  • That figure is down from the 9.3 million who tuned in last year, according to numbers from the Nielsen Institute, and is around half the size of the audiences just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • The number of people tuning in to watch the Golden Globe Awards shrank this year, organizers announced Wednesday, as Hollywood's gala evenings continue to struggle with declining viewership.
  • That figure is down from the 9.3 million who tuned in last year, according to numbers from the Nielsen Institute, and is around half the size of the audiences just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of people tuning in to watch the Golden Globe Awards shrank this year, organizers announced Wednesday, as Hollywood's gala evenings continue to struggle with declining viewership.
Around 8.7 million people in the United States watched the star-studded ceremony in which Paul Thomas Anderson's conspiracy epic "One Battle After Another" dominated the prizes.
That figure is down from the 9.3 million who tuned in last year, according to numbers from the Nielsen Institute, and is around half the size of the audiences just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Globes, long billed as Hollywood's biggest party, and the raucous forerunner to the awards season finale Oscars, were beset by scandal and accusations of racism that led to the Globes not even being aired in 2022.
The gala was ultimately dropped by long-time broadcaster NBC, but relaunched with CBS in 2024 under new ownership, and has undergone significant reforms aimed at stamping out perceptions of corruption and racism.
Sunday night's bash saw Hollywood's best and brightest out in force for an evening fronted by comedian Nikki Glaser, whose acerbic opening monologue was watched nearly 14 million times on social media over the first 36 hours, organizers said.
Among her zingers was a jab at the US Department of Justice, which she said should be in line for the Best Editing Award for its handling of the heavily redacted files on President Donald Trump's one-time friend, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
As well as significant victories for "One Battle After Another," key winners on the evening included William Shakespeare family tragedy "Hamnet," which won best drama film and a best female actor prize for Jessie Buckley as a distraught mother.
Timothee Chalamet and Brazilian Wagner Moura added to their awards season momentum with prizes for "Marty Supreme" and "The Secret Agent," respectively.
The Golden Globes are seen as a leading indicator of success in the Oscars, which take place in Hollywood this year on March 15.
hg/sst

France

'Bridgerton' premieres in Paris promising 'Cinderella with a twist'

BY LUCAS CROSET

  • "I'd say it's a bit of Cinderella with a twist, and it's not quite Cinderella.
  • The promoters of Bridgerton, the most English of TV series, chose Paris Wednesday to launch the fourth series of the hit show whose key plotline promises to be "Cinderella with a twist", according to star Yerin Ha. Several hundred fans thronged outside the Palais Brongniart in central Paris, whose steps and columns had been decorated in the show's colours, with a walkway decorated like an English garden for the stars. 
  • "I'd say it's a bit of Cinderella with a twist, and it's not quite Cinderella.
The promoters of Bridgerton, the most English of TV series, chose Paris Wednesday to launch the fourth series of the hit show whose key plotline promises to be "Cinderella with a twist", according to star Yerin Ha.
Several hundred fans thronged outside the Palais Brongniart in central Paris, whose steps and columns had been decorated in the show's colours, with a walkway decorated like an English garden for the stars. 
The latest instalment revolves around the powerful Bridgerton family's second son, the rakish Benedict (Luke Thompson), who falls under the spell of the mysterious Sophie Baek, unaware that, like Cinderella, she is a servant. 
"I'd say it's a bit of Cinderella with a twist, and it's not quite Cinderella. It's a class struggle, forbidden love story," Australian-Korean actress Yerin Ha, who plays Baek, told AFP. 
Releasing on Netflix on January 29, the season tackles numerous themes through its intrigues, including relations between nobles and servants, rape, disability, and the sex lives of women after menopause. 
Baek's cruel mistress -- and stepmother -- is played by Katie Leung, known for her role as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter saga.
According to Netflix, Bridgerton has consistently ranked among the platform's most popular content since its launch in 2020, holding spots in the global Top 10 for several weeks at a time. 
It is adapted from the novels about 19th-century London high society by American writer Julia Quinn.
Fans can look forward to seasons five and six which have already been confirmed. 
lcr-pel-em/adp/phz

