literature

British 'Aga saga' author Joanna Trollope dies aged 82

  • She disliked the "Aga saga" label inspired by the upmarket Aga cookers often found in the country houses where her stories unfolded, but her fans did not care.
  • Bestselling author Joanna Trollope -- renowned for her so-called "Aga sagas" set in rural England -- has died at the age of 82, her family said on Friday.
  • She disliked the "Aga saga" label inspired by the upmarket Aga cookers often found in the country houses where her stories unfolded, but her fans did not care.
Bestselling author Joanna Trollope -- renowned for her so-called "Aga sagas" set in rural England -- has died at the age of 82, her family said on Friday.
Trollope, a fifth-generation niece of 19th-century English novelist Anthony Trollope, wrote over 40 books, some under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey.
She disliked the "Aga saga" label inspired by the upmarket Aga cookers often found in the country houses where her stories unfolded, but her fans did not care.
Her work, including the novels "Other People's Children", "Daughters-in-Law" and "A Village Affair", centred on middle-class family life and relationships, tackling issues such as adoption, marital breakdown and blended families.
The TV adaptation of her 1991 novel "The Rector's Wife" starred Scottish actor Lindsay Duncan.
Her most recent work "Mum & Dad", published in 2020, chronicled three siblings and their families who gather after their father suffers a stroke.
Trollope died peacefully at her home in central Oxfordshire, her daughters Antonia and Louise said.
"It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Joanna Trollope, one of our most cherished, acclaimed and widely enjoyed novelists," her literary agent James Gill said.
Jeremy Trevathan, Trollope's publisher at Pan Macmillan, paid tribute to a "witty, wise and empathetic" author who was also "just lots of fun to be with".
"She leaves us all a wonderful legacy of compelling, insightful social commentary, portraying family dynamics with warmth, intelligence, and a keen eye for human foibles," he was quoted as saying by The Bookseller magazine.
Trollope was honoured in 2019 by the late Queen Elizabeth II, who made her a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to literature.  
har/mp/cc

US

Taylor Swift breaks down in Eras documentary over Southport attack

  • "There was a horrible attack ... at a Taylor Swift themed dance party," Swift says in the documentary titled "The End of an Era", wiping away tears ahead of her sold-out concert at London's Wembley Stadium in August.
  • US pop star Taylor Swift breaks down in tears in her documentary released Friday as she recalls the murder of three girls in a stabbing spree in northern England at a dance class themed around her music.
  • "There was a horrible attack ... at a Taylor Swift themed dance party," Swift says in the documentary titled "The End of an Era", wiping away tears ahead of her sold-out concert at London's Wembley Stadium in August.
US pop star Taylor Swift breaks down in tears in her documentary released Friday as she recalls the murder of three girls in a stabbing spree in northern England at a dance class themed around her music.
Backstage footage from the Eras Tour showed the musician crying before meeting the families of victims of the Southport attack, which sparked Britain's worst anti-migrant riots in decades.
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed by teenager Axel Rudakubana during the July 2024 rampage in which 10 others were wounded, prompting an outpouring of grief in the UK and from Swift's fans around the world.
"There was a horrible attack ... at a Taylor Swift themed dance party," Swift says in the documentary titled "The End of an Era", wiping away tears ahead of her sold-out concert at London's Wembley Stadium in August.
"It's going to be fine, because when I meet them, I'm not going to do this. I swear to God, I'm not going to do this," she said, before meeting survivors and families of the victims.
After the meeting, Swift is shown crying to her mother backstage, who comforts her.
"From a mental standpoint, I just do live in a reality that's very unreal a lot of the time," Swift says in the Disney+ documentary.
"But it's my job to kind of be able to handle all these feelings and then perk up immediately to perform. That's just the way it's got to be."
The London concert was also Swift's return to the stage after her three Vienna shows were cancelled due to a failed Islamic State-inspired bomb plot.
"Being afraid that something is going to happen to your fans is new," the BBC quoted Swift saying at the documentary's New York premiere.
Rudakubana was jailed for life in January for his knife rampage. 
aks/jkb/sbk

culture

In Pakistan, 'Eternal Love' has no place on YouTube

BY SHROUQ TARIQ

  • But someone soon filed a petition to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), it said, seeking a ban and claiming the show goes against "Pakistan's religious and social values by showing unmarried men and women living together".
  • YouTube has hit pause on a dating show that whisked eight men and women from deeply conservative Pakistan to a sun-soaked Istanbul villa, where the strangers mingled, flirted and searched for chemistry.
  • But someone soon filed a petition to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), it said, seeking a ban and claiming the show goes against "Pakistan's religious and social values by showing unmarried men and women living together".
YouTube has hit pause on a dating show that whisked eight men and women from deeply conservative Pakistan to a sun-soaked Istanbul villa, where the strangers mingled, flirted and searched for chemistry.
What was meant to be a glittering escape into modern-day romance sparked a storm back home, turning the rose-petal drama into a cultural, traditional and religious flashpoint.
Dating and sex outside of marriage are prohibited by law in the Muslim-majority country, where public displays of affection can draw penalties.
The show "Lazawal Ishq", or "Eternal Love", aired 50 episodes before it was recently taken off YouTube in Pakistan, though it is still available elsewhere.
The format, reminiscent of the British reality hit "Love Island", pushed boundaries that Pakistani entertainment typically avoids.
"Our programme might not be watchable in Pakistan due to political reasons," the show posted on its Instagram page.
It advised Pakistani viewers to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to continue watching.
YouTube did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment on why the show was suspended.
The show's trailer starts with the host, actress Ayesha Omer, entering the villa in a white dress, where she meets contestants who are to choose a partner of their liking and test their compatibility through 100 episodes.
Omer swiftly came under fire online for wearing a "Western dress" and hosting a show that "promotes obscene and immoral content", an increasingly common reaction to celebrities who deviate from Pakistan's conservative expectations.
Omer countered on Instagram that "this is not a Pakistani show... it is a Turkish production, but of course people in Pakistan can watch it."
- 'A lot of complaints' - 
The Urdu-language show proved popular, with the inaugural trailer getting over two million views.
The online buzz underscored a growing divide between Pakistan's younger, digitally connected audience and traditional gatekeepers anxious about changing values.
"It was something fun to watch. A show that showed that people in Pakistan can and do date even though it is frowned upon," said one viewer who requested anonymity to speak freely.
But someone soon filed a petition to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), it said, seeking a ban and claiming the show goes against "Pakistan's religious and social values by showing unmarried men and women living together".
The regulator acknowledged receiving "a lot of complaints" about "Eternal Love" but said it did not have jurisdiction over digital platforms.
PEMRA advised petitioning the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, which oversees online content. It did not respond to requests for comment.
It is not the first time YouTube has taken down a programme deemed offensive by conservative Pakistanis.
Last year, the show "Barzakh", a family drama that touched on topics including love and spirituality, was removed on claims it promoted LGBTQ relationships.
stm/js/ami

