London, United Kingdom | AFP | British actor Roger Moore, who played James Bond for more than two decades with a suave wit, died Tuesday aged 89, drawing tributes for his portrayal of the womanising super-spy, and for his charity work. “It is with a heavy heart that we must …
Read More »Jubilant Portugal celebrates first Eurovision victory
Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | Jubilant Portugal on Sunday feted the country’s first ever Eurovision song contest victor Salvador Sobral, who suffers from a serious heart condition but triumphed with a melancholy ballad, with hundreds turning up to welcome him home. “When we are very good, we’re the best of …
Read More »Shakira plans new album this month
New York, United States | AFP | Shakira announced Thursday that she will release a new album later this month after the superstar sported a reggaeton sound on her first single. Shakira, one of the top-selling Latin artists of all time, told her nearly 45 million Twitter followers that her …
Read More »Jay Z returning to festival circuit with tease of new music
New York, United States | AFP | Rap mogul Jay Z was confirmed Monday to play several upcoming festivals, adding to hints of a return to music after years focusing on his business empire. The husband of pop superstar Beyonce — who canceled at last month’s Coachella festival in California …
Read More »Young, hip Zimbabweans flock to rejuvenated arts fest
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Young, fashion-conscious and eager for change, thousands of Zimbabweans spent this week partying at music concerts and open-air bars during a six-day festival hosted in the capital against all the odds. The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), founded in 1999, was abandoned last …
Read More »Kanye West exits social media
New York, United States | AFP | Rap superstar Kanye West, long a prolific user of Twitter, has disappeared from social media after months of erratic behavior. The husband of reality television star Kim Kardashian appeared to have deleted his accounts on Twitter and Instagram, with searches Friday for his …
Read More »‘Baghdaddy’: New York turns Iraq war into musical
New York, United States | AFP | The Iraq war may not sound like musical comedy, but an Off-Broadway revival is spinning intelligence failures and tragedy into a farce that offers potent messages for Donald Trump’s America. “Baghdaddy” officially opens on Monday, telling the true story of an Iraqi defector, …
Read More »‘Human hen’ artist condemned after hatching nine eggs
Paris, France | AFP | A French artist who hatched nine eggs after sitting on them for three weeks has been condemned by an animals rights group for depriving the chicks of a mother. Abraham Poincheval hardly slept in the 23 days he spent nesting inside a glass vitrine in …
Read More »Janet Jackson, husband split months after baby
New York, United States | AFP | Pop superstar Janet Jackson has split from her husband, the Qatari tycoon Wissam Al Mana, just months after they had a baby, reports said Monday. Several celebrity news sites, quoting unnamed sources, said that the 50-year-old younger sister of late King of Pop Michael …
Read More »Tunisia shuts nightclub over call to prayer remix
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisian authorities have shut down a nightclub and begun an investigation after a DJ played a remix recording of the Muslim call to prayer, an official said Monday. A video, widely shared online since Sunday, shows clubbers dancing at the weekend to music that includes …
Read More »