music

Singer Julio Iglesias accused of human trafficking by former staff

BY DANIEL SILVA

  • The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
  • Two women ex-employees of veteran singer Julio Iglesias will testify before prosecutors accusing the Spanish cultural icon of human trafficking and sexual crimes, advocacy groups supporting them said on Wednesday.
  • The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
Two women ex-employees of veteran singer Julio Iglesias will testify before prosecutors accusing the Spanish cultural icon of human trafficking and sexual crimes, advocacy groups supporting them said on Wednesday.
The women -- a domestic worker and a physiotherapist -- allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, according to Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International.
The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off", according to testimony collected by the two groups.
One of the women, a Dominican identified as Rebeca who was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she spoke out to seek justice and set an example for other employees of the singer.
"I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember he is not invincible," she said, according to a statement by Women's Link.
Judicial sources confirmed to AFP that a complaint was filed against Iglesias, without giving further details.
The allegations were first detailed in an investigation published Tuesday by US television network Univision and Spanish newspaper elDiario.es.
Iglesias, 82, has not publicly responded to the accusations.
Jovana Rios Cisnero, executive director of Women's Link, told a press conference on Wednesday that the complainants would testify before public prosecutors at an unspecified date, saying it was "a very important step in the search for justice".
The organisation's legal director for Europe, Gema Fernandez, said the complaint was submitted in Spain and not the Caribbean countries where the crimes allegedly took place because Spanish legislation on gender-based violence and trafficking "may be an interesting option to provide access to justice for these women".
The public prosecutor's office has six months to perform the preliminary investigation, potentially extendable by another six months, to decide whether to close the case or continue, Fernandez added.

'Stop speculating'

The allegations have sparked strong reactions in Spain, where the Grammy-winning singer has long been a respected figure.
Equality Minister Ana Redondo has called for "a full investigation", while Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz called the allegations "chilling testimonies".
The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, said he was "very, very, very surprised" by the accusations.
"We need to know exactly what happened, if anything. We must stop speculating," he added Wednesday during an interview with Spanish television station Telecinco.
Iglesias is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, with more than 300 million records sold.
Best known for his romantic ballads, he enjoyed huge success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.
Iglesias has publicly embraced a "Latin lover" image, especially in older interviews where he openly discussed his sexual appetite and romantic exploits.
His former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco on Wednesday that Iglesias was "very affectionate" and enjoyed "physical contact", but stressed he never saw the music icon "behave aggressively".
High-profile figures across entertainment and music including US actor Bill Cosby and French film icon Gerard Depardieu have faced allegations of sexual misconduct in recent years.
Some cases have led to convictions or settlements, while others remain under investigation.
Advocates say the wave of claims, driven by the #MeToo movement that rose to prominence in 2017 in response to allegations against US film producer Harvey Weinstein, has exposed systemic abuse.
rbj-rs-ds/imm/cc

court

UK prosecutors appeal Kneecap rapper terror charge dismissal

BY ALEXANDRA DEL PERAL

  • A decision by the High Court is not expected immediately.
  • UK prosecutors launched a High Court challenge Wednesday to appeal a judge's decision to throw out a charge of supporting terrorism against an Irish-language singer from the punk-rap group Kneecap.
  • A decision by the High Court is not expected immediately.
UK prosecutors launched a High Court challenge Wednesday to appeal a judge's decision to throw out a charge of supporting terrorism against an Irish-language singer from the punk-rap group Kneecap.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which operates in England and Wales, argued a chief magistrate had erred in September when he dismissed the case against Liam O'Hanna over a technical error.
O'Hanna was charged with displaying a flag of the proscribed Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a November 21, 2024 concert in London, breaching the UK's 2000 Terrorism Act.
The CPS "submits that the Learned judge was wrong to find that the proceedings... were not instituted in the correct form", it said in written submissions unveiled in court.
Paul Jarvis, for the prosecution, insisted in court that the proceedings against O'Hanna "are and remain valid in law".
The argument turns on the date the charge was brought, which was May 21 -- six months to the day after the concert. But the attorney general did not approve the charge until May 22, which O'Hanna's legal team argues fell outside a six-month time limit.

A 'witch-hunt'

O'Hanna, who performs under the name Mo Chara, did not attend London's Royal Courts of Justice for the hearing before two judges.
But bandmate JJ O Dochartaigh -- better known by his stage name DJ Provai -- was in court alongside the band's manager, Dan Lambert, and the band's lawyers.
Kneecap had urged its supporters to rally outside and about 100 showed up, holding Irish and Palestinian flags, singing songs and listening to speeches by speakers including Sinn Fein MP John Finucane.
The band has called the attempted prosecution a "British state witch-hunt". They celebrated last year after chief magistrate Paul Goldspring, sitting at London's Woolwich Crown Court, threw out a charge of supporting terrorism brought against O'Hanna.
Goldspring agreed with O'Hanna's lawyers that the legal proceedings had not been "instigated in the correct form" due to time limits on bringing criminal charges.
Kneecap has vowed to "win again", with its legal filings arguing Goldspring "was plainly correct" in his September decision.
A decision by the High Court is not expected immediately.