film

Oscar-nominated #MeToo film finally screened in Japan

BY TOMOHIRO OSAKI

  • "Sexual violence is a particular kind of crime with high risks of re-victimisation, and so-called rape myths remain strong," she told AFP. "I hope the film will hammer home the severity of sexual violence to many, and trigger a change in society."
  • A Japanese #MeToo campaigner's documentary premiered in her homeland on Friday after months of delays, with one audience member telling AFP she hoped it triggered a change in society.
  • "Sexual violence is a particular kind of crime with high risks of re-victimisation, and so-called rape myths remain strong," she told AFP. "I hope the film will hammer home the severity of sexual violence to many, and trigger a change in society."
A Japanese #MeToo campaigner's documentary premiered in her homeland on Friday after months of delays, with one audience member telling AFP she hoped it triggered a change in society.
Shiori Ito won a landmark 2019 civil case against a Japanese TV reporter accused of raping her -- a charge he denies -- and turned her ordeal into a film released last year and screened worldwide.
But some segments of "Black Box Diaries" contained video and audio that had been clandestinely shot or meant only for use in court, resulting in its Japan release being significantly delayed.
Publicist Toei Advertising announced last month the Oscar-nominated film would finally be shown in Japan after "revisions and adjustments" had been made.
"I've spent the last 10 years making this film thinking it was going to be a love letter to Japan", Ito told a screening event at a Tokyo cinema on Friday.
"It means a lot to me that this film was released in Japan, where I grew up and where I want people to face this issue," she said.
Ito, who received vicious online criticism for going public, had previously said that despite several high-profile cases, Japan has never seen an outpouring of #MeToo allegations.
Government surveys in Japan show few rape victims report the crime to the police, although the number of consultations at sexual violence support centres is rising.
"Black Box Diaries" tugged at the heartstrings of many who watched it Friday at cinema T-Joy Prince Shinagawa in Tokyo.
"I couldn't watch it without crying. It's a wonder that she's alive today, and I have nothing but full respect," Yuko Ono, a publishing house employee in her 60s, told AFP.

'Suffered in silence'

The film alleged that police attempts to arrest ex-journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi, who Ito accuses of raping her in 2015, were aborted at the last minute at the order of "higher-ups".
Yamaguchi is known for having had close links with then-prime minister Shinzo Abe.
"She persistently forced open the monolithic police organisation -- that can greatly empower all these people who have suffered in silence," Ono said.
Niko Nagata, a 20-year-old university student, agreed.
"Sexual violence is a particular kind of crime with high risks of re-victimisation, and so-called rape myths remain strong," she told AFP.
"I hope the film will hammer home the severity of sexual violence to many, and trigger a change in society."
Ito also acknowledged that "various opinions" surrounding the documentary "made me feel very apologetic".
Some revisions were made to the latest edition screened, including editing out scenes and rendering some individuals unidentifiable, the director explained in a statement Friday.
Ito's former lawyer, Yoko Nishihiro, said in a statement reported by local media Thursday that the film was "freighted with serious human rights issues".
The lawyer and her team previously highlighted a secretly recorded phone conversation and other footage used without permission, including hotel CCTV shown in court.
tmo/aph/ami

award

French indie title 'Clair Obscur' dominates Game Awards

BY MICHAEL TRAN

  • Winning categories for the game included narrative, role playing, and music score.
  • French indie title "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" dominated the annual Game Awards in Los Angeles, winning a record of nine categories including best video game of the year.
  • Winning categories for the game included narrative, role playing, and music score.
French indie title "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" dominated the annual Game Awards in Los Angeles, winning a record of nine categories including best video game of the year.
"What a weird timeline for us," Guillaume Broche of video game studio Sandfall Interactive quipped, thanking his team as he accepted the top award.
"And also I want to extend thanks to the unsung heroes of this industry -- the people who make tutorials on YouTube on how to make a game -- because we had no idea how to make a game before."
"Clair Obscur," Sandfall's first game, tells the story of a group of characters battling seemingly impossible odds in a post-apocalyptic universe with a distinctively French visual style.
It was nominated in a record number of categories, winning many despite squaring up against heavyweights like "Death Stranding 2" from industry legend Hideo Kojima of "Metal Gear Solid" fame and "Donkey Kong Bananza" from Nintendo.
"Clair Obscur" began in 2020 as a project of Broche, a developer at French gaming giant Ubisoft.
He brought ex-colleague Tom Guillermin on board to create the small studio that same year in the French city of Montpellier.

'Thank you to the players'

They struck a publishing deal in 2022 with UK-based Kepler Interactive, which provided funding for the project.
Some 5 million copies of "Clair Obscur" have been snapped up since its release in April of this year.
"This is a passion project into which we poured our heart and soul," Broche said, surrounded by members of his team in a video sent by Sandfall to AFP.
"To be rewarded like this is just wonderful!"
Broche gave a "massive thank you" to players during the ceremony.
The grassroots popularity of "Clair Obscur" has seen fans attend conventions and game fairs wearing a striped mariner's shirt and red beret -- one of the most stereotypically French outfits players can dress their characters in.
The action game follows a small group of characters seeking to defeat a powerful entity threatening their home city Lumiere -- which bears a striking resemblance to Belle Epoque Paris.
Inspired by Japanese games such as the long-running "Final Fantasy" franchise, the French title is a role-playing game offering turn-based combat against monsters inhabiting the world.
Its popularity was founded on the story's emotional depth and endearing characters married with original gameplay, which introduced reactive rhythm-based elements to parry enemies' attacks.
Sandfall "managed to present something really polished and go toe-to-toe with major titles," industry specialist Benoit Reinier told AFP at the time of the game's release.
The music of "Clair Obscur" stuck in many players' heads and played an outsized role in their immersion into its universe.
Winning categories for the game included narrative, role playing, and music score.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the team in May, thanking them for "putting the spotlight on French-style boldness and creativity."
There are also plans to bring the "Expedition 33" story to the big screen.
The awards show was streamed on 30 platforms, including Amazon Prime for the first time.
It was packed with trailers or coming games including "Star Wars" and "Tomb Raider" titles as well as appearances by celebrities including Jason Momoa, who is among the actors in a film based on "Street Fighter" set for release next year.
"The games nominated this year were created by teams from all over the world," said Nicolas Doucet, founder of Team Asobi that won top game last year with "Astro Bot".
"This is a testament that our industry feeds from various world cultures and, in this day and age, is something we should really, really appreciate and celebrate."
gc/mjw/ceg

