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The ruby slippers are one of the most beloved artefacts from the iconic 1939 movie. Photo: AFP / Karen Bleier By Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN A pair of Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, which were stolen from a Minnesota museum almost 20 years ago, sold at auction for US$28 million (NZ$48m) Saturday. Bidding opened at $1.55 million and escalated quickly. According to the lot page, 25 bidders participated in the auction. Only two bidders remained toward the end, and the slippers were sold to a bidder participating over the phone. With auction house commissions, the slippers sold for a staggering US$32.5m (NZ$55.7m), nearly 11 times its estimate of US$3m (NZ$5.1). "At $32.5 million, the slippers are the most valuable cinema treasures in the world, and they helped make this ...

Armed men pose for pictures near a military vehicle belonging to the Syrian regime forces and seized by anti government forces, on fire after it was hit by regime forces, in the Hama governorate. Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari, Reuters Syrian rebels announced they gained full control over the key city of Homs after only a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule dangling by a thread as insurgents march on the capital, Damascus. Thousands of Homs residents poured onto the streets after the army withdrew from the central city, dancing and chanting "Assad is gone, Homs is free" and "Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad". Rebels fired into the air in celebration, and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, wh...

Authorities have identified the man suspected of killing UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson. Photo: NYPD Authorities have identified the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson and are closing in on him, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was quoted as saying on Saturday by the New York Post. "The net is tightening," Adams told reporters at a Police Athletic League holiday party in Harlem, according to the Post. He declined to name the suspect. Thompson, 50, who became chief executive of UnitedHealthcare's insurance unit in April 2021, was shot in the back around 6:45am eastern time on Wednesday in what police described as a targeted attack by a masked assailant lying in wait. The murder occurred just before the company's annual investor conference at the Hilto...

The King and Queen's official Christmas card. Photo: Supplied / Millie Pilkington / Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace has revealed the official 2024 Christmas card for King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla. The palace released the image selected for the festive greetings card, which was taken earlier this year by Millie Pilkington. Pilkington, one of the United Kingdom's most respected portrait photographers, has taken numerous snaps of the family over the years. The portrait of the happy couple was snapped in April in the garden at Buckingham Palace. It captures King Charles, 76, dressed in a gray suit and blue tie, standing in side profile with his hand in his pocket. Camilla, 77, wearing a blue wool crepe ensemble by luxury couturier Fiona Clare, stands next to him. The message ...