Thursday, November 21

Tag: World news

British actor Tom Wilkinson, known for ‘The Full Monty’ and ‘Michael Clayton,’ dies at 75
31Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

British actor Tom Wilkinson, known for ‘The Full Monty’ and ‘Michael Clayton,’ dies at 75

LONDON -- Tom Wilkinson, the Oscar-nominated British actor known for his roles in “The Full Monty," “Michael Clayton” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” has died, his family said. He was 75.A statement shared by his agent on behalf of the family said Wilkinson died suddenly at home on Saturday. It didn't provide further details. Wilkinson was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his work in 2001's family drama “In The Bedroom” and in the best supporting actor category for his role in “Michael Clayton,” a 2007 legal thriller that starred George Clooney. He is remembered by many in Britain and beyond for playing former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper in the 1997 comedy “The Full Monty," about a group of unemployed steel workers who formed an unlikely male stripping act. Wilkinso...
Read More
Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK’s New Year Honors list
30Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK’s New Year Honors list

LONDON -- Singer Shirley Bassey, director Ridley Scott and Mary Earps, the goalkeeper for England's women's soccer team, were recognized Friday in the U.K.'s New Year Honors list, which celebrates the achievements and services of more than 1,000 people across the country.Bassey, 86, who is already a dame — the female equivalent of a knight — was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honor for her services to music. The Welsh singer, best known for her “James Bond" theme songs “Goldfinger” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” became the 64th living member of the order, a special status held by no more than 65 people at any one time.“Entertaining audiences for over 70 years has been a privilege," she said. “My heart is full of emotion and I am truly humbled.”Scott, whose films include “Gladiat...
Read More
King Charles III’s Christmas message reflects a coronation theme and calls for planet’s protection
25Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

King Charles III’s Christmas message reflects a coronation theme and calls for planet’s protection

LONDON -- LONDON (AP) — King Charles III reflected his coronation theme of public service Monday in a Christmas message that he connected to the health of the planet and wars that are raging.In a prerecorded video shot with him standing beside a Christmas tree in Buckingham Palace, the king spoke of the message of Jesus’ life in serving those less fortunate as he honored the “selfless army” that forms the “backbone of our society” helping others.“My heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another, going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do,” he said.It was the king’s second Christmas speech since he ascended the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in Septem...
Read More
China OKs 105 online games in Christmas gesture of support after draft curbs trigger massive losses
25Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

China OKs 105 online games in Christmas gesture of support after draft curbs trigger massive losses

BANGKOK -- China’s press and publications authority has approved 105 new online games, saying it fully supports the industry after proposed curbs caused massive losses last week for investors in major games makers. The National Press and Publication Administration issued a statement on its WeChat social media account Monday saying the approvals by the Game Working Committee of China Music and Digital Association were “positive signals that support the prosperity and healthy development of the online game industry.”Tencent's “Counter War: Future” and NetEase’s “Firefly Assault” were among games approved.Draft guidelines for curbs on online gaming had caused share prices of video game makers like Tencent and Netease to plunge on Friday, causing losses of tens of billions of dollars and drag...
Read More
AP PHOTOS: Spanish tapestry factory, once home to Goya, is still weaving 300 years after it opened
24Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

AP PHOTOS: Spanish tapestry factory, once home to Goya, is still weaving 300 years after it opened

MADRID -- Spain’s Royal Tapestry Factory has been decorating the walls and floors of palaces and institutions for more than 300 years.Located on a quiet, leafy street in central Madrid, its artisans work with painstaking focus on tapestries, carpets and heraldic banners, combining the long wisdom of the craft with new techniques.The factory was opened in 1721 by Spain’s King Felipe V. He brought in Catholic craftsmen from Flanders, which had been part of Spain’s empire, to get it started.Threads and wool of all colors, bobbins, tools and spinning wheels are everywhere. Some of the original wooden machines are still in use.The general director, Alejandro Klecker de Elizalde, is proud of the factory's sustainable nature.“Here the only products we work with are silk, wool, jute, cotton, line...
Read More
London police investigate alleged theft of Banksy stop sign
23Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

London police investigate alleged theft of Banksy stop sign

LONDON -- Detectives are investigating the alleged theft of a Banksy work of art after witnesses shot photos and video of a man removing a red stop sign adorned with three military drones, London police said Saturday.The sign was taken less than an hour after the elusive street artist posted a photo of the work on his Instagram page Friday.Video showed a man with bolt cutters climbing up on a bicycle to remove the work from a sign post on a street corner in the Peckham area of south London while another man steadied the bike. The man who cut the sign free then ran off with it in his hand.A voice on a video of the incident could be heard saying, “it makes me so annoyed,” as the man ran away. A witness who only wanted to be called Alex told the PA news agency that the small crowd of people ...
Read More
China drafts new rules proposing restrictions on online gaming
22Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

China drafts new rules proposing restrictions on online gaming

HONG KONG -- China released draft guidelines Friday aimed at curbing excessive spending on online gaming in the latest move by the ruling Communist Party to keep control of the virtual economy.The proposal caused shares in the biggest Chinese gaming companies, Tencent and NetEase, to plunge in Hong Kong. China’s gaming regulator, the National Press and Publication Administration, issued guidelines saying online games cannot offer incentives for daily log-ins or purchases. Other restrictions include limiting how much users can recharge and issuing warnings for “irrational consumption behavior.”Shares in Tencent, China’s largest gaming company, dived about 16% before recovering some ground to close 12% lower. Rival NetEase’s stock price lost about 25%.Beijing has taken various measures agai...
Read More
Oscars shortlists revealed: Here are the films one step closer to a nomination
21Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

Oscars shortlists revealed: Here are the films one step closer to a nomination

The “Barbie” power ballad “I’m Just Ken” and AP and Frontline’s documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” just got one step closer to an Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, and crafts like hair and makeup, visual effects and sound.Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol” was shortlisted in both the documentary and international feature categories, representing Ukraine in the latter.As expected, Greta Gerwig's “Barbie,” Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer” and Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon” were prominently represented among the finalists in many categories, including score and sound. “Oppenheimer” was not among the 10 ...
Read More
Pompeii’s ancient art of textile dyeing is revived to show another side of life before eruption
21Dec By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

Pompeii’s ancient art of textile dyeing is revived to show another side of life before eruption

POMPEII, Italy -- A new project inside the Pompeii archaeological site is reviving ancient textile dyeing techniques to show another side of daily life before the city was destroyed by a volcano in A.D. 79The inspiration comes from frescoes unearthed inside the archaeological site that show winged cupids dyeing cloth, gathering grapes for wine and making perfumes.“It is very close to the actual reality,” the archaeological site’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said of the images.For the project, Zuchtriegel tapped a master dyer based in Umbria, Claudio Cutuli, who uses dyes that he makes from plants in his own clothing line.Cutuli uses the root of “rubia tinctorum,” or rose madder, for the famous Pompeiian red. He uses walnut husks for brown, elderberries for black and gray and cardamom f...
Read More