Showing 1 - 10 of 107
Sumo diplomacy: Japan's heavyweight 'soft power' ambassadors
AFP, Published on 30/01/2026
» TOKYO - Two giants stare each other down before colliding with a dull thud. After years on the sidelines, sumo is back centrestage as part of Japan's soft power arsenal overseas.
Amid Ukraine war fallout, fearful Chechen women seek escape route
AFP, Published on 28/01/2026
» EUROPE - Facing what activists say is a hardening of repression inside Chechnya amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Asil and Aishat, both young women, recently fled their violent families in search of safety.
Over 70 shark, ray species win new wildlife trade protections
AFP, Published on 28/11/2025
» BANGKOK - The world's top wildlife trade organisation increased protections on Friday for more than 70 species of sharks and rays, in a move conservationists hailed as a "historical win".
Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, White Stripes among Rock Hall of Fame inductees
AFP, Published on 10/11/2025
» LOS ANGELES (UNITED STATES) - Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, the White Stripes and Soundgarden were among this year's inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, adding their names to the pantheon of music's most esteemed and beloved acts.
Celebrated soul musician D'Angelo dead at 51
AFP, Published on 15/10/2025
» NEW YORK - Grammy-winning musician D’Angelo has died at the age of 51 after “a prolonged and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer,” his family told US media on Tuesday.
Top music body says AI firms guilty of 'wilful' copyright theft
AFP, Published on 18/09/2025
» PARIS - AI companies have sucked up the world's entire music catalogue and are guilty of "wilful, commercial-scale copyright infringement", a major music industry group told AFP.
Anna Wintour steps down as US Vogue editor after nearly 40 years
AFP, Published on 27/06/2025
» NEW YORK - Magazine legend Anna Wintour stepped down as editor of US Vogue on Thursday after 37 years during which she was often hailed as the single most influential figure in the fashion world.
Inside Saudi's hajj-only barbershop, shaving thousands of heads in a day
AFP, Published on 07/06/2025
» MINA (SAUDI ARABIA) - Near the holy city of Mecca, men in white robes stand quietly in a long queue, waiting for the next important act of their hajj pilgrimage: a haircut.
Muslim pilgrims 'stone the devil' as hajj concludes in Saudi
AFP, Published on 06/06/2025
» MINA (SAUDI ARABIA) - Pilgrims were set to perform the last major ritual of the hajj -- the "stoning of the devil" -- on Friday, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday.
Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in hajj apex
AFP, Published on 05/06/2025
» MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia - Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day.