AI

Make your own Mickey Mouse clip - Disney embraces AI

  • Disney shares rose more than 2% Thursday after the announcement.
  • Walt Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing deal Thursday that will allow users to create short videos featuring beloved Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
  • Disney shares rose more than 2% Thursday after the announcement.
Walt Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing deal Thursday that will allow users to create short videos featuring beloved Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
The deal marks the first time a major entertainment company has embraced generative AI at this scale, licensing its fiercely protected characters—from Mickey Mouse to Marvel superheroes and Star Wars's Darth Vader—for AI content creation.
The partnership represents a dramatic shift for an industry that has largely been battling AI companies in court.
Disney and other creative industry giants have been suing AI firms like OpenAI, Perplexity and Anthropic, accusing them of illegally using their content to train their technology.
The entertainment giant continued that legal campaign on Wednesday, separately sending a cease-and-desist letter to Google over the illegal use of its intellectual property to train the search engine giant's AI models.
For OpenAI, the deal comes as it faces increasing questions about the sustainability of its business model, with costs skyrocketing far faster than revenue—despite nearing one billion users worldwide.
Under the agreement, fans will be able to produce and share AI-generated content featuring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars franchises on OpenAI's Sora video generation platform and ChatGPT.
Launched at the end of September, Sora aims to be a TikTok-like social network where only AI-generated videos can be posted.
From the outset, many videos have included characters directly inspired by real cartoons and video games, from South Park to Pokémon.
Facing license-holder anger, CEO Sam Altman promised OpenAI would offer rights holders more control to put a stop to these AI copies.
The partnership includes a $1 billion equity investment by Disney in OpenAI, along with warrants to purchase additional shares in the ChatGPT maker.
Disney shares rose more than 2% Thursday after the announcement.
Disney CEO Robert Iger said the collaboration would "thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling."
Characters available for fan creations will include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Elsa from Frozen, and Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, as well as Star Wars icons including Darth Vader and Yoda.
The agreement excludes talent likenesses and voices from actors amid deep concern in Hollywood about the impact of AI.
"This does not in any way represent a threat to the creators at all—in fact the opposite. I think it honors them and respects them, in part because there's a license fee associated with it," Iger told CNBC.
Hollywood's leading actors union, SAG-AFTRA, said it would "closely monitor" the deal's implementation, while the Writers Guild of America said it will meet with Disney to probe the terms and underlined that OpenAI had stolen "vast libraries" of studio content to train its technology.

30 seconds

Iger, in a joint interview with Altman on CNBC, insisted the deal only includes videos no longer than 30 seconds and the technology wouldn't be used for longer-form productions.
Beyond licensing, Disney will deploy OpenAI's technology to build new products and experiences for Disney+, the streaming platform.
"Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling," Altman said. "This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly."
Both companies emphasized their commitment to responsible AI use, with OpenAI pledging age-appropriate policies and controls to prevent illegal or harmful content generation.
In Disney's complaint against Google, OpenAI's biggest rival in the AI space, the entertainment giant accuses Google of infringing Disney's copyrights on a massive scale by copying a large corpus of content without authorization to train and develop AI models and services.
"We've been aggressive at protecting our IP, and we've gone after other companies that have not valued it, and this is another example of us doing just that," Iger told CNBC.
arp/sla

palms

'In her prime': Rare blooming of palm trees in Rio

  • "The talipot palm only fruits once in its lifetime, and can produce up to five million fruits," Marcus Nadruz, from the Research Institute of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, told AFP. The inflorescences, or flower clusters on stems, began to unfurl in October, forming enormous crowns atop the palm trees that teem with millions of tiny yellowish blossoms.
  • An extraordinary botanical spectacle is drawing crowds in Rio de Janeiro: several talipot palm trees, planted more than six decades ago, are blooming for the first -- and last -- time in their lives.
  • "The talipot palm only fruits once in its lifetime, and can produce up to five million fruits," Marcus Nadruz, from the Research Institute of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, told AFP. The inflorescences, or flower clusters on stems, began to unfurl in October, forming enormous crowns atop the palm trees that teem with millions of tiny yellowish blossoms.
An extraordinary botanical spectacle is drawing crowds in Rio de Janeiro: several talipot palm trees, planted more than six decades ago, are blooming for the first -- and last -- time in their lives.
The trees, growing in Rio's Aterro do Flamengo park and the Botanical Garden, were planted in the 1960s by the legendary landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.
Now, some six decades later, these giants have reached the peak of their existence in the Brazilian seaside city.
The talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera), native to southern India and Sri Lanka, is one of the largest palm species on the planet, some reaching more than 30 meters (98 feet) tall.
It flowers only once in its entire life, if it reaches between 40 and 70 years of age.
"The talipot palm only fruits once in its lifetime, and can produce up to five million fruits," Marcus Nadruz, from the Research Institute of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, told AFP.
The inflorescences, or flower clusters on stems, began to unfurl in October, forming enormous crowns atop the palm trees that teem with millions of tiny yellowish blossoms.
The entire process, from the opening of the first flowers to the ripening of the fruit, will take about a year, explained Nadruz. 
But this splendor has an inevitable end. Once the fruit falls, the palm trees will slowly begin to die.
"I was born in 1961, so she's my age and in her prime," said Deborah Faride, who traveled to see the trees from Sao Paulo and was taking pictures of them with a friend.
"We're the same age and we're blooming together. Just one detail: the talipot is going to die. And I'm going to continue, God willing."
The Botanical Garden plans to collect the seeds to cultivate new seedlings to replace these older plants, and will also distribute them for landscaping projects in public spaces.
bur-ll/cjc/md/msp/mlm

television

2024 Eurovision winner Nemo returns trophy over Israel's participation

  • "But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows there's a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions the EBU is making.
  • Nemo, last year's Eurovision winner, said Thursday he was returning the 2024 trophy in protest over Israel's continued participation, which has already prompted five countries to pull out.
  • "But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows there's a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions the EBU is making.
Nemo, last year's Eurovision winner, said Thursday he was returning the 2024 trophy in protest over Israel's continued participation, which has already prompted five countries to pull out.
"I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf," the Swiss vocalist said on Instagram.
The Eurovision Song Contest, the world's biggest live televised music event, is put on by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
On December 4, members of the world's largest public service media alliance decided no vote was needed on Israel's inclusion in the glitzy annual extravaganza.
Widespread opposition to the two-year war in Gaza had led to mounting calls for Israel to be excluded.
The public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland have announced they are boycotting the 70th edition of the song contest, to be held in Vienna in May.
"Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion, and dignity for all people, and these are the values that make this contest so meaningful for me," Nemo said.
"But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows there's a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions the EBU is making.
Iceland's state broadcaster RUV on Wednesday announced it would boycott next year's Eurovision, citing the public debate in the island nation.
"When entire countries withdraw, it should be very clear that something is deeply wrong," said Nemo, 26.
"That's why I decided that I'm sending this trophy back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva with gratitude and with a clear message: live what you claim. If the values we celebrate onstage aren't lived offstage, then even the most beautiful songs become meaningless. I'm waiting for the moment those words and actions align.
"Until then, this trophy is yours."
Some 37 countries took part in the 2025 edition in Basel, Switzerland, won by Austrian operatic singer JJ with "Wasted Love".
Around 35 countries are ultimately expected to participate in Vienna.
rjm/gv

