Culture news Louvre shuttered as staff go on strike over working conditions Labour leaders said the strike vote was unanimous and it was not immediately clear whether the work stoppage will last longer than one day. 15/12/2025
Culture news Real magic: Why is this French Christmas ad going viral worldwide? A French supermarket’s Christmas advert is going against the AI trend and it's a hit with millions of people around the world. 15/12/2025
Culture news Russia rules Pussy Riot 'extremist' organisation The ruling follows a September judgment that sentenced all five group members in absentia to up to 13 years in prison. 15/12/2025
Culture news Ireland’s Eurovision winner joins Nemo in returning winners' trophy Eurovision Song Contest winner Charlie McGettigan joins last year's winner Nemo in returning their winners’ trophy. This is in protest at Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026. 15/12/2025
Culture news Merriam-Webster’s 2025 Word of the Year is 'slop' A fitting Word of the Year from Merriam-Webster, which reflects one of 2025's main sources of concern: the proliferation of AI and our way of consuming low quality digital content. 15/12/2025
Culture news Trump attacks Rob Reiner in Truth Social post as Hollywood mourns US President Donald Trump has used his Truth Social media platform to attack Rob Reiner saying he and his wife "reportedly" died "due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction" with "Trump Derangement Syndrome". 15/12/2025
Culture news The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', a new season of 'Fallout', and an exhibition dedicated to manga - here's what this week has in store. 15/12/2025
USA Rob Reiner's son arrested after deaths of Hollywood director and wife Nick Reiner, the younger of Rob Reiner's two sons, spoke publicly of his struggles with addiction and by 18 had cycled in and out of nine treatment facilities. 15/12/2025
Culture news Stranger Things Christmas market takes over Berlin The first episodes of the final season of the hit series Stranger Things have just been released on Netflix. Fans can now pass the time until the remaining episodes at Berlin’s Hawkins Christmas Market. 13/12/2025
Culture news Berlin and New York ballet stars shine at Kazakhstan’s dance festival Berlin State Ballet and American Ballet Theatre stars led the IV Freedom Festival with "Paquita" staged by Altynai Asylmuratova in Kazakhstan, while the Berlin Ballet Company’s contemporary program explored the future of ballet. 13/12/2025
Culture news Rare Roman-style 'Good Shepherd' fresco discovered in Turkey The 3rd-century fresco uncovered by Turkish archaeologists is the best-preserved of its kind to date. 12/12/2025
Culture news Taliban warn four young Afghan men who wore Peaky Blinders outfits According to a Taliban spokesman, the four friends were "promoting foreign culture" and that the men had undergone a "rehabilitation programme". 12/12/2025
Culture news New murals in Lisbon's Zambujal district show residents stories A new art project in one of the Portuguese capital's best-known social housing districts is depicting people's life stories on walls. The initiative, inspired by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, has breathed new life into the Lisbon neighbourhood 12/12/2025
Culture news Disney deal with OpenAI brings Mickey Mouse to Sora AI video tool OpenAI said the agreement with Walt Disney was part of a push to ensure the rights of creators in the generative AI space - amid growing concerns over copyright, deepfakes and misinformation. 12/12/2025
Culture news Eurovision champion Nemo returns trophy to protest Israel's inclusion The contest, which turns 70 in 2026, strives to put pop before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. 11/12/2025
Culture news 'Stolen Children' documentary highlights Georgian adoption scandal From the 1970s until at least 2005, nurses, doctors or taxi drivers were involved in child theft in Georgia. The mothers were told their babies had died and the bodies were not released. Now, a new documentary has given the children a chance to find their biological family. 11/12/2025
Culture news New study suggests human firestarters lived much earlier than expected Archaeologists in Britain have uncovered new evidence which suggests humankind's ability to master fire is some 350,000 years older than previously thought. 11/12/2025
Culture news TIME Person of the Year 2025 announced – and it’s not a person This is not the first time the magazine has picked a non-human as its Person of the Year, and 2025's choice reflects the domination of AI in news, public debate, as well as modern anxieties surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence. 11/12/2025
United Kingdom More than 600 items stolen from UK museum in 'high value' raid The Bristol robbery came just three weeks before a daring daylight heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris which saw a gang make off with crown jewels worth an estimated €88 million. 11/12/2025
Culture news Eurovision crisis: Is Portugal’s 2026 entry at risk? "We do not accept complicity with the violation of Human Rights," the Portuguese artists said in a joint statement, referencing Israel's actions in Gaza -which an independent United Nations inquiry found to be a genocide. 11/12/2025
Culture news Why is Nicolas Sarkozy's prison memoir already a big hit? Rushed to print to take control of the narrative, the book has become a powerful political tool for the former head of state. 10/12/2025
Culture news Iceland to boycott 2026 Eurovision over Israel's participation The announcement from RÚV comes a week after four other countries announced they were pulling out of next year's Eurovision in protest against Israel’s participation. 10/12/2025
France Louvre thieves escaped with 30 seconds to spare, Senate inquiry finds All four suspected members of the motorbike-mounted crew have been arrested, but the missing jewels, valued at around €88 million, have not yet been recovered. 10/12/2025
