#Art

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was unable to hold Christmas Eve Mass for the first time in more than 200 years — after a fire ravaged its structure in April. With heavy hearts, French Catholics instead gathered at the nearby church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, a few hundred metres away, for a service celebrated by the cathedral’s […]

by Véronique DUPONT After a torrid 2019 in which the queen’s son Prince Andrew was implicated in an underage sex abuse scandal, many in Britain are again asking if the monarchy has gotten too big — and rich — for its own good. The family’s year to forget may encourage Prince Charles, set to eventually […]

China made overtures on trade to Japan and South Korea and offered support for an infrastructure initiative as it hosted the leaders of its two neighbours this week amid strained ties with the US. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Beijing was willing to strengthen […]

A single woman in China has gone to court challenging rules that forbid unmarried women from freezing their eggs in the first case of its kind in the country. Teresa Xu said she was prompted to take legal action after a top hospital in Beijing declined to freeze her eggs last year, and instead told […]

The BJP-run Indian government’s rather precipitate promulgation of a controversial constitutional amendment that allows non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to acquire Indian citizenship on easier terms has triggered rather strong reactions, including some violent ones, both within and outside India. The most obnoxious part of this amended law is that it clearly specifies […]

Reality star Kylie Jenner’s make-up always looks immaculate, so it is not surprising that fans of the founder of Kylie Cosmetics want to know what products she uses. Jenner has shown fans how she applies make-up. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star said she discovered make-up at a young age while going through mum […]

Senorita singer Camila Cabello got a backlash for an old Tumblr account which is making rounds on the Internet. Although she wrote nothing offensive on the blog, Cabello re-shared some offensive posts including one that made fun of a black child and another that made fun of fellow celebrity Rihanna over her domestic abuse experience. […]

When it comes to their six children, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are keeping a united front with plans to spend the holiday at home in California. 44-year-old Angelina Jolie is not planning to travel with her family this Christmas so that her children can see their father, the 56-year-old Brad Pitt. According to an […]

A city in Indonesia’s Aceh province is banning all celebrations related to the New Year, saying Muslims do not commemorate the Gregorian calendar. The ban will be enforced on locals and tourists alike. According to The Jakarta Post, the ban would be imposed in Sabang City on Weh Island in Aceh, which is the only […]

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are spending this year’s Christman with son Archie in Canada, instead of the traditional evening with the Queen of England. While this has caused outrage among many royal fans, some feel it is the right move from the black sheep of the family. However, the internet is unanimously surprised with […]

A Japanese government agency has proposed releasing radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the environment, as storage space runs out. The plant suffered a meltdown about nine years ago after it was hit by an earthquake-triggered tsunami. About a million tonnes of contaminated water has built up since then and the tanks […]

Grand Theft Auto’s wildly popular online multiplayer game has become the latest venue for Hong Kong pro-democracy supporters and Chinese nationalists to wage their ideological battles, with protests now breaking out in the virtual world. Over the last fortnight message boards and social media platforms used by gamers have filled with videos and chatter of […]

Thousands of people in typhoon-prone central Philippines have had their Christmas plans ruined after they were told to leave their homes as a severe tropical storm approaches. Officials on Christmas Eve said residents should evacuate coastal areas, and thousands more were stranded at ports with ferry services shut down as the nation hunkered down for […]

by Dmitry ZAKS Queen Elizabeth II described 2019 as “quite bumpy” in a Christmas Day message at the end of a chaotic year which saw Britain bitterly divided over its split from the European Union and her scandal-plagued son Prince Andrew withdraw from public life. The 93-year-old monarch’s address — to be televised in full […]

by Anuj Chopra A Saudi court verdict that exonerated the crown prince’s top aides over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been globally condemned as a travesty of justice, but won the backing of ally Washington. Five unnamed people were sentenced to death on Monday while three others were handed jail terms totalling 24 […]