culture

Swiss yodelling joins world cultural heritage list

BY ROBIN MILLARD

  • "This singing is part of our culture, of Switzerland's identity," he told AFP recently, adding that according to oral tradition, it was originally "a means of communication from one mountain to another".
  • Yodelling, the traditional singing of herders in the Swiss Alps, was recognised by the United Nations on Thursday as part of the world's cultural heritage.
  • "This singing is part of our culture, of Switzerland's identity," he told AFP recently, adding that according to oral tradition, it was originally "a means of communication from one mountain to another".
Yodelling, the traditional singing of herders in the Swiss Alps, was recognised by the United Nations on Thursday as part of the world's cultural heritage.
Yodelling was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at a meeting in New Delhi.
"As the emblematic song of Switzerland, yodelling encompasses a wide variety of artistic expressions and is deeply rooted in the population," the Swiss culture ministry said.
Yodelling is passed on in families, clubs, music schools or simply between singers.
More than 12,000 yodellers are members of one of the 711 groups of the country's Federal Yodelling Association.
"As a characteristic vocal technique, yodelling alternates between chest and head voice and uses meaningless syllables that are often associated with local dialects," the culture ministry explained.
Natural yodelling consists of melodies without lyrics, while the yodelling song combines verses and refrains and often touches on nature and everyday experiences, it added.
"Whether soloist, in small groups or in choirs -- sometimes accompanied by instruments such as the accordion -- the yodel is characterised by its rich sound and its presence at concerts, festivals and competitions, which are often associated with the wearing of regional costumes."

Connection to the mountains

For Markus Egli, choir director of the Burgerturner-Jodler club in Lucerne, UNESCO recognition is a good way to bolster the continuation of yodelling.
"This singing is part of our culture, of Switzerland's identity," he told AFP recently, adding that according to oral tradition, it was originally "a means of communication from one mountain to another".
Dressed in traditional attire and wearing a felt hat, 79-year-old Max Britschgi, a member of the choir for nearly 50 years, saw it as a celebration of nature, explaining that he felt "connected to the mountains" through yodelling.
The tenor also appreciates the "camaraderie and connection with others" brought by singing together.
Switching between chest voice and the higher head voice is "the most complicated" aspect, according to Yvonne Eichenberger, 35, the choir's soprano.
"It requires time and practice," she said.

Degrees and 'yodelton'

Julien Vuilleumier, who advised the Swiss culture ministry on the UNESCO application, said the origins of yodelling were unclear.
However, "yodelling as we know it today was codified in the 19th and 20th centuries", with "cross-influences" from southern Germany, and the Tyrolean mountains of Austria and Italy, he told AFP ahead of UNESCO's decision.
The reach of yodelling extends beyond Switzerland. Through waves of emigration, it has become integrated into US folk music, including country.
It is continuing to evolve, extending into "more experimental forms, bordering on jazz, pop, and rock," Vuilleumier explained, highlighting "yodelton" -- a creation by a Swiss artist that blends yodelling with reggaeton rhythms.
Yodelling is even now in higher education, with a master's programme established in 2018 at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
rjm-bur/gv

museum

More than 600 British Empire artefacts stolen from museum: police

BY JO BIDDLE

  • He said the collection documented "the links between Britain and countries formerly part of the British Empire from the late 18th century to the late 20th Century".
  • More than 600 items, including military medals and jewellery from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire, were stolen from a UK museum in September, police said Thursday.
  • He said the collection documented "the links between Britain and countries formerly part of the British Empire from the late 18th century to the late 20th Century".
More than 600 items, including military medals and jewellery from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire, were stolen from a UK museum in September, police said Thursday.
Avon and Somerset Police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on security cameras on September 25 outside a building in the southwestern city of Bristol, which housed items from the collection. 
"More than 600 artefacts of various descriptions were taken by the offenders," police said in a statement about the theft from the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection.
"The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city," said the officer in the case, Dan Burgan.
"These items, many of which were donations, form part of a collection that provides insight into a multi-layered part of British history," he added. 
As well as jewellery and military medals, badges and pins, other stolen items included decorative artefacts such as carved ivory, silver pieces and bronze figurines.
A number of natural history pieces, including geological specimens, were also taken.
Police said they wanted to talk to the four unidentified men, all wearing caps or hoodies, seen in the CCTV images carrying bags in the early hours.
The burglary happened between 1:00 am and 2:00 am on September 25 in the city's Cumberland Road area, officers said.

'Invaluable record'

The collection contains diverse objects, many of them from the Pacific islands and clothing from African nations.
There are also photographs, films, personal papers as well as sound recordings to provide "insights into diverse lives and landscapes during a challenging and controversial period of history," according to the collection's website.
Philip Walker, head of culture and creative industries at Bristol City Council, said he was "deeply saddened" by the theft.
He said the collection documented "the links between Britain and countries formerly part of the British Empire from the late 18th century to the late 20th Century".
"The collection is of cultural significance to many countries and provides an invaluable record and insight into the lives of those involved in and affected by the British Empire," he said.
Transferred from the former British Empire & Commonwealth Museum in Bristol when it closed in 2012, the collection remained in the care of the city council, as well as Bristol Museums, which encompasses five different institutions, and the city's archives.
The revelation comes after thieves stole crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris in October. 
In August 2023, the British Museum in London revealed that some 1,800 items had been taken from its world-renowned collections by a former employee. A few hundred were later recovered.
The museum's director, Hartwig Fischer, resigned in August 2023 after admitting the institution did not act "as it should have" on warnings that items had gone missing.
jkb/har/mp/phz

