France's first lady has defended her use of a sexist slur to denounce feminist protesters, saying the comments were "clumsy" but made in private when "I didn't see that someone behind me was filming."
Speaking to online media outlet Brut, Brigitte Macron acknowledged in a video interview published Monday evening that her language had been "very direct." But she said she'd been trying to reassure French actor Ary Abittan when she described feminist protesters who disrupted one of his shows as "dirty b - - - - - s."
Full Story
President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.
The 33-page lawsuit accuses the BBC of broadcasting a "false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump," calling it "a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence" the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Full Story
Popular twin pandas at a Tokyo zoo are set to return to their homeland in China in late January, officials said Monday, leaving Japan without a panda for the first time in about half a century.
Prospects for their replacement are not favorable either as ties between the two countries have deteriorated.
Full Story
Mariah Carey is going to add some American pop-star pedigree to the opening ceremony for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The local organizing committee announced on Monday that the 56-year-old Carey — the "All I Want for Christmas is You" singer — is the first international star named to perform in the Feb. 6 ceremony at Milan's San Siro soccer stadium.
Full Story
Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, said Thursday they will return the winner's trophy because Israel is being allowed to compete in the politically troubled pop music competition.
In an Instagram video, Nemo held the microphone-shaped glass ornament and said "today I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf."
Full Story
The year the radio station company where he worked held its holiday party at a dive bar, Ryan Arnold walked in and saw coworkers passing around a tall glass boot filled with beer. He heard the office manager belting out '80s power ballads between whiskey shots. Arnold's first thought was, "When can I leave?"
More than 20 years later, he still remembers that awkward social event he felt obligated to attend. Arnold, 46, who describes himself as socially anxious, now thinks twice before accepting invitations to group gatherings.
Full Story
The carpet outside the 2025 edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival was unfurled in its usual red, but the stars who walked across it shimmered in every color.
Actors and filmmakers drifted down its length in embroidered velvet robes and delicately cut black lace dresses, amid the sounds of camera shutters and microphones humming.
Full Story
FIFA president Gianni Infantino's public support for Donald Trump and a peace prize awarded to the U.S. president are the subjects of formal complaints to the global football body's ethics investigators.
Full Story
The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, one of the Middle East's largest film festivals, opened Thursday in the coastal city of Jeddah, marking a significant moment for the kingdom's growing film industry.
Running from Dec. 4 to 13, the Red Sea International Film Festival brings together filmmakers and talent from around the world, screening more than 100 films from over 70 countries.
Full Story
An ancient dam, pandas and ping-pong: French leader Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China on Friday, striking a more relaxed note in the city of Chengdu after tough discussions on Ukraine and trade with his counterpart Xi Jinping a day earlier.
Far from the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the two leaders held talks, Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan showed Macron and his wife Brigitte around the centuries-old Dujiangyan Dam, a World Heritage Site set against the mountainous landscape of Sichuan province in the center of China.
Full Story


