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Summer brings overtourism fears for 'Bavarian Caribbean'

A picture-perfect Alpine mountain lake in Germany draws so many visitors every summer that the first thing they see is crowded busses, traffic jams and a packed-out carpark.

Rebrand of US culture 'fixture' Cracker Barrel sparks backlash

Cracker Barrel has a special place in the hearts of many Americans, offering homestyle American cuisine in a folksy "Old Country Store" setting complete with rocking chairs and occasional country music performances.

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French MPs urge TikTok ban ultimatum

French MPs on Thursday called on the government to ban video-sharing platform TikTok unless it clarifies its links to China, days after the government blamed social media for fuelling recent riots.

Revealing debut for first Saudi in Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week welcomed its first Saudi designer into the fold on Thursday, with a haute couture show full of daringly revealing looks.

Spain worried by rise in sexual attacks by minors

The rise in sexual assaults by minors in Spain, including several recent gang rapes, has worried officials and experts, who warn about the impact of ever-younger children being exposed to pornography.

Disney cracks open vast archive for centennial celebrations

From princess costumes and cute character sketches to century-old toys, photos and documents, Disney's backrooms and warehouses are stacked to the rafters with "hundreds of millions" of filmmaking treasures, its archivists say.

Meta launches Twitter rival Threads -- but not in Europe

Facebook behemoth Meta officially will launch Threads, its text-based rival to Twitter, on Wednesday -- but its release in Europe has been delayed over regulatory concerns.

Russia launches criminal probe after award-winning reporter attacked

Russian investigators on Wednesday said they had launched a criminal investigation after award-winning journalist Elena Milashina was badly beaten in Chechnya.

Meta's Twitter-like Threads app will not launch in Europe

Facebook owner Meta's new Threads app, meant to rival Twitter, will not be available in the European Union when it launches Thursday because of regulatory concerns, a source close to the company said.

Spacey grabbed man 'like a cobra', UK court hears

A man claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Kevin Spacey said the Hollywood actor grabbed him "like a cobra", a London court heard on Wednesday.

Hello? Don't throw stuff at us, Adele urges fans

Adele warned her Las Vegas residency audience not to throw things onstage, addressing the spate of recent incidents that saw fans chuck items at artists including Bebe Rexha.

Assaulted Russian reporter back in Moscow, condition 'difficult'

Award-winning Russian investigative journalist Elena Milashina, who was badly beaten in the restive republic of Chechnya, is in a "difficult" condition in a Moscow hospital, her editor told AFP Wednesday.

TV satire series is safety valve in troubled Burkina

Your country is one of the poorest in the world, battered by a bloody jihadist insurgency and last year underwent two military coups.

India's headhunter warriors sever past, fret over future

Once, the way to get ahead among India's Konyak warriors was by chopping off an enemy's skull. Today, the last survivors of a past age mourn the changing times -- and a new generation they see as soft.

Fashion and film merge as Paris shows its opulent side

From an absurdly opulent film shoot at the Opera Garnier to a Chanel catwalk along the Seine, fashion week offered a very different view of Paris on Tuesday from the riots of recent days.

'Angry, shocked' stage stars fear for future of British arts

As a wealth of British theatre and opera maestros cross the Channel to perform at French festivals this summer, many are worried about the state of live arts back home.

Turkey seeks severed head of ancient statue from Danish museum

A bronze head of Emperor Septimius Severus on display at a Copenhagen museum has become a bone of contention between the Danish museum and Turkey, which claims it was looted during an archaeological dig in the 1960s and wants it back.

Greek goddesses at Dior couture show

There were no frills or heels for Christian Dior as the label took over the Rodin Museum in Paris on Monday, putting on a fitting homage to Greek goddesses for the opening day of haute couture week.

'Well known' that Kevin Spacey was 'up to no good', UK court told

A man who claims that Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted him said the Hollywood actor was an aggressive "predator" uncomfortable with his sexuality, a London court was told on Monday.

Paris couture week brushes off riots with Surrealist start

An artist-inspired show from Schiaparelli opened Paris haute couture week Monday, easing fears that fashion shows would have to be cancelled due to five nights of rioting across France.

'I was crazy': 50 Cent on 20 years of 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'

As 50 Cent heads out on a world tour marking the 20th anniversary of hip-hop classic "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", he told AFP it's probably his last on this scale.

New 'Indiana Jones' tops N.America box office despite tepid debut

The latest -- and likely last -- installment in the popular "Indiana Jones" franchise lassoed the competition at the North American box office, industry estimates showed Sunday, but analysts noted the weak debut for the fan favorite.

Suspense in Hollywood as actors poised to join writers on strike

Will Hollywood soon be faced with a double strike?

US rejoins UNESCO, reversing Trump withdrawal

The United States rejoined UNESCO on Friday, reversing its withdrawal during the Trump administration, the UN's cultural agency said.

Orchestra-conducting robot wows audience in S. Korean capital

A South Korean-made robot made its debut as an orchestra conductor before a sell-out crowd in Seoul on Friday, wowing the audience with a flawless performance in place of a human maestro.

UK court told Kevin Spacey was a 'sexual bully'

Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey was on Friday described as a "sexual bully", as prosecutors opened their case against him in London for a string of sexual offence charges.

Indian court dismisses Twitter plea on takedown orders

An Indian court on Friday fined Twitter $61,000 after dismissing its plea challenging orders to remove tweets and accounts critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

'Significant threat': Around world, doctors battle impersonators

A Thai doctor endorsing a dubious diabetes treatment, a Filipino physician touting crotch-enhancing underwear, a US doctor sparking off anti-vaccine conspiracies -- they are all victims of identity theft plaguing health professionals.

US rapper Travis Scott won't face criminal charges over concert crush

US rapper Travis Scott will not face criminal charges over the death of 10 people killed in a crush during a Texas concert in 2021, a Houston grand jury decided Thursday.

'Get used to us': South Korean drag queens fight for LGBTQ rights

Drag queen Hurricane Kimchi has torn through Seoul's nightlife scene like their meteorological namesake for a decade, part of a burgeoning LGBTQ community fighting for their rights in socially conservative South Korea.

Google to block local news in Canada in response to media law

Google on Thursday became the latest Silicon Valley giant to block Canadian users from seeing local news on its platform after Ottawa passed a bill requiring tech companies to pay for such content.

Zhou eyes being the height of fashion post F1 career

China's first ever Formula One driver Zhou Guanyu wants to make his mark on the circuit but he said on Thursday he would like to forge a career in fashion when he retires.

French luxury brand tycoon Bernard Arnault in China

French billionaire and luxury brand magnate Bernard Arnault is in China this week, social media posts showed, the latest visit by a foreign executive keen to reconnect to the world's second-largest economy.

Taylor Swift, The Weeknd invited to join Oscars panel

Music megastars Taylor Swift and The Weeknd are among showbiz people invited to join the organization that votes on who gets Oscars, the body said Wednesday.

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