Berliner Boersenzeitung

Cold shoulder for Russian artists sparks debate over cultural boycotts

As Moscow's invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, a pall has fallen over Russian artists, long crown jewels of a country whose fine arts are an eminent source of soft power.

In rare pandemic upside, NY Phil expedites $550-million revamp

As the pandemic reduced the performing arts to streamed concerts and quarantine albums, New York's Philharmonic found a glimmer of hope in their darkened hall, accelerating plans to gut, renovate and upgrade it with a whole new sound.

Elon Musk aims to end controls on his Tesla tweets

Tesla chief Elon Musk is trying to cancel an agreement he made in 2018 with the US stock market regulator (SEC) that requires some of his tweets to be approved by lawyers before they are posted.

Bob Dylan to release new book in November

Nobel laureate and folk-rock legend Bob Dylan will release a new book on songwriting in November, his publisher Simon and Schuster said Tuesday.

First photos from the Moon under the hammer in Denmark

The first NASA photographs taken on the Moon, including the first shot of an "Earthrise" and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface, will be auctioned off in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

UK court stages mistaken world debut of Ed Sheeran song

Diehard Ed Sheeran fans would pay good money to hear his unreleased material, but attendees at a high-profile copyright trial inadvertently heard a snippet for free on Tuesday.

K-Pop's BTS back for first Seoul show after thriving in pandemic

South Korean supergroup BTS return to the stage in Seoul to play for their adoring home-grown fans for the first time since 2019 on Thursday, after tickets for the three-night stadium concerts sold out in minutes.

Solemn Paris Fashion Week draws to a close

Paris Fashion Week, which ends on Tuesday, has been over-shadowed by the war in Ukraine, with designers struggling for ways to balance declarations of solidarity with the glamour and spectacle of their shows.

'The bottom line': Scuba divers help preserve historic Bangkok mansion

A 200-year-old Chinese mansion in Bangkok's heart isn't an obvious place for a scuba school, but in a city relentlessly demolishing its architectural heritage the business is helping preserve the historic home.

Lanterns light the way as Basel carnival comes back

Revellers in fancy costumes lit up the freezing streets of Basel in the early hours of Monday as Switzerland's biggest carnival returned for the first time since 2019.

British firm acquires entire catalog of folk icon Leonard Cohen

British song management firm Hipgnosis said Sunday it has acquired the entire catalog of famed Canadian singer-poet Leonard Cohen, in the latest big catalog purchase to hit the music world.

Not for the faint-hearted, Taliban embrace buzkashi in new Afghanistan

The announcer roared over the public address system as a lone rider separated from a melee of horses and galloped towards a chalk circle drawn in the middle of a muddy field in the Afghan capital.

UK woman on 11-year mission to reproduce Bayeux Tapestry

Curled up on her sofa in the east of England, former teacher Mia Hansson carefully adds another stitch to her life-size reproduction of the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry.

To fight its war, Russia closing digital doors

Russia's blocking of Facebook is a symptom of its broader effort to cut itself off from sources of information that could imperil its internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine, experts say.

Facebook blocked as Russia backs jail time for 'fake news'

Russia on Friday blocked Facebook and moved to impose harsh jail terms for publishing "fake news" about the army as part of efforts to muffle dissent over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

McCartney, Eilish, Lamar to headline Glastonbury

Paul McCartney and US rapper Kendrick Lamar will join Billie Eilish to headline the UK's Glastonbury festival when it returns in June after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus, organisers said on Friday.

Russia backs jail time for 'fake' army news, restricts media

Russian lawmakers approved legislation Friday to impose fines and harsh jail terms for publishing "fake news" about the army -- the latest move to silence dissent one week after Moscow launched the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia says 'limiting' sites of BBC, Deutsche Welle, Meduza

Russia's media watchdog said Friday it had restricted access to the BBC and other independent media websites, tightening controls over the internet more than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine.

'Woven air': Bangladesh revives elite forgotten fabric

With wooden spinning wheels and hand-drawn looms, Bangladesh is painstakingly resurrecting a fabric once worn by Marie Antoinette and Jane Austen but long thought forever lost to history.

