NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A pair of sneakers worn by NBA superstar Michael Jordan sold for $2.2 million on Tuesday, setting a record price at auction for game-worn sports footwear, Sotheby’s announced. The basketball great wore the “Bred” Air Jordan 13s during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on the way to his sixth and last NBA championship title. The online sale cements Jordan’s position as the most valuable athlete at auctions […]
Tag: lifestyle
Super Mario: Nintendo’s decades of star power
by Yassine Khiri and Mathias Cena Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Hollywood is having its second bash at sprinkling some movie magic on the “Super Mario Bros” video game franchise, three decades after the last attempt. The pint-sized plumber from Japanese game maker Nintendo has enjoyed 40 years of extraordinary popularity that has transformed the character into a truly global icon. – The saviour – Nintendo owes a lot to its moustachioed hero, created […]
Goodbyes and good buys: Paris Fashion Week highlights
by Eric RANDOLPH Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The womenswear autumn-winter season finally comes to a halt on Tuesday, having rumbled through New York, London and Milan before ending in the French capital. Here are some of the highlights from the final set of shows in Paris. – Vivienne and Paco, au revoir – The fashion crowd said adieu to two titans of 20th century design. Vivienne Westwood’s widower Andreas Kronthaler presented something of […]
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 […]
Japan picks ‘war’ as kanji character of the year
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) Japan chose the kanji character for war on Monday as the symbol for 2022 after a year marked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe. The public votes in the annual event for the written character they think best represents the past year. Olympic-themed choices dominated 2021. The mood was darker this year, however, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organises the vote. […]
Plea from Ukraine first lady kicks off annual tech summit in Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | One of the world’s biggest tech conferences will get going in Lisbon on Wednesday, after Ukraine’s first lady formally opened the event by urging participants to use their skills to save lives rather than end them. Olena Zelenska told an audience of several thousand at the Web Summit’s opening ceremony late on Tuesday not to put “technology at the service of terror” — unlike some in Russia. “Some IT […]
Meta unveils new virtual reality headset Quest Pro
San Francisco, United States | AFP | A year after it rebranded itself in the name of building a metaverse, Meta on Tuesday unveiled a new version of its virtual reality headset tailored for working professionals. The $1,500 Meta Quest Pro features a number of new features that are meant to improve users’ perception of truly being in the presence of other people. The headset makes it possible to view not only virtual worlds […]
‘Desperate for water’: drought hits Mexican industrial powerhouse
by Sofia Miselem Agence France-Presse MONTERREY, Mexico (AFP) — Maria Celia Navarro smiles wistfully as she remembers the now-unthinkable luxury of taking a shower in her home before a water shortage struck one of Mexico’s wealthiest cities. Nestled in mountains a few hours’ drive from the US border, industrial powerhouse Monterrey boasts living standards that many Mexicans could only dream of. Residents of the northern city, whose metropolitan area is home to around five million […]
Relief, caution in Beijing as city lifts Covid dine-in curbs
BEIJING, China (AFP) — After staying home for more than a month, Chen Chunmei joined a long line of customers at a popular Beijing restaurant where diners tucked into massive bowls of crayfish following an easing of Covid restrictions in the Chinese capital. Last month, the city of 22 million stopped people from eating out, closed gyms and sealed off dozens of subway stations to try and stamp out a coronavirus outbreak. The curbs are […]
‘The pandemic won’t stop us’: the Beijingers skirting Covid rules
by Poornima WEERASEKARA / Michael ZHANG Mothers hosting playdates near cordoned-off parks, mahjong maestros huddled in streets and youngsters slugging night-time beers on barricaded sidewalks — Beijingers are making the most of the small spaces available as China’s coronavirus controls close in. Meanwhile in Shanghai, a growing number of residents are being allowed to briefly venture outside as the city gradually eases out of an extended lockdown, celebrating their first hours outside in weeks with […]
Thai… caviar? Farm produces delicacy in tropical climate
by Pathom Sangwongwanich © Agence France-Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — At his upmarket Bangkok restaurant, Michelin-starred chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn spoons black caviar onto a plate, adding the newly affordable Thailand-made delicacy to his reinterpreted traditional family recipes. The luxury food, better associated with chilly northern nations, is breaking into the Southeast Asian country’s fine-dining scene, with the 37-year-old celebrity cook able to economically serve the roe thanks to an innovative farm outside the […]
Vietnamese dad spends thousands converting van into wooden tank for son
BAC NINH, Vietnam (AFP) — A Vietnamese father has spent hundreds of hours and invested thousands converting an old van into a wooden tank for his son — an unusual hobby in a country once ravaged by war. Every weekend, Truong Van Dao trundles what was once a 16-seat minibus around his neighborhood in Bac Ninh province, east of capital Hanoi, with his three-year-old son sat proudly in the turret. The wooden vehicle, based on […]