'We will not be silent'

O'Hanna, 28, named Liam Og O Hannaidh in Irish, was charged in May after a video emerged from the London concert in which he allegedly displayed the Hezbollah flag, an offence the singer has denied.
The band, whose members sing in Irish and regularly lead crowd chants in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, have had multiple international concerts cancelled over their pro-Palestinian stance and other controversies.
Canada barred Kneecap in September from entering the country, citing the group's alleged support for Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
But their performance in Paris in September went ahead despite objections from French Jewish groups and government officials.
The group also played southwest England's vaunted Glastonbury Festival in June and drew packed audiences in Tokyo last week.
Posting on X on January 1 about the appeal, Kneecap said: "It is the view of our legal team that there is not an iota of logic for this, it is without any sound legal basis.
"We will not be silent," the group vowed. 
O'Hanna has maintained that the band's stand "was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up". 
adm-jj/jkb/jj

influencer

Italian influencer Ferragni acquitted in Christmas cake fraud trial

BY TAIMAZ SZIRNIKS

  • In Italy, aggravated fraud is punishable by one to five years in prison, but Ferragni opted for a fast-track trial, which offers defendants a reduced sentence.
  • Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni was acquitted Wednesday of aggravated fraud over charity endorsement deals in a case that has led to greater regulation of the sector in Italy.
  • In Italy, aggravated fraud is punishable by one to five years in prison, but Ferragni opted for a fast-track trial, which offers defendants a reduced sentence.
Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni was acquitted Wednesday of aggravated fraud over charity endorsement deals in a case that has led to greater regulation of the sector in Italy.
The 38-year-old social media star and businesswoman had been on trial for promotions of a pandoro cake -- a Christmas treat similar to a panettone -- and Easter eggs that purported to raise money for charity or social causes.
"Chiara has been acquitted", lawyer Giuseppe Iannaccone said, as Ferragni told a scrum of journalists she was "happy" with the verdict.
"It's the end of a nightmare that lasted two years," Ferragni said, thanking "everyone who supported [her] during this period", especially her followers.
Ferragni's legal troubles related in part to her 2022 endorsement of a pandoro cake made by Italian confectionery company Balocco that purported to raise funds for children undergoing treatment at a Turin hospital. 
Shoppers were led to believe that buying the special edition cake -- with a price of 9 euros instead of about 3 euros usually charged -- would directly benefit the hospital, but it only received a single 50,000 euro ($58,000) donation from the confectionery company. 
Ferragni's companies, meanwhile, made about one million euros from the promotion. 
Italy's competition watchdog (AGCM) hit two of Ferragni's companies with a one-million-euro fine ($1.2 million) in December 2023 for unfair commercial practices for the "Pandoro Pink Christmas" promotion.
Balocco was fined 420,000 euros -- and those fines stand.
Easter eggs sold in 2021 and 2022 were also targeted in the scandal, which made headlines in Italy.

'Pandoro gate'

Milan prosecutors asked in November for a sentence of one year and eight months in prison for Ferragni and associate Fabio Damato.
Ferragni denied the charges, adding in a hearing that she had always acted "in good faith," according to lawyer Iannaccone.
In Italy, aggravated fraud is punishable by one to five years in prison, but Ferragni opted for a fast-track trial, which offers defendants a reduced sentence.
Ferragni started out with a fashion blog, The Blonde Salad, in 2009, and in 2017 Forbes magazine named her its top fashion influencer.
Chronicling her glamorous lifestyle and being paid to promote high-end brands, she built the blog into a lucrative business, using it as a springboard to launch her own eponymous label.
In Italy and beyond, her fans also followed her personal life with Italian rap star Fedez and their two children. The couple split in 2024.
But the fraud accusations hit her reputation, with a spate of endorsements cancelled or not renewed. 
The Italian government also tightened the screws on influencers, mandating that those with more than 500,000 followers register with the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) and comply with transparency rules.
tsz/ide/dt/jj

justice

Death of author's baby son puts Nigerian healthcare in spotlight

BY SUSAN NJANJI

  • Calling for systematic reforms and patients safety in Nigeria, she said: "This is a wake-up call... for we the public... to demand accountability, and transparency and consequences of negligence in our healthcare system."
  • The recent death of the 21-month-old son of Nigerian best-selling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has brought healthcare standards in Africa's most populous country under fresh scrutiny, prompting calls for reforms.
  • Calling for systematic reforms and patients safety in Nigeria, she said: "This is a wake-up call... for we the public... to demand accountability, and transparency and consequences of negligence in our healthcare system."
The recent death of the 21-month-old son of Nigerian best-selling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has brought healthcare standards in Africa's most populous country under fresh scrutiny, prompting calls for reforms.
Nkanu Nnamdi, died on January 7, following "a brief illness" at Lagos's Euracare Multispecialist Hospital. He had been taken there for diagnostic tests including MRI before he was due to travel to the United States for specialised care, the family said.
Nkanu was one of twins, and according to a close family member Adichie and her medical doctor husband Ivara Esege had been trying for eight years to have children.
The family of the Nigerian author and feminist icon Adichie has accused the hospital of "gross medical negligence".
Adichie's sister-in-law, Dr Anthea Esege Nwandu, a physician and professor with decades of experience, said she had been told the boy had been administered an overdose of propofol, to sedate him to conduct MRI tests.
She argued the anaesthesiologist had been "criminally negligent" and had not followed proper medical protocol.
The boy suffered cardiac arrest when he was being transferred on the anaesthesiologist's shoulder, disconnected from the ventilator, she told local TVC television channel.
The hospital's medical director had told her that "it seems he had been overdosed with propofol", she added.
Calling for systematic reforms and patients safety in Nigeria, she said: "This is a wake-up call... for we the public... to demand accountability, and transparency and consequences of negligence in our healthcare system."