AI

OpenAI, Disney to let fans create AI videos in landmark deal

  • Disney shares rose by about two percent on Thursday after the announcement.
  • Walt Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing deal Thursday that will allow users to create short videos featuring beloved Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
  • Disney shares rose by about two percent on Thursday after the announcement.
Walt Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing deal Thursday that will allow users to create short videos featuring beloved Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
The deal marks the first time a major entertainment company has embraced generative AI at this scale, licensing its fiercely protected characters -- from Mickey Mouse to Marvel superheroes and Star Wars's Darth Vader -- for AI content creation.
The partnership represents a dramatic shift for an industry that has largely been battling AI companies in court. 
Disney and other creative industry giants had been suing AI firms like OpenAI, Perplexity and Anthropic, accusing them of illegally using their content to train their technology.
The deal comes at a sensitive time for OpenAI, which faces increasing questions about the sustainability of its business model, with costs skyrocketing far faster than revenue despite nearing one billion daily users worldwide.
Under the agreement, fans will be able to produce and share AI-generated content featuring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars franchises on OpenAI's Sora video generation platform and ChatGPT.
The partnership includes a $1 billion equity investment by Disney in OpenAI, along with warrants to purchase additional shares in the ChatGPT maker.
Disney shares rose by about two percent on Thursday after the announcement.
"The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry," said Disney CEO Robert Iger, adding the collaboration would "thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling."
Characters available for fan creations will include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Elsa from Frozen, and Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, as well as Star Wars icons including Darth Vader and Yoda. 
The agreement excludes talent likenesses and voices from actors.
Beyond licensing, Disney will deploy OpenAI's technology to build new products and experiences for Disney+, the streaming platform, and will make ChatGPT available to its employees.
"Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling," said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. "This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly."
Both companies emphasized their commitment to responsible AI use, with OpenAI pledging age-appropriate policies and controls to prevent illegal or harmful content generation and protect creator rights.
arp/bgs

fashion

Beyonce, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman to co-chair 2026 Met Gala

  • The Met also announced a gala "host committee" led by Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello and actress Zoe Kravitz.
  • Music powerhouse Beyonce, tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala on May 4 alongside Vogue's Anna Wintour, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Wednesday in New York.
  • The Met also announced a gala "host committee" led by Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello and actress Zoe Kravitz.
Music powerhouse Beyonce, tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala on May 4 alongside Vogue's Anna Wintour, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Wednesday in New York.
The annual Met Gala, traditionally held on the first Monday in May, was first organized in 1948 and for decades was reserved for New York high society. 
Wintour, the high priestess of US fashion, took over the show in the 1990s, transforming the party into a catwalk for the rich and famous.
The gala is a fundraiser for the Met's Costume Institute, but it is also a social media extravaganza that sees stars don over-the-top looks, vying to create the greatest spectacle.
The dress code has not yet been revealed but it will dovetail with the "Costume Art" exhibition, which opens on May 10 at the venerable museum in Manhattan and will seek to explore the "dressed body" in artworks across the centuries.
The co-chairs are power players in their fields: music, sports and film. 
The gala will mark the first time in a decade that Beyonce has attended, and fashionistas will be holding their breath waiting to see what look -- or looks - she unveils. She was an honorary co-chair in 2013.
Williams, 45, is the winner of seven Grand Slam titles. She is still competing on the WTA Tour. Her sister Serena -- who has retired from tennis -- co-hosted the event in 2019.
Kidman, who co-chaired the event in 2003 and in 2005, has several projects in the works for 2026, including "Practical Magic 2," a sequel to the popular 1998 film about a family of witches, and "Scarpetta," a series based on Patricia Cornwell's crime novel heroine.
The Met also announced a gala "host committee" led by Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello and actress Zoe Kravitz. Also on the committee are singers Sabrina Carpenter and Doja Cat, retired ballet superstar Misty Copeland, and WNBA champion A'ja Wilson.
rh/sst/msp

film

Hollywood meets the world in Sundance line-up

BY HUW GRIFFITH

  • The laughs continue with Seth Rogen and Edward Norton in "The Invite," opposite Olivia Wilde, who also directs.
  • Hollywood A-listers Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde and Russell Crowe will rub shoulders with some of cinema's best and brightest new talent at the Sundance film festival next month, organizers said Wednesday.
  • The laughs continue with Seth Rogen and Edward Norton in "The Invite," opposite Olivia Wilde, who also directs.
Hollywood A-listers Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde and Russell Crowe will rub shoulders with some of cinema's best and brightest new talent at the Sundance film festival next month, organizers said Wednesday.
The first edition of the festival since the death in September of founder Robert Redford will see a firmament of stars descend on Park City, Utah for one of the most important gatherings in the global movie calendar.
"I think that this is going to be such a celebratory year and a very special one," Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani told AFP.
"Any time you can bring together such an eclectic group of artists and storytellers... I think about Charli XCX and Billie Jean King, Salman Rushdie, Rinko Kikuchi together... it's such a special (group) of people that we can have on the mountain."
A rich vein of comedy runs through this year's program, said Yutani.
"There are films that are looking at things in a kind of more quirky and unique way, like 'The History of Concrete' by John Wilson, which is going to have its own enthusiastic audience," she said.
The documentary traces Wilson's efforts to sell a film about building materials after attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie.
The laughs continue with Seth Rogen and Edward Norton in "The Invite," opposite Olivia Wilde, who also directs.
The script, co-written by Rashida James ("Parks and Recreation"), deals with a couple whose mysterious neighbors come over for dinner.
Meanwhile, "Mad Men" stars Hamm and John Slattery reunite in "Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass," where a Midwestern bride-to-be rampages through Hollywood in an effort to even the score after her fiance uses the couple's "free celebrity pass" on his famous crush.
In "The Gallerist" -- starring Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, along with Jenna Ortega and Sterling K. Brown -- a desperate curator tries to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami.

International

With the movie industry still struggling to find its feet after successive blows from the streaming revolution, the Covid pandemic and Hollywood strikes that crippled Tinseltown in 2023, the involvement of such famous faces is a vote of confidence in independent filmmaking, said festival programmer John Nein.
"When you see Chris Pine and Jenny Slate in 'Carousel,' or when you see Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan in 'Josephine'... that's one of the signs of optimism at a time when we are looking at some real challenges in the sector, that notable actors continue to want to be involved in these projects," he told AFP.
Sundance received more than 16,000 submissions, whittling them down to 90 feature-length films, with 40 percent of them from first-time feature directors.
All but a handful of the titles that will be screened in the festival's snow-capped Rocky Mountain base will be world premieres, selected from 164 countries and territories around the globe.
The strong international line-up includes films from traditional cinematic powerhouses like Britain, in the form of the debut feature "Extra Geography" from director Molly Manners, and queer genre film "Leviticus" from Australia.
But it also includes offerings from places the audience might be less familiar with, like "Hanging by a Wire," a nail-biting race to save schoolboys dangling from a stranded cable car in the Himalayan foothills.
"Hold On to Me" from Cyprus tells the story of an 11-year-old tracking down her estranged father, while documentary "Kikuyu Land" from Kenya examines how powerful outside forces use local corruption to dispossess a people.
Sundance, which runs from January 22 to February 1, is being held in Utah for the final time before a move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.
Festival and public programming director Eugene Hernandez said the final Park City edition, along with Redford's death, makes this a significant year.
"We reach this pinnacle of our experience in Utah this year," he said. "It's going to be a special edition." 
hg/sst