Google Maps and Tripadvisor nix war news in reviews

Google on Thursday said it has stopped allowing reviews to be added to its online Maps service in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine to prevent them from being used for war news.

Courtney Love settles Kurt Cobain guitar murder plot lawsuit

US singer Courtney Love has settled a lawsuit with her ex-son-in-law over claims she planned to kill or kidnap him in a dispute about one of Kurt Cobain's guitars.

Marilyn Manson accuses Rachel Evan Wood of conspiracy after rape claim

Marilyn Manson on Wednesday filed court proceedings against his ex-fiancee US actress Rachel Even Wood -- who has accused the goth rocker of raping her -- for engaging in conspiracy, fraud and defamation to destroy his career, according to the complaint.

Auctioneer Sotheby's sees double benefit to crypto wave

Sotheby's auction house is almost three centuries old but its top brass want to embrace the cutting edge of technology and all of its buzzwords -- metaverse, NFT and crypto among them.

Cairo's newspaper vendors go silent as sales collapse

Newspaper sellers were once a dime a dozen on Cairo's bustling streets, but now the vendors hawking hot-off-the-press editions have fallen almost silent.

Ukraine official Twitter-shaming firms to action over invasion

Ukraine's vice prime minister has been calling out big tech companies by name on Twitter to push them to penalize Russia over its invasion -- and it's having an impact.

Collective of US states investigate TikTok's impact on children

A consortium of US states announced on Wednesday an investigation into TikTok's possible harms to young users of the platform, which has boomed in popularity especially among children.

Kim Kardashian divorce from Kanye West finalized

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian officially became single again on Wednesday, after a Los Angeles judge finalized her divorce from rapper Ye, whom she married in 2014.

Record sale for Magritte at London auction: Sotheby's

"L'Empire des lumieres" was sold for £59.4 million ($79.4 million, 71.4 million euros) in London on Wednesday, shattering the record for a work by Belgian artist Rene Magritte.

Amazon opens Luna video game streaming to anyone in US

Amazon launched its Luna video game streaming service for the general public on Tuesday in the United States, aiming to expand its multi-pronged empire into the booming gaming industry.

Dior unveils 'protective' clothing for a time of crisis

Dior's show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday struck a sombre tone, with designer Maria Grazia Chiuri telling AFP her focus on combining "beauty and protection" was apt for a time of war.

UK's 'festival of Brexit' begins, without nationalism

A creativity festival to celebrate British ingenuity after Brexit, conceived before the pandemic, kicks off on Tuesday with project leaders insisting the show has nothing to do with nationalism.

Putin-friendly French actor Depardieu objects to 'fratricidal' war

French actor Gerard Depardieu, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday came out against the war in Ukraine and called for negotiations.

Music world shuns Russian maestro Gergiev over Putin ties

One of Germany's top orchestras fired Russian maestro and Kremlin loyalist, Valery Gergiev, as its chief conductor on Tuesday after he failed to denounce Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, capping a stunning fall from grace for the classical music superstar.

Japan's Maezawa to sell Basquiat estimated at $70 million

Japanese billionaire space tourist Yusaku Maezawa is putting one of his Basquiat artworks up for sale, an auction house has said, hoping for around $13 million profit on the piece.

A yak at the Oscars: first nomination for Bhutanese film

Filmed in one of the remotest corners in one of the world's most inaccessible countries, "Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom", is the first Bhutanese film ever nominated for an Academy Award.

At Met Opera, a balancing act between the traditional and cutting-edge

The Metropolitan Opera in recent years has taken steps to draw in new opera-goers with more modern works, this year launching its season with its first piece by a Black composer.

Twitter to label tweets linking to Russian state media

Twitter will put warnings on tweets sharing links to Russian state-affiliated media, the platform said Monday, as Kremlin-tied outlets are accused of spreading misinformation on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

TikTok videos get longer in challenge to YouTube

TikTok on Monday began letting users upload videos as long as 10 minutes, ramping up the young platform's challenge to veteran titan YouTube.

Paris Fashion Week kicks off in glamorous but 'solemn' wartime mood

The stars came out for the opening night of Paris Fashion Week on Monday, which looked set for a return to pre-pandemic normality until the war in Ukraine forced organisers to strike a sombre tone.

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