Legal notice issued

Adichie lives in the United States but was in Nigeria for the Christmas holidays. She has served legal notice to the hospital seeking answers.
Family spokesperson Omawumi Ogbe said in a text message to AFP "legal notice has been issued" to Euracare hospital, without elaborating.
The Lagos state government has also ordered an investigation into what happened.
Euracare did not immediately respond to AFP request for comment on Wednesday.
The standard of Nigeria's healthcare is generally considered below expectations. Those who can afford to -- including top political leaders -- seek care abroad.
Africa's fourth-largest economy, Nigeria is a major oil producer, has a thriving business culture, and global pop stars. But it lacks basic infrastructure, including water, electricity, and quality healthcare. 
Last month, the country's services came under the spotlight following a fatal accident involving former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua -- a British national of Nigerian heritage.
Joshua walked out of the car in pain, helped by bystanders with no ambulance in sight. 
Just this week, the northern Kano state said it had ordered an investigation into the death of a woman four months after doctors left a pair of scissors in her stomach following surgery.
Despite repeated complaints of abdominal pains during several hospital visits, the doctors administered pain killers. Scans finally revealed the scissor just two days before she died.
Cases of reported negligence and inadequate care abound in Nigeria.
The poor state of Nigerian health care is exacerbated by the exodus of skilled doctors and nurses who leave in search of better living standards and salaries.
Between 15,000 and 16,000 doctors emigrated from Nigeria between 2020 and 2024, according to Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate. 
Nigeria has just 55,000 doctors for a population of 220 million, he said in 2024. 
bur-sn/jj

music

Julio Iglesias, the Spanish crooner who won global audience

  • Julio Iglesias de la Cueva was born into an affluent family -- his father was a gynaecologist -- in the Spanish capital on September 23, 1943.
  • Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, who is accused of sexual crimes by two former employees, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time in a career spanning decades.
  • Julio Iglesias de la Cueva was born into an affluent family -- his father was a gynaecologist -- in the Spanish capital on September 23, 1943.
Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, who is accused of sexual crimes by two former employees, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time in a career spanning decades.
His romantic ballads, perpetual tan and flashing smile propelled this Madrid native from a reluctant contender in a seaside song contest to an international heartthrob.
"I created a style and here I am 35 years later," said Iglesias, who has sold over 300 million albums, in 2003.
Julio Iglesias de la Cueva was born into an affluent family -- his father was a gynaecologist -- in the Spanish capital on September 23, 1943.
He played as a goalkeeper with Real Madrid's youth team, but at the age of 20 a car accident and a period of prolonged illness put an end to his football dreams.
He started writing songs and playing the guitar to pass the time while undergoing rehabilitation.
While studying law, Iglesias sent a demo of some of his songs to a record label, hoping they might be performed by others.
Instead, the company encouraged him to take part in a songwriter's contest in the popular Mediterranean resort of Benidorm in July 1968.
He won, with his ballad "La vida sigue igual" or "Life remains the same", signed with Discos Columbia -- the Latin music label of Columbia Records -- and began performing around the world.

'Like to be loved'

Iglesias, who has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has performed with major names like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra.
A lover of fine wines and good food, he has long cultivated a "Latin lover" image, readily discussing his romantic exploits during interviews.
"I like to be loved, that's why I do this job," Iglesias said in 2004, adding that he valued "the love and tenderness of a woman above all else".
The suave singer cracked the tough US market in 1984 with "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", a duet with Willy Nelson.
But he has done far more than just sing in English. One of the biggest crossover artists in the world of pop, he has also recorded albums in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Tagalog, among others.
He has been honoured with a host of awards including the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts from Spain and an honorary lifetime achievement Grammy.
"The importance of my life is what I was able to leave other people in terms of emotions," he said during a 2008 interview with AFP timed to coincide with his 65th birthday. 