teenagers

Instagram users given new algorithm controls

  • The Meta-owned app is introducing "Your Algorithm," accessible through an icon in the upper right corner of Reels -- a user's video feed -- which displays the topics Instagram believes users are interested in based on their viewing history. 
  • Instagram on Wednesday unveiled a new AI-powered feature that lets users view and adjust the algorithm shaping their Reels feed, calling it a pioneering move toward greater user control.
  • The Meta-owned app is introducing "Your Algorithm," accessible through an icon in the upper right corner of Reels -- a user's video feed -- which displays the topics Instagram believes users are interested in based on their viewing history. 
Instagram on Wednesday unveiled a new AI-powered feature that lets users view and adjust the algorithm shaping their Reels feed, calling it a pioneering move toward greater user control.
The Meta-owned app is introducing "Your Algorithm," accessible through an icon in the upper right corner of Reels -- a user's video feed -- which displays the topics Instagram believes users are interested in based on their viewing history. 
In a blog post, Meta said users can now directly tell the platform which subjects they want to see more or less of, with recommendations adjusting accordingly in real time.
Social media platforms have faced mounting pressure from regulators and users alike to provide greater transparency around algorithmic content curation, which critics say can create echo chambers or promote harmful content.
But companies also see algorithms as their platform's 'secret sauce' for engaging users and have often resisted greater transparency.
"Instagram has always been a place to dive deep into your interests and connect with friends," the company said in its blog. "As your interests evolve over time, we want to give you more meaningful ways to control what you see."
The feature shows users a summary of their top interests and allows them to type in specific topics to fine-tune their feed.
Instagram said it is "leading the way" in offering such transparency and control, with plans to expand the feature beyond Reels to Explore and other sections of the app.
The tool launched Wednesday in the United States and will roll out globally in English "soon," the company said.
The move came as Australia, in a world-first, banned people under age 16 from a raft of popular social media apps, including Instagram. The government said it aimed to "take back control" from tech giants and protect children from "predatory algorithms."   
arp/msp/mlm

theft

Louvre thieves escaped with 30 seconds to spare, probe reveals

BY ADAM PLOWRIGHT

  • "Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
  • The thieves who stole crown jewels from the Louvre in October evaded police with just 30 seconds to spare due to avoidable security failures at the Paris museum, a damning investigation revealed on Wednesday.
  • "Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
The thieves who stole crown jewels from the Louvre in October evaded police with just 30 seconds to spare due to avoidable security failures at the Paris museum, a damning investigation revealed on Wednesday.
The probe, ordered by the culture ministry after the embarrassing daylight heist, revealed that only one of two security cameras was working near the site where the intruders broke in on the morning of Sunday October 19.
Agents in the security control room did not have enough screens to follow the images in real-time, while a lack of coordination meant police were initially sent to the wrong place once the alarm was raised, the report unveiled at the French Senate's Culture Commission stated.
"It highlights an overall failure of the museum, as well as its supervisory authority, to address security issues," the head of the commission, Laurent Lafon, said at the start of a hearing.
One of the most startling revelations was that the robbers left only 30 seconds before police and private security guards arrived on the scene.
"Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
He said that measures such as a modern CCTV system, more resistant glass in the door cut open with angle grinders, or better internal coordination could have prevented the loss of the jewels -- worth an estimated $102 million -- which have still not been found. 
Major security vulnerabilities were highlighted in several studies seen by management of the Louvre over the last decade, including a 2019 audit by experts at the jewellery company Van Cleef & Arpels.
Their findings stressed that the riverside balcony targeted by the thieves was a weak point and could be easily reached with an extendable ladder -- exactly what transpired in the heist.

'Stunned'

Corbin confirmed that under-fire Louvre boss Laurence des Cars had not been aware of the audit which was ordered by her predecessor, Jean-Luc Martinez.
"The recommendations were not acted on and they would have enabled us to avoid this robbery," Corbin said, adding that there had been a lack of coordination between the two government-appointed administrators. 
Police believe they have arrested all four intruders, who escaped on powerful motorbikes, having carried out the heist in the Apollo Gallery in around 10 minutes in total, according to the investigation.
The revelations on Wednesday are likely to pile more pressure des Cars, the first woman in the role who was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in 2021.
Questions have swirled since the break-in over whether it was avoidable and why a national treasure that is the world's most-visited museum appeared to be so poorly protected. 
France's lower house of parliament is carrying out its own inquiry, while des Cars and Martinez are set to be grilled by senators next week.
Last month, France's state auditor said security upgrades had been carried out at a "woefully inadequate pace" and the museum had prioritised "high-profile and attractive operations" instead of protecting itself. 
Senior police officer Guy Tubiana, a security advisor at the culture ministry who took part in the investigation, told senators he was "stunned" by what he had discovered at the museum. 
"There was a succession of malfunctions that led to catastrophe but I never would have thought the Louvre could have so many malfunctions," he said.
Staff at the Louvre at set to go on strike on Monday to demand management act against what they see as understaffing and overcrowding at the museum, which welcomed 8.7 million people last year. 
At the weekend, the museum revealed that a water leak had damaged 300 to 400 journals, books and documents in the Egyptian department in late November.
adp/phz

theft

Louvre thieves escaped with 30 seconds to spare, probe reveals

  • "Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
  • The thieves who stole priceless crown jewels from the Louvre in October escaped with just 30 seconds to spare due to avoidable security failures at the Paris museum, a damning investigation revealed on Wednesday.
  • "Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
The thieves who stole priceless crown jewels from the Louvre in October escaped with just 30 seconds to spare due to avoidable security failures at the Paris museum, a damning investigation revealed on Wednesday.
The probe, ordered by the culture ministry after the embarrassing daylight heist, revealed that only one of two security cameras was working near the site where the thieves broke in on the morning of Sunday October 19.
Agents in the security headquarters also did not have enough screens to follow the images in real-time, while a lack of coordination meant police were initially sent to the wrong place once the alarm was raised, the report unveiled at the French Senate's Culture Commission, stated.
"It highlights an overall failure of the museum, as well as its supervisory authority, to address security issues," the head of the commission, Laurent Lafon, said at the start of a hearing.
One of the most startling revelations was that the robbers left only 30 seconds before police and private security guards arrived on the scene.
"Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
He said that measures such as a modern security camera system, more resistant glass in the door cut open with angle grinders, or better internal coordination could have prevented the loss of the crown jewels -- worth an estimated $102 million -- which have still not been found. 
Security risks were highlighted in several reports commissioned by management of the Louvre, including a 2019 audit by the jewellery company Van Cleef & Arpels.
The evaluation said the balcony used by the thieves was a weak point in security and could be reached by using an extendable ladder -- exactly what transpired in the heist.
Corbin confirmed that under-fire Louvre boss Laurence des Cars had been unaware of the audit which was carried out by her predecessor, Jean-Luc Martinez.
"The recommendations were not acted on and they would have enabled us to avoid this robbery," Corbin said, adding that there had been a lack of coordination between the two state-appointed administrators. 
Police believe they have arrested all four thieves, who escaped on powerful motorbikes, having carried out the heist in the Apollo Gallery in around 10 minutes in total.
The revelations on Wednesday are likely to pile more pressure on des Cars, who was already facing calls to resign.
adp/phz

