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The music industry is battling AI -- with limited success

The music industry is fighting on platforms, through the courts and with legislators in a bid to prevent the theft and misuse of art from generative AI -- but it remains an uphill battle.

China would have agreed TikTok deal if not for US tariffs: Trump

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that China would have agreed to a deal on the sale of TikTok if it were not for the tariffs imposed by Washington on Beijing last week.

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Tanzanian 'Tug of War' wins top prize at Carthage Film Festival

Tanzanian film "Tug of War", about love and politics during the final years of British colonial Zanzibar, has won the Tanit d'Or at Tunisia's prestigious Carthage Film Festival.

Duran Duran, Springsteen, Olivia Rodrigo kick off Rock Hall of Fame gala

Duran Duran kicked off Saturday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a rollicking medley of their top hits, opening the concert gala where Dolly Parton and Eminem are also set to enter the prestigious institution.

New season of 'The Crown' set to air after backlash

The latest season of "The Crown" hits the small screen next week, with streaming giant Netflix adding a disclaimer after a furore over untrue storylines.

Duran Duran reveals former member Taylor has stage 4 cancer

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was meant to serve as a reunion for 2022 inductee Duran Duran, but former member Andy Taylor was unable to attend, with the band revealing his cancer diagnosis during their onstage speech Saturday.

Twitter starts rolling out new paid subscription

Twitter began rolling out a controversial new paid subscription system on Saturday that the social network's unpredictable new owner, billionaire Elon Musk, ordered staff to build after taking over last week.

Singer Aaron Carter dead at 34: TMZ

Aaron Carter, the American singer who soared to fame at the turn of the millennium with his hit album "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)," died Saturday, TMZ said. He was 34 years old.

Surveillance 'existential' danger of tech: Signal boss

The mysticism that has allowed tech firms to make billions of dollars from surveillance is finally clearing, the boss of encrypted messaging app Signal told AFP.

Trump, eyeing 2024, doubles down on vote conspiracy theories

Kicked off Twitter and Facebook after his supporters stormed the US Capitol, Donald Trump eventually set up his own platform Truth Social, declaring in April 2022 after a stumbling launch: "I'm Back! #COVFEFE."

Twitter layoffs before US midterms fuel misinformation concerns

Twitter's new owner Elon Musk has pledged the platform will not devolve into a "free-for-all hellscape," but experts warn that mass layoffs on Friday may deeply impair the social network's ability to curb misinformation.

'We need to rebel': climate change needs radical response says XR activist

Soup on Vincent van Gogh paintings, mashed potatoes on a Monet masterpiece: climate activists are taking increasingly daring action to grab headlines -- and it's working.

The renaissance of the world's largest pipe organ

You've never felt Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor quite like this: in Atlantic City, the largest organ in the world is coming back to life.

New Millennium book brings Nordic noir even further north

The latest instalment in the Nordic crime saga Millennium hits Swedish bookstores Friday, with a new author seeking to shift the story's focus to the far north of the country.

Dolly Parton, Eminem among Rock Hall of Fame inductees

Music's A-listers will celebrate a new crop of legends entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this weekend, among them country queen Dolly Parton and rap agitator Eminem.

TikTok a hotbed of US election misinformation, analysts say

Election misinformation is spreading on TikTok ahead of the US midterms despite the company's policies -- and watchdogs are concerned about its effect on young voters as more Americans use the platform as a source of news.

Artwork long thought a copy revealed as real Rembrandt

Art experts in the Netherlands unveiled an oil sketch on Thursday by the famous Dutch master Rembrandt after it languished for a century in a forgotten corner of a museum, believed to be an imitation.

Yellowstone, Kilimanjaro glaciers among those set to vanish by 2050: UNESCO

Glaciers at many UNESCO World Heritage sites including Yellowstone and Kilimanjaro National Park will likely vanish by 2050, the UN agency warned Thursday, urging leaders to act fast to save the rest.

ALMA observatory in Chile targeted by cyberattack

The ALMA space telescope in the Chilean Andes suffered a cyberattack over the weekend that has downed its website and suspended its work, the observatory announced Wednesday.

Twitter could face crypto makeover, billionaire investor hints

Social media platform Twitter could become much more entwined with cryptocurrencies and blockchain in the future, one of the backers of Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover hinted on Wednesday.

Tech summit to hear Uber whistleblower testimony

A lobbyist who leaked thousands of compromising documents on Uber will on Wednesday detail his efforts to bring change to one of the world's leading companies at an annual tech summit in Lisbon.

Giant effigy of former UK PM Truss to go up in smoke

A giant effigy of former UK prime minister Liz Truss, who quit after a disastrous 49 days in power, will be torched on Britain's Bonfire Night, organisers revealed Wednesday.

Punk poet Patti Smith says writing is her 'essential' art form

Her Godmother of Punk Rock icon status made her a household name, but for Patti Smith, it's writing where she finds her true artistic voice.

Plea from Ukraine first lady kicks off annual tech summit in Portugal

One of the world's biggest tech conferences will get going in Lisbon on Wednesday, after Ukraine's first lady formally opened the event by urging participants to use their skills to save lives rather than end them.

'Real' Mama Coco honored on Mexico's Day of the Dead

Tourists making a pilgrimage to a modest Mexican home during Day of the Dead festivities leave with no doubt: Mama Coco, the character of the Oscar-winning animated movie, used to live there.

U2 frontman Bono releases memoir 'Surrender'

U2's Bono on Tuesday released his memoir "Surrender," detailing the journey from his youth in Dublin to fronting one of the world's most prominent rock bands.

Taylor Swift announces return to touring with 'Eras'

Taylor Swift on Tuesday announced she was returning to touring, getting back on the road for the first time since 2018's "Reputation" tour.

Rapper Takeoff, member of Migos, shot dead at 28: TMZ

The rapper Takeoff, a member of the Grammy-nominated hip hop trio Migos, was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, according to entertainment outlet TMZ. He was 28 years old.

UK's Ocado announces tie-up with S.Korea's Lotte

British grocery delivery platform Ocado on Tuesday announced a tie-up with South Korean giant Lotte Shopping, sending its shares soaring in London.

Britain's 'word of the year': permacrisis

Beating off competition from the likes of "Kyiv", "sportswashing" and "partygate", the term "permacrisis" was named Tuesday as Britain's word of the year in recognition of a dismal 2022.

Gay struggle offers new window on Berlin Wall's fall

The role of gay people in bringing down communist East Germany from within is getting fresh attention three decades on, at a time when sexual liberation is still a battleground.

Totoro time: Japan's Ghibli theme park opens to visitors

A huge grinning Totoro and other whimsical exhibits welcomed visitors to Japan's new Ghibli theme park as three of its five sections opened to the public on Tuesday.

'Earth is in our hands': Astronaut Pesquet's plea for the planet

From his unique viewpoint hundreds of kilometres above Earth, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet told AFP he felt helpless watching fires rage across the planet below, calling for more to be done to protect this fragile "island of life".

Red Bull to resume normal service with broadcaster Sky

Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed on Monday that his indignant team intend to resume normal service in cooperating with Sky television reporters after deciding to snub the broadcaster at Sunday's Mexico Grand Prix.

The Japan Times - Culture (English)