Paternity case

He was one of the celebrities who in 2021 was named in the leaked Pandora Papers, which exposed the offshore dealings and assets of some of the world's richest people.
And now Iglesias finds himself in the legal spotlight again after two women accused him of sexual abuse while working at his properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.
The women -- a domestic worker and a physiotherapist -- allege Iglesias engaged in sexual harassment, monitored their phones and limited their freedom to leave the residence where they worked,
Iglesias, 82 has not publicly responded to the accusations.
The twice-married singer has three children from his marriage to Isabel Preysler of the Philippines and five with his wife Miranda Rijnsburger of the Netherlands.
A Spanish court in 2019 ruled that Iglesias was also the biological father of a 43-year-old man born to a former Portuguese dancer who said she had an affair with the singer.
One of Iglesias's sons -- Enrique Iglesias, his youngest with Isabel Preysler -- has made a big impact on the global music charts with his own Latino brand of pop.
rbj-ber-mig/ds/jj

influencer

Italian influencer Ferragni awaits verdict in Christmas cake fraud trial

BY TAIMAZ SZIRNIKS

  • But the fraud accusations hit her reputation and endorsement career hard, with a spate of endorsements cancelled or not renewed. 
  • Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni on Wednesday was awaiting a verdict in a trial in which the Instagram star is accused of fraud over charity endorsement deals. 
  • But the fraud accusations hit her reputation and endorsement career hard, with a spate of endorsements cancelled or not renewed. 
Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni on Wednesday was awaiting a verdict in a trial in which the Instagram star is accused of fraud over charity endorsement deals. 
The 38-year-old social media star and businesswoman has been on trial since September for aggravated fraud over promotions of a pandoro cake -- a Christmas treat similar to a panettone -- and Easter eggs, both purporting to raise money for charity or social causes.
"I am calm," Ferragni told a scrum of journalists before entering the closed-door courtroom Wednesday in Milan. A verdict is expected in the afternoon. 
Ferragni's legal troubles relate in part to her 2022 endorsement of a pandoro cake made by Italian confectionery company Balocco that purported to raise funds for children undergoing treatment at a Turin hospital. 
Shoppers were led to believe that buying the special edition cake -- with a price of 9 euros instead of about 3 euros usually charged -- would directly benefit the hospital, but it only received a single 50,000 euro ($58,000) donation from the confectionery company. 
Ferragni's companies, meanwhile, made about one million euros from the promotion. 
Italy's competition watchdog (AGCM) hit two of Ferragni's companies with a one million euro fine ($1.2 million) in December 2023 for unfair commercial practices for the "Pandoro Pink Christmas" promotion.
Balocco was fined 420,000 euros. 
Easter eggs sold in 2021 and 2022 were also targeted in the scandal, which made headlines in Italy.

'Pandoro gate'

Milan prosecutors asked in November for a sentence of one year and eight months in prison for Ferragni and associate Fabio Damato.
Ferragni denied the charges, adding in a hearing that she had always acted "in good faith," according to one of her lawyers, Giuseppe Iannaccone.
In Italy, aggravated fraud is punishable by one to five years in prison, but Ferragni opted for a fast-track trial, which offers defendants a reduced sentence.
It is unlikely that Ferragni will go to prison if found guilty, as jail time for sentences of less than two years is rare.

Hit hard

Ferragni started out with a fashion blog, The Blonde Salad, in 2009, and in 2017 Forbes magazine named her its top fashion influencer.
Chronicling her glamorous lifestyle and being paid to promote high-end brands, she built the blog into a lucrative business, using it as a springboard to launch her own eponymous label.
In Italy and beyond, her followers also followed her personal life with Italian rap star Fedez and their two children. The couple split in 2024.
But the fraud accusations hit her reputation and endorsement career hard, with a spate of endorsements cancelled or not renewed. 
The Italian government also tightened the screws on influencers, mandating that those with more than 500,000 followers register with the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) and comply with transparency rules.
tsz/ams/yad 

economy

Louvre and other French museums fare hikes for non-European visitors

BY JéRéMY TORDJMAN AND ADAM PLOWRIGHT

  • The move is one of the boldest adoptions in Europe of so-called "dual pricing" at museums -- charging visitors different prices depending on their origins.
  • France began charging non-EU visitors to the Louvre Museum 45 percent more than Europeans on Wednesday, in a controversial bid to raise money for renovations at the beleaguered Paris landmark. 
  • The move is one of the boldest adoptions in Europe of so-called "dual pricing" at museums -- charging visitors different prices depending on their origins.
France began charging non-EU visitors to the Louvre Museum 45 percent more than Europeans on Wednesday, in a controversial bid to raise money for renovations at the beleaguered Paris landmark. 
The move is one of the boldest adoptions in Europe of so-called "dual pricing" at museums -- charging visitors different prices depending on their origins.
The practice is common in many developing countries, but until now was largely absent in Europe and has been criticised for being discriminatory and reducing access for some low-income foreign visitors to the home of the Mona Lisa.
Tourists who spoke to AFP on Wednesday had mixed reactions.
Kevin Flynn, an Australian in his 60s in Paris for a week with his wife, said the new 32-euro (37-dollar) tariff for non-Europeans was "acceptable".
"It’s the same price for many things in Italy, many things in Malta ... of such magnitude," he said.
But others, such as Joohwan Tak from South Korea, thought it was "unfair."
"We’re all human beings. It’s a big difference," he added.
"If I go to India, people from India pay less than people from abroad - it's fair because they have less money," added Marcia Branco from Brazil. "But because I'm in Paris and it's supposed to be a rich country I think it's not fair."
Other state-owned French cultural tourist hotspots are also hiking their fees for non-EU visitors, including the Versailles Palace, Chambord Palace in the Loire region and the national opera house in Paris.
The government has justified the increases on financial grounds, saying the change at the Louvre would raise 20-30 million euros annually for the museum which needs repairs and suffered a major robbery last October.
Trade unions at the Louvre have denounced the policy as "shocking philosophically, socially and on a human level" and have cited the change among complaints that have sparked recent strike action.
They argue that the museum's vast collection of around 500,000 items, including many from Egypt, the Middle East or Africa, hold universal human value. 
While rejecting discriminatory pricing on principle, they are also worried for practical reasons, as staff will now need to check visitors' identity papers.
French academic Patrick Poncet has drawn a parallel between France's move and the "America First" policies of US President Donald Trump, whose administration hiked the cost for foreign tourists of visiting US National Parks by $100 on January 1.
The French policy was "symptomatic of the return, as elsewhere in the world, of unabashed nationalism", Poncet wrote in Le Monde newspaper last month.
It remains to be seen whether the break with European convention by the continent's most-visited country will spur other cultural destinations to follow suit.
Price discounts based on age are commonplace in Europe, with access for under-18s free at places such as the Acropolis in Athens, the Prado in Madrid or the Colosseum in Rome to encourage them to visit.
The Louvre remains free for minors from all countries and Europeans under 26. 
adp/yad