food

Not just pizza: Italian cuisine makes UNESCO list

  • Pizza-making in Naples already features on the UN cultural agency's list of intangible heritage, as does espresso coffee.
  • UNESCO recognised Wednesday that Italian food is more than pizza, pasta and gelato, adding the range and ritual of the famed cuisine to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
  • Pizza-making in Naples already features on the UN cultural agency's list of intangible heritage, as does espresso coffee.
UNESCO recognised Wednesday that Italian food is more than pizza, pasta and gelato, adding the range and ritual of the famed cuisine to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose hard-right government has championed "Made in Italy" products as part of her nationalist agenda, hailed the recognition that she said "honours who we are and our identity".
"Because for us Italians, cuisine is not just food or a collection of recipes. It is much more: it is culture, tradition, work, wealth," she said in a statement.
Pizza-making in Naples already features on the UN cultural agency's list of intangible heritage, as does espresso coffee.
Meloni's government proposed the much wider "cucina italiana" in 2023.
The government said it was the first time the entire scope of a nation's cuisine has made the cut.
Culinary rival France in 2010 won UNESCO recognition for "the gastronomic meal of the French". That more celebratory affair, which begins with an aperitif and ends with liqueurs, includes four courses. 
In Rome's Trastevere neighbourhood on Tuesday, the co-owner of the small "Da Gildo" trattoria, Leonora Saltalippi, said Italy's cuisine had centuries of mothers and grandmothers to thank.  
"It is all a heritage born from the vision of women in the kitchen," the 43-year-old restauranteur told AFP. 
They "have cooked for centuries and found, in the small things from the land and the poverty of the ages, a flavour that starts with oil and ends up in everything they touch," she said.
Pouring a delicate stream of olive oil over a plate of fettuccini with artichokes, she noted that across the country, every family had their own recipe, "with nothing written down".
Customer Tiziana Acanfora, 51, added: "What certainly makes the difference is the care and love with which things in general are prepared, not just the kitchen."
At a table nearby, US tourist Naomi King polished off an oxtail stew "that I would recommend a hundred times over".
"Italian food is one of the better foods in terms of flavour in the world," she told AFP, highlighting the huge variety she and her husband had eaten since arriving in Italy.
The focus on local fruits and vegetables also made the difference, she added: "They know how to take that and make it into something special."
ams/ar/tw

entertainment

Real-life horror to TV drama: Feared Syria sites become sets for series

BY MAHER AL-MOUNES

  • The scene at the Mazzeh base depicts the escape of a figure close to Assad, and is set to feature in "The King's Family" filmed in high-security locations once feared by regular Syrians.
  • At a Damascus air base once off-limits under Bashar al-Assad, a crew now films a TV series about the final months of the ousted leader's rule as seen through the eyes of a Syrian family.
  • The scene at the Mazzeh base depicts the escape of a figure close to Assad, and is set to feature in "The King's Family" filmed in high-security locations once feared by regular Syrians.
At a Damascus air base once off-limits under Bashar al-Assad, a crew now films a TV series about the final months of the ousted leader's rule as seen through the eyes of a Syrian family.
"It's hard to believe we're filming here," director Mohamad Abdul Aziz said from the Mazzeh base, which was once also a detention centre run by Assad's air force intelligence branch, known for its cruelty
The site in the capital's southwestern suburbs "used to be a symbol of military power. Now we are making a show about the fall of that power", he told AFP.
Assad fled to Russia as an Islamist-led offensive closed in on Damascus, taking it without a fight on December 8 last year after nearly 14 years of civil war and half a century of Assad dynasty rule.
The scene at the Mazzeh base depicts the escape of a figure close to Assad, and is set to feature in "The King's Family" filmed in high-security locations once feared by regular Syrians.
The series is to be aired in February during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, prime-time viewing in the Arab world, when channels and outlets vie for the attention of eager audiences.
Dozens of actors, directors and other show-business figures who were opposed to Assad have returned to Syria since his ouster, giving the local industry a major boost, while other series have also chosen to film at former military or security sites.

'Impossible before'

"It's a strange feeling... The places where Syria used to be ruled from have been transformed" into creative spaces, Abdul Aziz said.
Elsewhere in Damascus, his cameras and crew now fill offices at the former military intelligence facility known as Palestine Branch, where detainees once underwent interrogation so brutal that some never came out alive.
"Palestine Branch was one of the pillars of the security apparatus -- just mentioning its name caused terror," Abdul Aziz said of the facility, known for torture and abuse.
Outside among charred vehicles, explosions and other special effects, the team was recreating a scene depicting "the release of detainees when the security services collapsed", he said.
Thousands of detainees were freed when jails were thrown open as Assad fell last year, and desperate Syrians converged on the facilities in search of loved ones who disappeared into the prison system, thousands of whom are still missing.
Assad's luxurious, high-security residence, which was stormed and looted after he fled to Russia, is also part of the new series.
Abdul Aziz said he filmed a fight scene involving more than 150 people and gunfire in front of the residence in Damascus's upscale Malki district.
"This was impossible to do before," he said.

'Fear'

The series' scriptwriter Maan Sakbani, 35, expressed cautious relief that the days of full-blown censorship under Assad were over.
The new authorities' information ministry still reviews scripts but the censor's comments on "The King's Family" were very minor, he said from a traditional Damascene house where the team was discussing the order of scenes.
Sakbani said he was uncertain how long the relative freedom would last, and was waiting to see the reaction to the Ramadan productions once they were aired.
Several other series inspired by the Assad era are also planned for release at that time, including "Enemy Syrians", which depicts citizens living under the eyes of the security services.
Another, "Going Out to the Well", directed by Mohammed Lutfi and featuring several prominent Syrian actors, is about deadly prison riots in the infamous Saydnaya facility in 2008.
Rights group Amnesty International had called the facility a "human slaughterhouse".
"The show was written more than two years ago and we intended to film it before Assad's fall," Lutfi said.
But several actors feared the former authorities' reaction and they were unable to find a suitable location since filming in Syria was impossible.
Now, they plan to film on site.
"The new authorities welcomed the project and provided extensive logistical support and facilities for filming inside Saydnaya prison," Lutfi said.
As a result, it will be possible "to convey the prisoners' suffering and the regime's practices -- from the inside the actual location", he said.
mam/lk/nad/lg/jsa/smw

