Friday, July 3

Blog

Man smashes Ai Weiwei sculpture at Italy art show opening
World News

Man smashes Ai Weiwei sculpture at Italy art show opening

Photo: AFP A man shattered a sculpture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei during the opening of his exhibition at Palazzo Fava in the Italian city of Bologna, a spokesperson for the show said. Footage from CCTV cameras - posted on Ai Weiwei's Instagram account - showed a man vigorously pushing the sculpture over, breaking it and then holding a piece of it over his head. The sculpture targeted was the artist's large blue and white 'Porcelain Cube', the spokesperson said. The exhibit's curator, Arturo Galansino, said the perpetrator was well-known in the art world. "Unfortunately, I know the author of this inconsiderate gesture from a series of disturbing and damaging episodes over the years involving various exhibitions and institutions in Florence," said Galansino. The police in Bo...
British actor Stephen Fry gets Austrian citizenship
World News

British actor Stephen Fry gets Austrian citizenship

By Dave Graham, Reuters Stephen Fry Photo: AFP British actor Stephen Fry has praised Austria for welcoming him as a citizen and giving him the right to vote in the country's upcoming election following a change in the law that sought to address Austria's crimes under Nazism. In 2019, the Austrian Parliament passed a bill making descendants of Austrians who fled Nazi rule eligible for citizenship, a step which Fry told newspaper Der Standard was a "noble gesture" in an interview published on Saturday. Fry, one of Britain's best-known actors and TV broadcasters, said this month in a video on social media that he had obtained citizenship because he had grandparents from Austria and that his great-grandparents had died in the Holocaust. After thanking Austria for changing the law and urg...
World Alzheimer`s Day: Can hustle culture lead to Alzheimer`s ? Experts answer
Health

World Alzheimer`s Day: Can hustle culture lead to Alzheimer`s ? Experts answer

Increased stress, anxiety, fear of failure, and high expectations, particularly at the workplace -- commonly called hustle culture -- coupled with no exercise and poor diet can act as a perfect mix to lead to Alzheimer’s disease, said experts on Saturday. World Alzheimer`s Day is observed every year on September 21 to increase public understanding of the neurological disorder. The theme this year is "Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer`s". “Continuous stress, anxiety, fear of failing the targets and expectations has compelled people to detrimentally increase the number of working hours, cutting down on sleep and take up a lifestyle with minimal physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. All these factors contribute to increased deposition of abnormal proteins and degrad...
Harris urges Trump to show up for another debate
World News

Harris urges Trump to show up for another debate

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI and Patrick T. Fallon / AFP US Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in another debate against Donald Trump on 23 October, and urges her Republican rival to face her less than two weeks ahead of the 5 November presidential election, the Democratic candidate's campaign said on Saturday. "Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump, and she has accepted CNN's invitation to a debate on 23 October. Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate," Jen O'Malley Dillon, the chair of the Harris campaign, said in a statement. Asked about Harris' acceptance of ...
Why watching sunsets and spending time in nature could be good for you
World News

Why watching sunsets and spending time in nature could be good for you

By Anna Chisholm, ABC News Photo: RNZ/Michael Hall Sunsets leave artist Jayde Hopkins feeling peaceful and reset. While "not religious", the Gurindji and Woolwonga woman, who lives on Larrakia lands in Darwin, says a sunset can also make her feel in "awe of the universe". "I think as an artist it's the colours that really speak," Jayde says, "the warm colours make me feel that way too." She'll even point a sunset out to strangers at the petrol station. "You'll never see the same sunset again. It's only there for a short amount of time. It's up to you to notice and appreciate it before it's gone." It's the same feelings and emotions she tries to recreate abstractly through her painting. Jayde also welcomes sunsets because they mark the end of the day. "You're finished work and now your...
The Betsy, Miami hotel review: the chill way to Ocean Drive
Life Style

The Betsy, Miami hotel review: the chill way to Ocean Drive

Did I mention that The Betsy had a colonial appearance? That runs right the way through the hotel’s interior, designed by Italian duo Diamante Pedersoli and Carmelina Santoro. Think white Venetian blinds, candy-striped sofas, potted palm trees, classic overhead fans, lots of dark polished wood and Fortuny Scheherazade chandeliers. The whole place has the feel of a sophisticated beach club, where you definitely want to be a member. Source link
Palestinians say Israeli strike killed 22 in shelter, army says militants hit
World News

Palestinians say Israeli strike killed 22 in shelter, army says militants hit

By Dawoud Abu Alkas and Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters A Palestinian boy sits amongst the debris at the site of an Israeli strike on a school in southern Gaza. Photo: AFP / Omar Al-Qattaa Health ministry says 22 Palestinians killed in school Israel says it targeted Hamas command centre No breakthrough in ceasefire efforts Palestinians said an Israeli strike killed at least 22 people in a school sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza City on Saturday, while the Israeli military said the attack targeted a command centre of militant group Hamas. The Gaza health ministry said most of those killed were women and children. The Hamas-run government media office said 13 children and six women were among the dead. The military said it hit a Hamas command centre embedded in the compound...
Lisa Mishra: ‘Been in positions where men got credit for my work’
Entertainment, Movies

Lisa Mishra: ‘Been in positions where men got credit for my work’

If I can model the rest of my career on what I was able to accomplish in Call Me Bae, I’ll be very happy,” begins Lisa Mishra, as we get on a call with her. The singer has made her acting debut with the Ananya Panday-led web series. Was it tough to switch gears to acting? It was all about prepping hard, says Mishra. “I did quite a few workshops with our director [Collin D’Cunha]. Being the least experienced actor on the set, I knew I had a big responsibility. So, I took my acting lessons seriously. The most challenging aspect is that I have designed my music career in such a way that I have a lot of control—I am composing, writing and singing on my own terms. I’m calling the shots through and through. In acting, I had to relinquish a lot of that [and surrender] to the vision of the directo...
Wellington cafe offers discounts for customers ordering in te reo Māori
Business

Wellington cafe offers discounts for customers ordering in te reo Māori

Karaka Cafe manager Cam Cuff. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai A Wellington cafe is offering customers the chance to save money by using a little bit of te reo Māori - something which could help the normalisation of the language. For te reo speakers, going out for lunch often means leaving a language bubble - but as te reo gradually becomes more normalised, cafes and restaurants could become spaces where hearing the language is common. Karaka Cafe on Wellington's waterfront offered customers a chance to knock 10 percent off the price of their meal during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. All they had to do was say a te reo phrase when paying: "Tēnā koa poroa te tekau paihēneti o te utu", or "Please trim 10 percent off the price". Cafe manager Cam Cuff said this was the first year the cafe had run the p...
Can video games help relieve post-traumatic stress symptoms? New study finds out
Health

Can video games help relieve post-traumatic stress symptoms? New study finds out

Dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? A novel study has shown that playing video games can help lower symptoms of the condition, which can lead to terrifying nightmares and severe anxiety. The study, published in BMC Medicine, provides “scientifically controlled evidence that a single guided digital treatment session can reduce the number of intrusive memories”. It can also be used safely by patients, said the researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden. Unpleasant and intrusive memories of a traumatic event in the form of mental images or flashbacks are the hallmark symptoms of PTSD. Avoidance, excessive tension, and problems such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating are others. The team monitored the intrusive memories of trauma in 164 participants for a week. Whi...