court

Every cent you take: Sting, ex-Police band mates in royalty battle

  • Sting is contesting the pair's claim that they are entitled to "in excess of two million US dollars" in so-called performance royalties of songs recorded as The Police, according to the court documents seen by AFP. The plaintiffs are relying on a nearly 50-year-old verbal agreement stipulating that each member of the group should receive 15 percent of the royalties generated by the other members' compositions.
  • London's High Court on Wednesday began hearing a lawsuit brought against the singer Sting by his former Police bandmates claiming some $2 million in unpaid streaming royalties.
  • Sting is contesting the pair's claim that they are entitled to "in excess of two million US dollars" in so-called performance royalties of songs recorded as The Police, according to the court documents seen by AFP. The plaintiffs are relying on a nearly 50-year-old verbal agreement stipulating that each member of the group should receive 15 percent of the royalties generated by the other members' compositions.
London's High Court on Wednesday began hearing a lawsuit brought against the singer Sting by his former Police bandmates claiming some $2 million in unpaid streaming royalties.
Guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland are taking legal action against Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, arguing they are entitled to the added royalties.
None of the band members was in court at the start of a two-day preliminary hearing.
Sting is contesting the pair's claim that they are entitled to "in excess of two million US dollars" in so-called performance royalties of songs recorded as The Police, according to the court documents seen by AFP.
The plaintiffs are relying on a nearly 50-year-old verbal agreement stipulating that each member of the group should receive 15 percent of the royalties generated by the other members' compositions.
Sting, the trio's bassist and singer, composed all their hits, from "Roxanne" to "Message in a Bottle".
Consequently he receives by far the largest share of the group's royalties.
The Police recorded five albums which were released between 1978 and 1983.
The original agreement acknowledged the, at times, crucial contributions of the other two members, such as Summers' guitar arpeggios on "Every Breath You Take".
The verbal agreement reached in 1977 was later formalised through a written agreement in 1981.
A further agreement reiterated, albeit vaguely, the terms in 1997, before the existence of streaming.
The terms were reaffirmed in 2016 in an agreement intended to settle all financial disputes between the members of the group whose relationship by then had long become strained.
The term "streaming", however, was not explicitly mentioned.
The dispute concerns the classification of revenue generated from services such as Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music for the purpose of royalty distribution. 
Streaming revenue is traditionally divided between so-called "mechanical" royalties, collected for each reproduction of a composition, such as records, and so-called "performance" royalties, paid for the broadcast of songs, for example, on the radio.
But only mechanical royalties are included in the 2016 agreement, something Summers and Copeland consider contrary to the spirit of the original 1977 agreement.
They are demanding their share of all streaming revenue. Representatives for Sting, who sold his catalogue to Universal in 2022 for a reported $250 million, have called the legal action an "illegitimate" attempt to reinterpret the agreement.
They argue that some of the sums paid could actually constitute overpayment.
zap/har/jkb/cw

