English

David Mouriquand

Art

Gustav Klimt portrait breaks modern art record at auction

Klimt's “Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer” helped save the life of its Jewish subject during the Holocaust. It broke a record at auction previously set by an Andy Warhol potrait of Marilyn Monroe.

Cinema

Who leads the nominations for the 2026 European Film Awards?

Three Cannes-premiering (and winning) films - Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value,' Óliver Laxe's 'Sirāt' and Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just an Accident' - are among the nominees for Europe's top film prize.

Culture news

New Zealand book award disqualifies two authors for AI artwork

The New Zealand Book Awards Trust introduced a new rule this year stating that any book submitted for the Ockham awards must not contain AI material of any kind.

Culture news

Why is a UK school seeking to ban 'KPop Demon Hunters' songs?

A school in England is seeking to protect “Christian ethos” by banning songs from the hit Netflix animated movie ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, explaining to parents that demons are associated with "spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness."

ADVERTISEMENT

Culture news

Cambridge Dictionary unveils its ‘unhealthy’ Word of the Year for 2025

Feel connected to a celebrity you’ve never met in person? "Parasocial" has been crowned Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year, highlighting the rise in “unhealthy” and “one-sided” relationships with celebrities, influencers and even AI chatbots.

Cinema

Tom Cruise has finally been awarded an Oscar

Tom Cruise remains one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars, and a competitive Oscar has eluded him - despite being nominated four times. Now, the leading man finally got to hold his own Academy Award on a Hollywood stage...

Culture news

Massive backlash as Disney CEO says company to embrace generative AI

Recent comments made by Disney CEO Bob Iger have resulted in calls to boycott the streaming service.

Culture news

Kanye ‘Ye’ West threatened with immediate arrest in Brazil

“No one who promotes Nazism will play or sing any words on public equipment belonging to the City Hall,” said São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes.

Culture news

Breaking Rust: Can you tell the difference between real and AI music?

An AI-generated music persona has topped the US Billboard charts for the first time, at the same time as a “first-of-its-kind" study from French streaming service Deezer reveals that 97 per cent of people “can’t tell the difference” between real music and AI-generated music.

Culture news

Take a look inside the ‘Mona Lisa Bible’ as it goes on display in Rome

Rarely seen in public, the two-volume manuscript is now on display in Rome – as part of the Vatican’s Holy Year celebrations, a tradition held every quarter century and which draws tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome.

Culture news

New documentary confirms myth of Hitler's deformed genitals

'Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator' airs this weekend on UK screens and apparently vindicates a famous British WWII song which mocked the Nazi dictator.

Lifestyle

New global study finds most people would choose live gigs over sex

A global survey by Live Nation, spanning 15 countries and 40,000 participants, has discovered that 70 per cent of music fans would rather see a live show than have sex. Come again?

Culture news

Explained: Why is Canada pushing to join Eurovision?

Canada is exploring the possibility of joining Eurovision, something officials say reflects the country's effort to assert its cultural independence and deepen ties with Europe. The EBU has confirmed early talks are underway, but no decision has been made.

Culture news

Holy screens: What are Pope Leo XIV’s favourite movies?

Pope Leo XIV will host several film stars and directors at an event this weekend as part of the Roman Catholic Church Jubilee, which takes place every quarter century. The pontiff has shared his favourite films...

Cinema

Adele to make acting debut in Tom Ford’s adaptation of ‘Cry to Heaven’

Celebrated British singer Adele is currently taking a break from music after completing a huge residency in Las Vegas. Now, she's about to say 'Hello' to the big screen...

Lifestyle

Modern dating: Do you know your ‘Benching’ from your ‘Shrekking’?

New words are routinely popping up to describe an evolving relationship landscape - but also paint a largely dispiriting picture.

Culture news

Oscar-nominated American actress Sally Kirkland dies aged 84

The actress was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for her role in ‘Anna’, and made appearances in films including 'The Sting', ‘JFK’ and 'Bruce Almighty'.

Food and Drink

UNESCO: First 'yes' to Italian cuisine for Intangible Heritage status

The UNESCO technical committee of experts has given an initial sign of approval for Italian cuisine to be inscribed in the UN body's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The final decision is expected in December.

Culture news

Magic memorabilia: Iconic 'The Wizard of Oz' hat heads to auction

Worn by Margaret Hamilton in the classic 1939 film, the iconic hat hits the auction block next month, preceded by the release in cinemas of 'Wicked: For Good', the concluding chapter of the origin story of the witches of Oz.

Culture news

Hungarian-British author David Szalay wins Booker Prize for 'Flesh'

The Booker Prize is the UK's most prestigious fiction award and is open to novels written in the English language. This year's award goes to David Szalay for his novel "Flesh", which tackles themes of masculinity, migration and power.

ADVERTISEMENT