Lubaina Himid, 63, on Tuesday became the oldest winner of the Turner Prize, Britain‘s most prestigious yet controversial visual art award, for her works celebrating black creativity.Judges praised the Zanzibar-born artist for the “seriousness of themes she addressed”, paying tribute to the “current vitality of Lubaina’s work as well as the current relevance” of it in three decades past.The winning artist said she felt “like I won it for a lot of people, so that‘s why it means a lot. Artist Lubai

Arts & Design Dec. 6, 2017

BEIJING - A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.Jeffrey Feltman's visit -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.Feltman shook hands with a North Korean foreign ministry official after flying into Pyongyang from Beijing on the North's Air

North Korea Dec. 5, 2017

An airplane crew flying over Japan saw North Korea's missile as it plunged back through the atmosphere last week, their airline said Monday, as South Korea and the US kicked off their largest ever joint air exercise.   Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific released a statement saying the crew of flight CX893 spotted "what is suspected to be the re-entry" of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to the southern Chinese city.   In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said

North Korea Dec. 4, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared his country had achieved its long-cherished goal of full-fledged nuclear statehood after successfully testing a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday.The United States and its allies have always maintained they would never accept a nuclear North Korea, but have been forced to watch from the sidelines as Pyongyang pursued an accelerated weapons drive. (Yonhap)But what did the latest test actually achieve and does the North‘s claim to

North Korea Nov. 29, 2017

 WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged to "take care" of North Korea after its latest ballistic missile launch -- the first after a two-month hiatus -- which his Pentagon chief said was its highest yet, signifying an expanded threat. The ICBM is believed to have flown a relatively modest 1,000 kilometers(620 miles) from North Korea, before splashing down harmlessly in the Sea of Japan. But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the missile went higher than ever before and wa

North Korea Nov. 29, 2017

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held emergency talks Tuesday, weighing their response to a provocative North Korean missile test.Trump White House aide Dan Scavino posted an image on Twitter of Trump speaking to Abe, saying the conversation was “regarding North Korea‘s launch of a intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.”US President Donald Trump (EPA-Yonhap)

North Korea Nov. 29, 2017

Egypt mourned on Saturday as the death toll from a gun and bomb assault on a mosque in the Sinai Peninsula soared above 300, including children, in the deadliest attack the country has witnessed.The army said warplanes had struck militant hideouts in the insurgency-wracked North Sinai in retaliation.According to the state prosecution, up to 30 militants in camouflage flying the Islamic State group's black banner had surrounded the mosque and massacred the worshippers during weekly Friday prayers

World News Nov. 26, 2017

A bridge providing the main road link between China and North Korea is to be closed "temporarily" while workers on the North side carry out maintenance, Beijing announced Friday. Some 70 percent of trade between the Asian neighbours is conducted in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong, connected to North Korea by the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge."The bridge will be closed temporarily because the DPRK (North Korean) side needs to carry out some repair and maintenance work," Chinese foreign m

North Korea Nov. 26, 2017

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to respond forcefully after attackers killed at least 235 worshippers in a packed mosque in restive North Sinai province, the country's deadliest attack in recent memory.Al-Sisi declared three days of mourning would begin Saturday, the day after the gun and bomb assault on the Rawda mosque, roughly 40 kilometers west of the North Sinai capital of El-Arish.In a televised speech the president pledged to "respond with brutal force", adding that "the

World News Nov. 25, 2017

At least 50 people were killed on Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in northeast Nigeria, police said, in an attack blamed on Boko Haram jihadists.The blast happened during early morning prayers at the Madina mosque in the Unguwar Shuwa area of Mubi, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) by road from the Adamawa state capital Yola.(AP-Yonhap)It was the biggest attack in Adamawa since December 2016, when two female suicide bombers killed 45 people at a crowded market in the town

World News Nov. 22, 2017

HARARE (AFP) -- Robert Mugabe has been removed as president of Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party and replaced by his former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, a party delegate told AFP on Sunday outside a meeting in Harare."A resolution has been adopted to recall the president and elevate Mnangagwa as the party president," said the delegate, who declined to be named.This file photo taken on January 7, 2017 shows Zimbabwe's then acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa speaking during a funeral ceremony

International Nov. 19, 2017

HAVANA (AFP) -- North Korea's foreign minister is to visit Cuba on Monday in a trip that comes at a time when both Pyongyang and Havana have strained relations with Washington. Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will meet with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and participate in other unspecified activities, according to a brief statement late Saturday from Cuba's foreign ministry.The visit comes as Washington and Pyongyang are locked in a dangerous standoff over North Korea's development

International Nov. 19, 2017

The leader of Zimbabwe's war veterans association, an influential voice in national politics, on Friday said President Robert Mugabe must step down at once and urged people to protest against the veteran leader.   Christopher Mutsvangwa told a press conference the "game was up" for Mugabe and his wife Grace.   He called for a huge turnout at street protests planned for Saturday in Harare.   "The generals have done a fantastic job. It's done, it's finished," he said.   "We want to restore our pri

World News Nov. 17, 2017

NEW YORK  - A 500-year-old work of art -- believed to be by Leonardo da Vinci and depicting Jesus Christ -- sold in New York on Wednesday for $450.3 million, smashing a new art auction record, Christie‘s said.The whopping price dwarfed the previous record for the most expensive piece of art sold at auction, set at $179.4 million for Pablo Picasso’s “The Women of Algiers (Version O)” by Christie‘s in 2015.The auction house says “Salvator Mundi” or “Savior of the World” is one of fewer than 20 Da

Arts & Design Nov. 16, 2017

LONDON (AFP) - Canadian teen singer Shawn Mendes on Sunday won best artist and best song at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) in London, pipping heavyweight competitors such as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Ed Sheeran.The awards ceremony at Wembley Arena, the first to be staged in the British capital in 20 years, were hosted by Rita Ora and featured performances by U2 and David Guetta.In a first for the EMAs, which were created in 1994, MTV announced categories stripped of gender in a bid to “br

Performance Nov. 13, 2017