CULTURE

In an age where forces from AI to Donald Trump have left Americans doubting the truth, US dictionary Merriam-Webster says that 2023's most looked-up word was "authentic."

Other highlights of the year include "rizz," "deepfake," and "indict."

Prosecutors in Atlanta said Monday that rapper Young Thug was the "proclaimed leader" of a gang that "moved like a pack" to commit crimes, as opening statements in a long-delayed racketeering trial got underway.

A highly acclaimed satirical play about President Vladimir Putin and his allies facing a war crimes tribunal is making waves in Bulgaria, a country historically close to Russia.

Irish author Paul Lynch won the 2023 Booker Prize for fiction on Sunday for his novel "Prophet Song," a dystopian work about an Ireland that descends into tyranny.

The "Hunger Games" prequel stayed atop the North American box office over the long US Thanksgiving weekend, fending off an invasion by new Ridley Scott film "Napoleon," industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

From the musical nights of his youth that earned his nickname "the disc jockey" to his political adventures over the past decade, life has been one long party of one kind or another for Andry Rajoelina, who on Saturday secured a second elected term as Madagascar's president.

Pepe's meal is so good he licks the plate clean. Pepe, a four-year-old Bichon with a naughty face, licks every last crumb off his elegant black bowl, almost taking the geometric patterns off too.

British music retailer HMV returns to the iconic site of its former flagship store in central London on Friday, in a much-needed boost to the flagging fortunes of the capital's premier shopping street.

Venice announced on Thursday that it would introduce a fee for day tourists to enter the city's overcrowded historic centre on 29 days next year as it seeks to come to grips with overtourism.

A spate of thefts of rare Russian classics worth millions of euros from libraries across Eastern Europe has left a trail that points all the way to auctions in Russia.

Britain celebrates the 60th anniversary of science-fiction series "Doctor Who" Saturday as fans hail a programme that has enthralled generations since it was first broadcast.

Known as the "Dutch Trump" both for his bouffant dyed hair and firebrand rhetoric, Geert Wilders' anti-Islam, anti-immigrant and anti-EU message seems to have finally swept him to first place at the polls.

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1989, according to a court filing reported by US media and seen by AFP on Wednesday.

Works by the celebrated Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, including haunting headless sculptures, enigmatic tapestries and mask-like portraits, will go on auction Thursday.

Eyes closed, hips swaying, retiree Polly Chan danced like no one was watching at a community centre in Hong Kong, where experts warn of a loneliness epidemic among the ballooning elderly population.

A rare nugget of information about the famously enigmatic street art superstar Banksy emerged Tuesday when he gave his first name as "Robbie" in an unearthed 2003 BBC interview.

Eleven letters sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, including dispatches from the Kremlin, have gone on sale following the blockbuster auction of the diminutive French emperor's hat for $2.1 million.

A silk shirt with a ruffled collar that helped define late music legend Prince's distinctive style has sold for $33,000.

By recruiting former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman following his surprise ouster by ChatGPT's parent company, Microsoft is hiring a tech industry star at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution.

Colombian superstar Shakira goes on trial in Barcelona on Monday in a tax fraud case, with Spanish prosecutors seeking a jail term of over eight years for the Grammy-winning singer.

A bottle of The Macallan 1926, described by Sotheby's auction house as the "most valuable whisky in the world", on Saturday went under the hammer for a record GBP2.1 million.

American superstar Taylor Swift on Saturday postponed a show in Rio de Janeiro due to extreme heat, after a fan died at the singer's concert the previous night.

Sam Altman, the tech titan behind ChatGPT, was abruptly fired Friday by OpenAI, the company that launched the revolutionary artificial intelligence chatbot.

Snoop Dogg, the acclaimed rapper whose image has long been tied to his professed love of marijuana, on Thursday said he's giving up smoking.

Joaquin Phoenix said he was surprised to discover a version of Napoleon who was more like a soppy "teenager in love" than an all-conquering commander as he researched his epic new role.

Refugee goalkeeper Pyae Lyan Aung fears for his safety if he returns home to Myanmar but he says he has no regrets about raising an anti-junta salute before a game two years ago.

Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel is returning -- again -- to host the Oscars for a fourth time, organizers said Wednesday.

Netflix's acclaimed series "The Crown" chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, draws to a close from Thursday, focusing on a subject still highly sensitive to the British monarchy -- the death of Princess Diana.