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In 'Tenzing', a Sherpa mountaineer gets his due

It took years for Tenzing Norgay to secure his place in history as the man who, alongside New Zealander Edmund Hillary, first reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Ed Sheeran set to return to stage after Palestinian controversy

Chanting protesters greeted concertgoers Saturday in Philadelphia ahead of pop superstar Ed Sheeran's first show since his tour plunged into turmoil ignited by his opening act's pro-Palestinian comments.

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UK court orders Prince Harry, others to pay Daily Mail initial £9.5mn

A UK court ordered Prince Harry and six others Friday to pay an initial £9.5 million ($13 million) after they lost their long-running privacy case against the publisher of British tabloid the Daily Mail.

'So bad it's good': rough animated film becomes surprise Chinese hit

A low-budget Chinese animated film that was widely mocked for its crude visuals became a viral hit, with people packing cinemas to see just how bad it is.

Amazon Prime Video to invest $2 bn in Latin America productions

Amazon announced Thursday that it would invest $2 billion in Latin American productions for its Prime Video streaming service through 2030 to harness "extraordinary" momentum in the region.

Kanye West planned concerts trigger frenzy in Russia

Rapper Kanye West's announcement of two stadium concerts in Russia later this year has sent the local media and political scene into a frenzy -- with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman even asked on Thursday if a planned meeting was on the cards.

Hungary music festival basks in post-Orban freedom

Drifting between concert stages and chilling on hammocks, revellers partied in Hungary this year at one of Europe's largest outdoor festivals, with organisers saying they no longer felt "headwinds" under the country's new government.

Zuckerberg buys Gothic castle in Ireland: spokesman

Tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have bought an Irish castle and are "excited" about the historic home, a spokesman for the businessman said in a statement Thursday.

'Girl with a Pearl Earring' in Japan, perhaps for the last time

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" will go on show in Osaka this week, on a rare trip abroad for the 17th-century Johannes Vermeer masterpiece and potentially its last to Japan.

Some of Meta's safety tools were 'designed to fail': witness

A former employee testified on Wednesday that some of Meta's safety tools for Facebook and Instagram were "designed to fail," contradicting the company's defense strategy in a landmark trial in California.

New 'Insidious' reflects anxiety of being a new parent: director

When he sat down to write "Insidious: Out of the Further," the sixth installement of the blockbuster horror franchise, director Jacob Chase channeled his fears over a major life event: becoming a parent.

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at age 77

Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of American rock-blues group ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77, the band and their publicist announced Tuesday.

Spain's Granada closes iconic Alhambra as new quake hits

Granada's treasured Alhambra palace shut with minor damage on Tuesday after a second major earthquake in days sent debris falling and injured three people in the Spanish city, authorities said.

Disney, ABC sue US regulator over threat to broadcast licenses

Walt Disney-owned ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, accusing the US regulatory body of waging a retaliatory campaign against the television network on behalf of the Trump administration.

Discord suspends livestreams in Brazil after teen's suicide

Popular messaging platform Discord said Monday that it had complied with a Brazilian government order to suspend livestreaming and video calls in the country after a teen girl was allegedly goaded into taking her own life during one such broadcast.

Thousands mourn dead black academic in London vigil

Thousands of people gathered in central London late Monday to hold a vigil for black academic Jason Arday, blaming racism and relentless media pressure for his death last week.

Crowds turn out for 'Total Eclipse' singer Bonnie Tyler's funeral

Hundreds of people joined mourners on Monday for the funeral of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, with fans singing along to the star's song "It's a Heartache" as her coffin was carried into church.

Cambridge head slams 'feeding frenzy' over dead academic

The head of Cambridge university on Monday condemned a "racist feeding frenzy" prompted by plagiarism claims against the black academic Jason Arday, who was found dead last week after resigning from his post.

Disney offers fans an escapist bubble at D23 event

Disney devotees lined up for a weekend of escapism at D23, the official fan club's biennial convention that draws tens of thousands of people to Anaheim for three days, billed as "the Ultimate Disney Fan Event."

Monica Bellucci and Florin Serban win at Locarno Film Festival

"You Don’t Belong Here" by Romanian director Florin Serban won the Golden Leopard on Saturday at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, while Italian star Monica Bellucci won an acting award in another movie.

Disney reveals 'X-Men' cast, slate of sequels at D23 fan event

Adam Driver, Inde Navarrette and Sadie Sink will be among those joining the cast of Marvel's next "X-Men" movie, Disney announced at its biennial D23 fan gathering in California on Friday.

Stolen Matisse works tied to infamous art thief in Brazil

Phone logs of a notorious art and rare-book thief in Brazil proved to be the key for police to recover eight stolen engravings by famed French painter Henri Matisse, after they were pilfered from a library exhibition in Sao Paulo last December.

Kennedy Center board votes to restore Trump name: reports

US President Donald Trump has sought to burnish his legacy by getting his name and image placed on everything, from limited edition passports to a Florida airport.

Twitch sparks gamers' wrath with Amazon AI sharing deal

Livestream gaming giant Twitch has raised hackles among its millions of users after declaring it will share their data with its parent company Amazon, to better train the online retailer's AI models.

Matthew McConaughey on his sweet return to the big screen

Matthew McConaughey had plenty of reasons to select "The Rivals of Amziah King," a honey-themed thriller set in the American Southwest, for his return to the big screen after more than five years away.

Trump's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt to step down

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who earned a reputation for acid putdowns of journalists, is to step down, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday adding she would remain a senior advisor.

Rod Stewart cancels tour dates after heart surgery

British rock star Rod Stewart, 81, has cancelled forthcoming US tour dates after having a heart operation, his social media announced.

Spotify to launch badge identifying AI music

Streaming giant Spotify said Tuesday it would launch a new "AI Persona" badge in mid-September clearly identifying content producers that are AI-generated and not real people.

Newly crowned world's best pastry chef stays true to artisan roots

The smell of warm bread hangs in the air at one of Benoit Castel's patisseries in Paris, where the newly crowned world's best pastry chef was hard at work testing new recipes.

Tupac Shakur murder trial begins 30 years after rapper's death

The trial of a former gang leader accused of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur finally began on Monday, 30 years after one of America's most high-profile unresolved killings.

UK radio broke rules in announcing king's death: watchdog

A community radio station breached the rules after accidentally announcing the death of King Charles III in a May broadcast, a UK watchdog said on Monday.

Self-taught Turkish 'linguist' keeps dead language alive

Mehmet Kusman did not spend very long at school, but he traced the ancient inscriptions chiselled into the black basalt rock and read: "Before me there was nothing. But by the power of the god Haldi I founded this city."

Ithaca bets on hometown hero Odysseus for tourism boom

Standing on the ferry as it waits to dock on the Greek island of Ithaca, Giorgia Ongarato is only too keen to talk about the "Odyssey" -- the epic poem that inspired Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film.

Meta will soon face another high-stakes trial in US

With two convictions and nearly $1 billion in damages already stacked up, Meta will face another trial starting this week about alleged harms to children in a case brought by four US states.

The Japan Times - Culture (English)