opera

Ted Huffman, the New Yorker aiming to update top French opera festival

BY KARINE PERRET

  • His promotion to run the Aix-en-Provence Festival, one of the most prestigious summer meetings for opera lovers internationally, occurred in October last year when he was unveiled as the successor to Franco-Lebanese director Pierre Audi.
  • Ted Huffman, the New Yorker handed the reins of France's prestigious Aix-en-Provence Festival, wants to attract a younger audience as well as people like him, who come from outside the sometimes intimidating music scene.
  • His promotion to run the Aix-en-Provence Festival, one of the most prestigious summer meetings for opera lovers internationally, occurred in October last year when he was unveiled as the successor to Franco-Lebanese director Pierre Audi.
Ted Huffman, the New Yorker handed the reins of France's prestigious Aix-en-Provence Festival, wants to attract a younger audience as well as people like him, who come from outside the sometimes intimidating music scene.
The 48-year-old credits his interest in classical music to his babysitter who encouraged him to sing as a child, leading to turns in church choirs.
Brought up by parents who preferred country and folk music, he only discovered opera at age 12 once his distinctive voice had landed him regular gigs on Broadway, then the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera.
In his first appearance as a young shepherd in a concert performance of Puccini’s "Tosca", he remembers "a man singing incredibly well right in front of me," he told AFP in an interview.
It turned out to be Italian maestro Luciano Pavarotti.
But his passion for performing gradually gave way to an appetite for directing and writing.
After a degree in the humanities from Yale University, he moved on to San Francisco's Merola Opera Program before setting off to make a name for himself in Europe with stints at the Berlin Staatsoper and the Royal Opera in London among others.
His promotion to run the Aix-en-Provence Festival, one of the most prestigious summer meetings for opera lovers internationally, occurred in October last year when he was unveiled as the successor to Franco-Lebanese director Pierre Audi.
Audi died suddenly in May aged 67, with the decision to appoint Huffman seen as a moment of generational and creative renewal.
- 'Opportunity' - 
The annual gathering in the sunny south of France is familiar territory for Huffman who has presented five productions there since 2012. 
He names its "incredible atmosphere", as well as "the freedom given to artists" and its "audiences that want surprises" as reasons for his long association with the festival and interest in the position. 
He plans to "highlight contemporary creation while balancing it with the great artists of the repertoire," he told AFP as rehearsals wrapped up for his latest production, Jules Massenet’s "Werther" at the Opera-Comique in Paris.
"We need to redefine opera as a living art form, that means that we have to invest in new work, because you can't have an art form where the definition of the work is about the past," he explained. 
"In order to attract a new public you have to talk about today, to have works that speak about today."
He wants around half of the programme to be given over to telling "new stories".
"We need to give young artists the opportunity to explore" the genre, he added. 
Also a librettist, Huffman has collaborated with British composer Philip Venables, creating the operas "Denis & Katya" (2019) about voyeurism and the internet and "We Are The Lucky Ones" (2025), about the baby-boomer generation. 
Onstage, he likes to leave room for improvisation and prefers understated productions. 
"I am not a minimalist, but I am looking for a kind of maximum engagement with text and meaning," he explained.
While the lost-making festival was ordered in 2024 to implement a financial recovery plan, Huffman insists that its budgets "has to stabilise and we have to work in a fairly tight way." 
"But that’s not going to stop us from creating wonderful things," he promised.
kp/adp/yad

music

Singer Julio Iglesias accused of 'human trafficking' by former staff

  • The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
  • A criminal complaint filed by two former employees of veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias accuses him of "human trafficking" and "forced labour", according to advocacy groups supporting the women.
  • The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
A criminal complaint filed by two former employees of veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias accuses him of "human trafficking" and "forced labour", according to advocacy groups supporting the women.
The women allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said late Tuesday.
The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".
Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off," according to testimony collected by the two groups. 
One of the women, a Dominican identified as Rebeca, who was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she spoke out to seek justice and set an example for other employees of the singer.
"I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember he is not invincible," she said, according to a statement by Women's Link.
The allegations were first detailed in an investigation published Tuesday by US television network Univision and Spanish newspaper elDiario.es.
Spain's Equality Minister, Ana Redondo, has called for "a full investigation" into the allegations.
Iglesias, 82, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time. Best known for his romantic ballads, he enjoyed huge success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.
Iglesias has not publicly responded to the allegations.
rbj-rs/ds/fg

