Lifestyle

Queen’s corgis take centre stage at London exhibition

London, United Kingdom (AFP) — A new exhibition of photographs showing the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and her beloved corgis opens in London on Wednesday, celebrating her bond with the dogs. The exhibition, titled “The Queen and Her Corgis”, features images taken during the late sovereign’s life, showcasing her unique bond with her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. “We’ve got this very small but really exquisite exhibition that shows nine photographs taken of the queen and […]

‘Rest your best!’: Pokemon Sleep game coming this year

Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — Pokemon’s last major smartphone hit, “Pokemon Go”, had fans on the move hunting the lovable characters, but its next release will focus on a more relaxing activity: sleep. The Pokemon Company has revealed it will release “Pokemon Sleep” across most of the world in summer 2023, four years after it first announced plans for the game. “Turn your sleep into entertainment,” the company said in a press release late Monday. Trailers […]

‘Change’ for Iran women: Pastry chef rises to the occasion

Tehran, Iran (AFP) — She could have left Iran, as many of her contemporaries did, but Paris-trained pastry chef Shahrzad Shokouhivand decided to stay and work to make women’s lives better inside the country. And the icing on the cake? She and her husband now employ 70 people — mostly women. “It’s only by working here that we’ll change things in Iran,” said the 36-year-old, speaking to AFP in one of her two chic cafe-pastry […]

ChatGPT turns to manga in ‘One Piece’ author experiment

Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — The AI programme ChatGPT has passed exams, penned news articles and produced code. So perhaps no surprise that “One Piece” author Eiichiro Oda has turned to it for inspiration. The man behind the record-breaking manga often referred to as one of the best-known in the world seemed to have found himself struggling with writer’s block last month. “Hello. This is the author. I cannot come up with a story for One […]

One billion users, but bans mount up for TikTok

by Jules BONNARD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — TikTok’s breakneck rise from niche video-sharing app to global social media behemoth has brought plenty of scrutiny, particularly over its links to China. The European Commission is the latest organization to ban the app from its equipment, following similar moves in the United States. So is TikTok a spying tool for Beijing, a fun app, or both? – Under pressure – Global action against TikTok, owned […]

Digital video viewing to top traditional TV in US: forecast

San Francisco, United States | AFP | For the first time ever, US adults will spend more time this year watching digital video on platforms such as Netflix, TikTok and YouTube than viewing traditional television, Insider Intelligence forecast on Wednesday. In the historic first, the market tracker expects “linear TV” to account for less than half of daily viewing, dropping to under three hours while average daily digital video watching climbs to 52.3 percent with […]

NBA icon Jordan donating $10 million to nonprofit

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — Basketball great Michael Jordan will make a record-breaking $10 million donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation to mark his 60th birthday later this week, a statement said on Wednesday. Jordan’s donation to Make-A-Wish — which aims to fulfill the wishes of children aged between 2-18 battling critical illness – is the largest in the Arizona-based nonprofit’s 43-year history. The six-time NBA championship winner has had a long association with the […]

Mexico hails ‘heroic’ rescue dog that died in Turkey

Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico on Monday paid tribute to a military rescue dog that died while searching for survivors buried under the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey. Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced the death of the German shepherd called Proteo at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s daily news conference. “You accomplished your mission… thank you for your heroic work,” the military said on Twitter. Proteo was one of more than a […]

Gaming world finally gets its Grammy due

by Maggy DONALDSON Agence France-Presse Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — From “The Legend of Zelda” theme to the infectious “Super Mario Bros” score, sound and music have long been foundational to the gaming experience. And now, in a move many fans and insiders consider long overdue, the Recording Academy for the first time has created a Grammy category specifically honoring a video game soundtrack, an acknowledgement of the major impact gaming and its music […]

Royals brace as ‘Harry & Meghan’ airs on Netflix

by Joe JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The first three episodes of a docuseries on Prince Harry and his wife Meghan air on Thursday, with expectations of more damaging claims about British royal family life. The six-part fly-on-the-wall documentary, “Harry and Meghan”, promises to lift the lid on events that prompted the pair to quit royal life and move to the United States in 2020. Trailers aired in the run-up to the […]

Disney+ gains 12 mn subscribers but losses accumulate

Washington, United States (AFP) — The Disney+ streaming service saw its subscriber ranks jump by 12 million users compared to June, results showed on Tuesday, as the home to “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Black Panther” continued to defy a souring economy. The gain beat analyst expectations, but the California-based group’s streaming services, which include Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, more than doubled their year-to-year operating losses to $1.47 billion for the July to September period, the results […]

Microsoft co-founder’s art may reap $1 bn at auction

by Andréa BAMBINO Agence France Presse New York, United States (AFP) — An art collection is tipped to break the $1 billion barrier at auction for the first time when Christie’s sells works belonging to late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen this week. The two-day sale in New York comes as experts say the super wealthy are viewing art as a safe investment this year amid a tumultuous global economy and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Allen […]