dance

Haitians dance with joy over UNESCO musical listing

BY JEAN DANIEL SENAT

  • "If we can't dance or organize shows in Port-au-Prince, we do it in the regions.
  • From the bars of the capital Port-au-Prince to Haiti's most remote villages and its worldwide diaspora, people listen and dance to the sensual rhythms of compas.
  • "If we can't dance or organize shows in Port-au-Prince, we do it in the regions.
From the bars of the capital Port-au-Prince to Haiti's most remote villages and its worldwide diaspora, people listen and dance to the sensual rhythms of compas.
This musical source of pride among Haitians -- known as konpa or kompa in Creole -- is expected to be added by UNESCO to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Wednesday.
"Today, compas is the main artistic (and) musical representation of Haiti abroad," said Frantz Duval, the director of Ticket, the country's leading cultural magazine.
The anticipated listing is a boost of national pride for Haiti -- along with the Caribbean nation's recent qualification for the 2026 football World Cup -- and comes against a backdrop of entrenched poverty and instability driven by gang violence.    
Compas "resists crises because everyone listens to it and dances to it even during times of crisis," Duval said. "If we can't dance or organize shows in Port-au-Prince, we do it in the regions. Otherwise, we do it in Haitian communities abroad."
Both a musical genre and a dance style, "compas is a defining creation of the Haitian people," according to the official nomination document submitted to Paris-based UNESCO.
The compas "transcends social classes, forging a unique characteristic within Haitian identity," it said.
"Deeply rooted in Haitian society, the compas is an essential element of festive and ritual life, playing a key role in significant moments for individuals, families, and communities."
The genre typically blends percussion, guitars, and keyboard instruments, with syncopated drumming that drives the rhythm. 

Nation's 'collective memory'

At any time on a given day in Haiti, this merengue-style music can be heard in restaurants with dance floors, buses, public squares, and on the radio.
It's hard for Haitians to resist the rhythms of compas, or not to nod their heads or dance a few steps while listening to a song.
On TikTok, videos tagged with #kompa (spelled in various ways) reach hundreds of thousands of viewers, and often feature couples dancing sensually.
Compas "is the collective memory of the nation," Emmelie Prophete, Haiti's former culture minister, who worked on the UNESCO application, told AFP.
"We are delighted with this inscription on the list," she said. "This recognition comes at a time when we need to talk about Haiti in a way other than its political and security issues."
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, in recent years has been gripped by political instability and violence from gangs, which control a large part of the capital.

Crossing borders

The musical genre's birth dates back to a concert held in July 1955 in Port-au-Prince by Nemours Jean-Baptiste, a renowned Haitian saxophonist.
With roots in Africa and France, the former colonial power, compas also draws inspiration "from Cuban and Dominican songs that Haitians listened to on shortwave stations broadcasting from the island of Cuba and neighboring Dominican Republic," musician Yves Joseph, who is popularly known as Fanfan Tibot, told AFP.
His band, Tabou Combo, is famous for having exported compas far beyond Port-au-Prince. He recalled that "New York City," a track released in 1975, was successful in the Caribbean and in France.
"This led us to change our strategy, to sing in English and Spanish in order to win over more fans. Since then, other musical groups have helped compas continue to cross borders," he said.
"This rhythm represents Haiti very well internationally, and I hope it will endure," said Duval, who is also the editor-in-chief of the Haitian daily Le Nouvelliste.
str-ube/ev/iv/sms

award

Autistic Scottish artist Nnena Kalu smashes Turner Prize 'glass ceiling'

BY MARTIN POLLARD

  • Named after English painter J.M.W. Turner and his legacy of artistic experimentation, the prize, organised by the Tate institution, is one of the world's leading visual arts awards.
  • Scotland's Nnena Kalu took home the Turner Prize on Tuesday, with the autistic artist beating four competitors including an Iraqi painter to the prestigious contemporary art award.
  • Named after English painter J.M.W. Turner and his legacy of artistic experimentation, the prize, organised by the Tate institution, is one of the world's leading visual arts awards.
Scotland's Nnena Kalu took home the Turner Prize on Tuesday, with the autistic artist beating four competitors including an Iraqi painter to the prestigious contemporary art award.
Glasgow-born Kalu, 59, was nominated for her hanging sculptures using wrapped material, including fabric, rope and tape, with the British disability charity Sense hailing her shortlisting as "incredibly significant".
The jury of the prize, established in 1984 to celebrate contemporary British art, hailed Kalu's art as "bold and compelling" as well as "the powerful presence these works have".
"This amazing lady has worked so hard for such a long time," said Charlotte Hollinshead, Kalu's helper, hailing the artist's perseverance in the face of stigma. 
"Nnena has faced an incredible amount of discrimination, which continues to this day, so hopefully this award smashes that prejudice away," Hollinshead added. 
"It's seismic. It's broken a very stubborn glass ceiling."
The Turner Prize is awarded each year to an artist born or based in Britain for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.
Named after English painter J.M.W. Turner and his legacy of artistic experimentation, the prize, organised by the Tate institution, is one of the world's leading visual arts awards.
The four shortlisted artists were announced on April 23, 250 years to the day since Turner's birth.
British-born Kalu and Rene Matic were joined by Iraqi painter Mohammed Sami and Canadian-Korean artist Zadie Xa. All four now live and work in London, according to the prize organisers.
Their work has been on display since September at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, in northern England.

Seashells, war, race

Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chair of the Turner Prize 2025 jury, denied that Kalu's neurodivergence was a factor in the choice to award her the prize.
"It was interest in, and a real belief in, the quality and uniqueness of her practice, which is inseparable from who she is... whatever the artist's identity is," Farquharson added.
Sami, 40, who had been seen by some commentators as the favourite, explores memory and conflict in his war-torn home country in his paintings.
Matic, 27, an artist from central England, presents work that blends intimate photography with sound and objects, addressing themes of race, care and vulnerability.
Xa, 41, is a finalist for her installation of bells, seashell soundscapes and painted walls drawing on Korean shamanism and ocean folklore.
Every other year, the Turner Prize exhibition ventures out of the Tate Britain gallery in London.
The prize-winner receives £25,000 ($33,300), while the remaining shortlisted artists will be awarded £10,000 each.

'Launching pad'

Christopher Turner, head of the architecture and design department at London's V&A museum, said the prize has "struggled to connect with the public... as it used to".
"That said, it is an important launching pad for emerging and mid-career artists," he told AFP.
Previous winners include now-household names such as duo Gilbert & George, Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Steve McQueen and Damien Hirst.
The annual award seeks to encourage debate around new advances in contemporary art, which has often spilled over into controversy.
Chris Ofili, for example, won in 1998 for incorporating elephant dung into his paintings.
Hirst in 1995 exhibited pieces including a rotting cow's head, while Emin's 1999 entry "My Bed" -- an unmade double bed with stained sheets surrounded by soiled underwear, condoms, slippers and empty drink bottles -- attracted huge attention.
Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur won last year's prize with a solo exhibition, which included an installation of a Ford Escort car with a giant doily on it, as the award celebrated its 40th anniversary.
mp/aks/jkb/jhb/sbk/rmb