The French baguette, Algerian Rai music and Tunisia's harissa condiment are among this year's contenders for recognition as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, which started deliberations Monday in Morocco. . Rai music is on the list not just as a form of music but as a whole cultural tradition.
The world's focus has shifted to the war in Ukraine, but two major new documentaries aim to throw the spotlight back on Afghanistan, and the people left behind by the United States' rapid withdrawal last year.. - 'Share their pain' - Though the conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine are vastly different in nature, both films offer a cautionary tale about what can happen once the West's focus shifts.
Confirmed for a sixth term as president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled oil-rich Equatorial Guinea since August 1979, overseeing a regime notorious for crushing dissent and fearing coups.. - Fear of coups - Obiang graduated from military school while the country, as Spanish Guinea, was still under the rule of Spain's fascist dictator, General Francisco Franco.
The official streaming platform of the World Cup is inaccessible in much of Saudi Arabia, subscribers told AFP on Saturday, saying they had received no explanation for the outage.. Several subscribers in Saudi Arabia told AFP on Saturday they had been unable to access the service since the World Cup began on November 20.
The elegant house overlooking Amsterdam's iconic Vondelpark would fit in nicely with its neighbouring dwellings, were it not for the huge anti-war banners draped down the outside.. In the meantime, they have promised to use the Russian tycoon's mansion to organise political and social events -- to support anti-war protesters and to support people "left behind by war or by capitalism". jcp/dk/jhe/jj
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was on Friday named head of the Socialist International (SI) as the movement of centre-left parties gathered in Madrid for a three-day congress. . The telegenic 50-year-old takes over from former Greek prime minister George Papandreou as head of the SI, a movement grouping 132 political parties from around the world.
The rapper and fashion designer Kanye West has suggested he will run for president in 2024 and wants Donald Trump to be his running mate.. "What you guys think his response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?"
A "lucky charm" Christian Dior dress worn by Elizabeth Taylor on the night she won best actress at the 1961 Oscars is to be sold at auction next month, after being stored in a suitcase in London for over 50 years.. The auction at which the Dior Oscar dress is expected to fetch between £40,000-60,000 ($48,000-$73,000) will take place in London on December 6. har/phz/rox
Former French first lady Carla Bruni lashed out on Friday against media coverage of France's latest MeToo scandal involving an actor in her sister's new film.. In a statement on Friday, Bruni-Tedeschi denounced "a media lynching".
A senior cardinal on trial for fraud secretly taped a conversation with Pope Francis where he asked the pontiff to confirm he had approved some secret financial transactions, it emerged Friday.. In the call with the pope on July 24, 2021 -- 10 days after Francis left hospital following colon surgery -- the cardinal asked the pontiff to confirm that he had approved a plan to release funds to free a Colombian nun held in Mali.
