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Sylvester Stallone pretends to box with Pope at Vatican
American actor Sylvester Stallone travelled to the Vatican on Friday for a brief private audience with Pope Francis.
Vienna tour aims to demystify 'Hitler balcony' after far-right clip
A guided tour is seeking to demystify the so-called "Hitler balcony" in Vienna after the notorious landmark appeared in a video promoting Austria's far-right party.
Chastain backs strikes as she closes political Venice fest
Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain arrived at the Venice Film Festival Friday with a provocative new film, "Memory", and an impassioned message in support of the Hollywood strikes by actors and writers.
No progress on resolving actors' strike: union negotiator
Hollywood's major studios and streamers have made no contract overtures to striking actors since they walked off the job in July, the performers' chief negotiator said Thursday, urging the companies to make a good-faith effort.
Miyazaki's likely swan song charms Toronto as film fest opens
The Toronto International Film Festival opened Thursday with admiring applause for "The Boy and the Heron," Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's likely last movie -- a meditation on love, loss and the horrors of World War II.
Chastain closes out strongly political Venice festival
Has the Venice Film Festival saved its best for last? Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain is back on Friday with a provocative romance between a recovering alcoholic and dementia patient in "Memory".
Toronto film fest opens with Miyazaki's likely swan song
The biggest film festival in North America opens Thursday in Toronto with the international launch of Oscar-winning Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's likely last movie, as the twin Hollywood strikes drag on.
Japan boyband agency admits founder's sexual abuse
The president of Japan's biggest boyband agency admitted on Thursday that its late founder sexually abused young aspiring stars, decades after the allegations against him first emerged.
Syria's ancient adobe houses threatened by war, displacement
Traditional mud-brick houses that the people of northern Syria have built for thousands of years risk disappearing, as 12 years of war have emptied villages and left the buildings crumbling.
Google to require political ads to disclose AI creations
Google on Wednesday said it will mandate that political advertisements on its platforms disclose when images and audio have been altered or created using tools such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Iconic Freddie Mercury memorabilia sells for over £3 mn
The piano Queen frontman Freddie Mercury used to compose almost all of his greatest songs and the original manuscript for "Bohemian Rhapsody" were snapped up for over £3 million Wednesday when they went under the hammer in London.
Honorary Oscars gala postponed until January amid strikes
The Governors Awards gala, at which honorary Oscars are handed out for lifetime achievement, has been pushed back from November to January, organizers said Wednesday, as Hollywood reels from the ongoing actors' and writers' strikes.
Iconic Freddie Mercury memorabilia goes under the hammer
The baby grand piano Queen frontman Freddie Mercury used to compose almost all of his greatest songs and the original manuscript for "Bohemian Rhapsody" were snapped up Wednesday when they went under the hammer in London.
Hard-hitting migrant films tighten Venice race
The blistering tale of an African's journey to Europe and a moving film about refugees at Poland's border, which has angered its government, have tightened the race at the Venice Film Festival.
Thousands of Freddie Mercury's personal items go on sale
A sale of thousands of items belonging to the charismatic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury got under way Wednesday in London, with the graffiti-covered green door of Mercury's home first to go under the hammer.
Rolling Stones album of new songs out next month
The Rolling Stones will release their first album of new music in 18 years next month, lead singer Mick Jagger, fellow founding bandmate Keith Richards and bass guitarist Ronnie Wood announced Wednesday in London.
'Door is open' says first black US director at Venice
US director Ava DuVernay said she hoped that her entry in Venice on Wednesday, "Origin", would set a precedent as the first by "an African-American woman" at the world's oldest film festival.
The Rolling Stones in dates
As legendary English rock band The Rolling Stones launch their first album in nearly two decades, AFP looks back at standout moments in more than 60 years together.
New Rolling Stones album out next month
The Rolling Stones will release their first album of new music in 18 years next month, lead singer Mick Jagger announced on Wednesday.
Early humans deliberately made mysterious stone 'spheroids'
The early ancestors of humans deliberately made stones into spheres 1.4 million years ago, a study said on Wednesday, though what prehistoric people used the balls for remains a mystery.
French actor Kassovitz sends message to fans from hospital bed
French actor Mathieu Kassovitz, director of the 1995 film "La Haine", on Wednesday thanked fans for their support following his serious motorbike accident which left him with a broken femur and ankle.
Thousands of Freddie Mercury's personal items to go on sale
Thousands of items belonging to the charismatic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, from manuscripts of his band's biggest hits to furniture, paintings and knick-knacks are on auction in London from Wednesday.
In inflation-hit Buenos Aires, tango enthusiasts sway the blues away
Argentina's biting economic crisis cannot keep tango enthusiasts from seeking out the haunting tunes of piano and concertina music at a dwindling number of dance halls in the capital.
Venice to trial ticketing system from spring 2024
Venice will trial a ticketing system from spring next year, officials said Tuesday, with day-trippers charged five euros to enter the historic Italian city in a "trailblazing" bid to cut tourist numbers.
AFP Fact Check: Fukushima wastewater release spawns misinformation
Japan's release of wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has unleashed a wave of misinformation, with AFP debunking false claims of a radioactive Pacific Ocean that have been viewed millions of times.
Microsoft gambles big on Hollywood-esque 'Starfield' video game
"Starfield", one of the most-anticipated video games in years, launches worldwide on Wednesday with the hype -- and production standards -- of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Japan's Ryusuke Hamaguchi on following his Oscar success
Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi made history with his Oscar-winning "Drive My Car". For his follow-up, he has retreated into nature.
Exodus begins at drenched Burning Man party in US desert
Revelers stuck in the mud for days at the Burning Man festival in Nevada finally began heading home on Monday after Mother Nature rained on their big party.
Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell dead at 56
Steve Harwell, a founding member and former leader of the US rock band Smash Mouth, known for its hit songs "All Star" and "Walkin' on the Sun," died Monday at age 56, his agent said.
'Burners' at drenched desert party inch toward exodus
Revelers stuck in the mud for days at the Burning Man festival hoped for a break Monday as they waited for impassable roads to reopen so they could head home after Mother Nature rained on their big party.
Priscilla Presley: biopic 'amazing but difficult to watch'
Priscilla Presley, whose romance with Elvis began when she was 14, said Monday it was "difficult to watch" the new movie about their marriage.
Woody Allen says he supports #MeToo as 50th film shows at Venice
After a critical mauling for Roman Polanski, another blacklisted director -- Woody Allen -- arrived at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, insisting he supported the #MeToo movement "when it's beneficial".