Culture news Sophie Kinsella, writer of best-selling 'Shopaholic' series, dies Tributes have been paid to the British writer Sophie Kinsella, famous for her best-selling 'Shopaholic' series, who has died of brain cancer at the age of 55. 10/12/2025
Culture news Italian cuisine makes UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list Italian cooking and its biocultural diversity has been recognised by UNESCO on its list of intangible cultural heritage, in a world first. The move rewards how the country celebrates cuisine as a communal activity and applauds its anti-waste approach to recipes. 10/12/2025
Culture news ‘Welcome to hell’: Nicolas Sarkozy’s prison memoir published Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's prison memoir hits shelves today. In it, he describes his 20-day prison stay, including his diet and weak showers, and advises on appealing to the far-right. 10/12/2025
Culture news New study sets world record for discovery of dinosaur footprints A new study paints an enormous picture of almost 17,000 dinosaur footprints in a mountainous area of Bolivia, making it the world's largest find of its kind that's been protected from centuries of erosion. 09/12/2025
Brazil Suspect arrested in Brazil over theft of eight Matisse artworks Two armed men entered the Mario de Andrade Library in São Paulo on Sunday and stole a dozen artworks, according to authorities. 09/12/2025
Culture news Revealed: What are the most annoying Christmas songs? Not everyone gets into the holiday spirit with the same tunes, and Christmas classics often get overplayed. Google Trends and a poll of the American public have revealed the most annoying festive songs. 09/12/2025
Culture news British adult content creator faces 15 years in jail in Indonesia The adult content creator, whose real name is Tia Billinger, faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail after allegedly breaking Indonesian law. 09/12/2025
Culture news Who are the most popular touring artists of the new millennium? Concert trade publication Pollstar recently published a report titled “Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium” - and the results may surprise you. 09/12/2025
Culture news Archaeologists find 2,000-year-old party boat off Alexandria The 1st-century luxury vessel matches the description given by the Greek historian Strabo, who visited the city of Alexandria between 29 and 25 BC. 09/12/2025
France Louvre workers announce strike over work conditions after €88m heist The robbers took less than eight minutes to force their way into the museum using a freight lift to reach one of the building’s windows and angle grinders to cut into jewellery display cases. 08/12/2025
Culture news Golden Globe nominations 2026 announced: Who are the frontrunners? The shortlisted films and TV shows have been announced, with the Golden Globes taking place in Los Angeles on 11 January 2026. Here's the full breakdown of the nominations. 08/12/2025
Culture news Football vs soccer: Does Trump want to rename sport before World Cup? For Americans, the word “football” refers to American football, a sport primarily played with hands. Donald Trump has suggested a new name for the NFL, because “soccer” deserves the name “football”... And even some of his critics are saying he's got a point. 08/12/2025
Culture news White House manipulate clip of Sabrina Carpenter for new ICE video The pop star criticized the White House last week for their use of her song in an ICE video, describing it as "evil and disgusting". The Trump administration have now doubled down with a manipulated clip of the singer - once again used to promote ICE. 08/12/2025
Culture news The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week Daniel Craig is back as Benoit Blanc in 'Wake Up Dead Man', ghoulish art haunts Switzerland's Kunstmuseum Basel, and Irish singer-songwriter Dove Ellis releases their mesmerising debut album. 08/12/2025
Culture news Legendary architect and designer Frank Gehry dies aged 96 Among his many masterpieces were the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Berlin’s DZ Bank Building. 06/12/2025
Culture news Oasis reportedly in talks for next James Bond theme song The new James Bond bosses are reportedly eyeing up Oasis to record the theme song for the next 007 film. 05/12/2025
Culture news Google reveals 2025's most searched topics and people Google has revealed its global ranking of this year's most searched terms, topics and people. From Charlie Kirk to 'The Summer I Turned Pretty,' here is what people were googling in 2025. 05/12/2025
Culture news Eurovision 2026 crisis: Israel kept in - Who’s out and what next? The organizers of next year's Eurovision Song Contest announced they were allowing Israel to compete. This drew quick announcements of withdrawals from several European countries critical of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Here's everything you need to know and what might be next for Eurovision 2026. 05/12/2025
Culture news 'Mortal Kombat' star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa dies aged 75 The prolific actor, best known for playing villains on screen, was discovered by director Bernardo Bertolucci for his film 'The Last Emperor' in 1987. He went on to appear in more than 30 films, including the Mortal Kombat franchise and James Bond film 'License to Kill'. 05/12/2025
Switzerland Four countries boycott Eurovision after Israel allowed to take part The contest, whose 70th edition is scheduled for Vienna in May, pits acts from dozens of nations against one another for the continent's musical crown. 04/12/2025
Culture news Rosalía World Tour 2026: Where will she be playing in Europe? Rosalía has announced a huge world tour for 2026, which will be her biggest run of headline gigs to date. Here's where you can catch her in Europe next year - and when to start booking tickets. 04/12/2025