diplomacy

Japan, South Korea leaders drum up viral moment with K-pop jam

  • "Following the summit I played drums with President Lee Jae Myung," Takaichi, who used to drum in a student heavy metal band, said in her X post.
  • Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi played two K-pop songs during a post-summit drumming session with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who joked he felt "a little awkward" in front of the former heavy metal band member.  
  • "Following the summit I played drums with President Lee Jae Myung," Takaichi, who used to drum in a student heavy metal band, said in her X post.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi played two K-pop songs during a post-summit drumming session with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who joked he felt "a little awkward" in front of the former heavy metal band member.  
The two leaders, dressed in matching blue sports tops personalised with their names, posted images of themselves on X jamming after they met in Takaichi's home region of Nara Tuesday.
During talks they agreed to strengthen cooperation on economic security and regional and global issues, according to South Korea's presidential office, while Takaichi stressed the Asian neighbours "should cooperate to ensure regional stability".
"Following the summit I played drums with President Lee Jae Myung," Takaichi, who used to drum in a student heavy metal band, said in her X post.
"When we met at APEC last year, he said it was his dream to play the drums, so we prepared a surprise," she said, adding the leaders played two K-pop songs -- "Dynamite" by megastar boy band BTS and "Golden" from the US Golden Globe-winning animated film "KPop Demon Hunters".
A clip of the pair showed Takaichi drumming energetically, with a huge smile on her face.
Lee admitted on X that "it was a little awkward at first, but the more I tapped, the more the sound came together".
"We shared the same intention to keep the rhythm even when the beats were slightly different," he said.
"We will work together with one heart to build a future-oriented relationship between South Korea and Japan."  
The leaders visited one of Japan's oldest temples in Nara on Wednesday morning. Lee is due to leave later Wednesday.
Looming in the background of the meeting was Japan's heated diplomatic spat with China, triggered by Takaichi's suggestion in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.
Lee said that cooperation between the two US allies "is more important than ever".
"In this increasingly complex situation and within this rapidly changing international order, we must continue to make progress toward a better future," he said.
On the bilateral front, bitter memories of Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 have cast a long shadow over Tokyo-Seoul ties.
Lee's conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law in December 2024 and was removed from office, had sought to improve relations with Japan.
Lee, relatively more dovish towards North Korea than was Yoon, has said that South Korea and Japan are like "neighbours sharing a front yard".
kh/aph/tc

environment

As world burns, India's Amitav Ghosh writes for the future

  • But he is wary of overstating literature's capacity to change history.
  • Indian writer Amitav Ghosh has long chronicled the entangled histories of empire, trade and migration.
  • But he is wary of overstating literature's capacity to change history.
Indian writer Amitav Ghosh has long chronicled the entangled histories of empire, trade and migration.
But his recent work focuses on what he considers the most urgent concern: the accelerating unravelling of the natural world and the moral legacy left for the future.
Author of "The Great Derangement", "The Glass Palace" and the forthcoming "Ghost-Eye", Ghosh speaks bluntly about our headlong rush towards disaster while treating the Earth as an inert resource rather than a living world.
"Sadly, instead of shifting course, what we're actually doing is accelerating towards the abyss," he told AFP from a bookshop in New Delhi. "It's like people have lost their minds."
"We're hurtling down that path of extractivism," he said. "Greenwashing rhetoric has been completely adopted by politicians. And they've become very skilled at it."
His latest novel, a mystery about reincarnation, also touches on ecological crisis, with the "ghost-eye" of its title symbolising the ability to perceive both visible and invisible alternatives.

'Little joys'

Despite his subject matter, Ghosh manages to resist writing from a place of unrelenting grief.
"You can't just write in the tone of tragic despair," he said, calling himself "by nature, sort of a buoyant person".
"One has to try and find the little joys that the world offers," the 69-year-old said. 
For Ghosh, one of those joys arrives each week, when his nine-month-old grandson comes to visit.
The baby is central to Ghosh's motivation to pen another manuscript, one that will remain sealed for nearly a century as part of the Future Library project.
"I think what I'm going to end up doing is writing a letter to my grandson", he said. 
"In an earlier generation, young people would ask their parents, 'What were you doing during the war?'" he said. 
"I think my grandson's generation will be asking, 'What were you doing when the world was going up in flames?' He'll know that I was thinking about these things."
Ghosh will submit his manuscript this year as part of Norway's literary time capsule, joining works by Margaret Atwood, Han Kang, Elif Shafak and others to be sealed until 2114.

Mysterious world

"It's an astonishingly difficult challenge," he said, knowing his book will be read when the world "will be nothing like" today.
"I can't really believe that all the structures we depend on will survive into the 22nd century," he said.
"We can see how quickly everything is unravelling around us," he added.
That change is fuelling the world's "increasingly dysfunctional politics", he said.
The younger generations "see their horizons crashing around them," he said. "And that's what creates this extreme anxiety which leads, on the one hand, to these right-wing movements, where they're filled with nostalgia for the past, and on the other hand, equally, it also fuels a certain left-wing despair."
Born in Kolkata in 1956, Ghosh rose to prominence with novels such as "The Shadow Lines" and "The Calcutta Chromosome", and later the acclaimed Ibis Trilogy. 
He holds India's highest literary honour, the Jnanpith Award, won numerous international prizes, including France's Prix Medicis Etranger, and is regularly tipped as a possible Nobel winner.
But he is wary of overstating literature's capacity to change history.
"As a writer, it would be really vainglorious to imagine that we can change things in the world," he said, while accepting that young activists tell him they are "energised" by his books.
Ghosh keeps writing, not out of faith that words can halt catastrophe, but because they can inspire different kinds of thought.
His involvement with the Future Library embodies that impulse: a grandfather's attempt to speak honestly from a burning world.
"We have to restore alternative ways of thinking about the world around us, of recognising that it's a world that's filled with mystery," he said. "The world is much, much stranger than we imagine."
pjm/lb