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South Korea election hit by misinformation
A photo of the frontrunner bowing to a Mao Zedong statue? News reports claiming US President Donald Trump endorsed a long-shot candidate? Not true, just examples of South Korea's election misinformation problems.

'The Matrix is everywhere': cinema bets on immersion
In a Los Angeles theater, a trench coat-wearing Neo bends backwards to dodge bullets that spiral over the viewer's head, as the sound of gunfire erupts from everywhere.

Vienna calling: Strauss's 'Blue Danube' waltzes into outer space
Austrian composer Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" has, for many people, been synonymous with space travel since it was used in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi classic "2001: A Space Odyssey".

Vienna calling: Strauss's 'The Blue Danube' to waltz into outer space
Austrian composer Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" has, for many people, been synonymous with space travel since it was used in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi film classic "2001: A Space Odyssey".

'M*A*S*H' actress Loretta Swit dead: publicist
Loretta Swit, the US actress who brought Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan to life in the seminal Korean War comedy series "M*A*S*H" has died. She was 87.

'We love it': Marseille discovers new Banksy artwork
A new mural depicting a lighthouse by world-famous street artist Banksy has appeared on a wall in the southern French city of Marseille, with AFP confirming its location on Friday.

Rooted in the earth, India's traditional mud wrestling thrives
Crowds cheer as muscular men in tight loincloths slap sacred scented soil on their bulging thighs and arms for a mud wrestling bout in India.

New York's Met museum sheds new light on African art collection
From a delicate 13th-century clay figure to self-portraits by photographer Samuel Fosso, New York's Metropolitan Museum reopens its African art collection on Saturday, exploring the "complexity" of the past and looking to the present.

Remains of Mayan city nearly 3,000 years old unearthed in Guatemala
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a Mayan city nearly 3,000 years old in northern Guatemala, with pyramids and monuments that point to its significance as an important ceremonial site, the Central American country's culture ministry said Thursday.

Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri out at Dior
Dior announced Thursday that Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri was stepping down as artistic director of the French fashion house's women's collection after almost a decade on the job.

Lee Jae-myung's rise from poverty to brink of South Korean presidency
Lawsuits, scandals, armed troops and a knife-wielding attacker all failed to deter Lee Jae-myung's ascendancy from sweatshop worker to the cusp of South Korea's presidency.

AI personal shoppers hunt down bargain buys
Internet giants are diving deeper into e-commerce with digital aides that know shoppers' likes, let them virtually try clothes on, hunt for deals and even place orders.

Kenya's Ngugi wa Thiong'o, champion of African expression
During his imprisonment, Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o decided he would never write in English again, a defiant move that helped put literature in African languages firmly on the map.

In new battle, Rubio to refuse US visas over online 'censorship'
The United States said Wednesday it will refuse visas to foreign officials who block Americans' social media posts, as President Donald Trump's administration wages a new battle over free expression.

Brazil breaks out in a rash over life-like doll craze
Gabi Matos looks the quintessential doting mum as she changes Ravi's nappy, cooing reassuringly as he stares up at her.

S.Africa's 'king of kitsch' Tretchikoff sells for new world record
Vladimir Tretchikoff's iconic painting "Lady from the Orient" has sold for more than $1.7m in a new world record for the Russia-born South African painter, a Johannesburg auction house said Wednesday.

Tweed's youthful makeover resurrects symbol of Scottish heritage
"When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here," joked 38-year-old former banker Alexander MacLeod as he set up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch.

Filipino 'Anak' singer Aguilar dies aged 72
Filipino singer-songwriter Freddie Aguilar, best known for his chart-topping international hit "Anak", died in Manila aged 72 on Tuesday, local media reported.

Spain's EU partners punt on Catalan language push
Spain has revived a push for Basque, Catalan and Galician to be made official EU languages, despite a less-than-enthusiastic response from fellow European countries fearing a domino effect.

Filmmaker Panahi cheered on return to Iran after Cannes triumph
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Pahani was given a hero's welcome on his return to Tehran Monday by supporters after winning the top prize at the Cannes film festival, footage posted on social media showed.
Trier misses out on top Cannes prize again
Director Joachim Trier, who won the Grand Prix second prize at the Cannes film festival Saturday, makes Scandinavian movies that can melt the chilliest of hearts.

Iraq's first ever director in Cannes wins best feature debut
Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, on Saturday won a top prize for his childhood adventure under economic sanctions in "The President's Cake".
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Panahi wins Cannes top prize
Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or top prize at the Cannes film festival on Saturday, using his acceptance speech to urge his country to unite for "freedom".

After brief X outage, Musk says refocusing on businesses
Social media platform X was hit by a two-hour outage Saturday, prompting owner Elon Musk to say he needs to spend more time focusing on his companies.

Iranian filmmaker Panahi urges 'freedom' as he wins Cannes top prize
Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or top prize at the Cannes film festival on Saturday, using his acceptance speech to urge his country to unite for "freedom".

Dissident Iranian filmmaker Panahi wins top prize at Cannes
"It Was Just an Accident" by dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or for best film at the Cannes Festival on Saturday.

Jafar Panahi: Iran's dissident director who lives for cinema
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who won the top prize at the Cannes film festival on Saturday, is a twice-jailed arthouse cinema veteran whose films are banned in his homeland.

Jeremy Strong brings male power-dressing to Cannes
Not content to let extravagant sculptural dresses steal all the limelight on the Cannes red carpet, "Succession" star Jeremy Strong has brought some eye-catching male designer wear to the film festival.

'Outstanding' Dardenne brothers teenage mothers movie has Cannes in tears
Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, whose inspiring new film "Young Mothers" is vying for the top prize in Cannes, said they wanted to show young women defying the fate that was forced on them.
Cannes hit by power sabotage as film festival draws to a close
Suspected vandalism knocked out power to the French Riviera town Cannes on the final day of its film festival on Saturday, but organisers said the show would go on at their glitzy closing ceremony.

Cannes hit by power cut as film festival draws to a close
The Cannes film festival drew to a close on Saturday, promising to overcome a major power cut in order to hand out its prizes at a VIP-studded ceremony later.

Japanese filmmaker Fukada casts queasy gaze on J-pop idols
Exploitative contracts that force young female Japanese pop stars to forego relationships and sex are at the heart of director Koji Fukada's latest film, which has premiered in Cannes.