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Japanese writer Haruki Murakami attends a press conference during a media preview of The Waseda International House of Literature, also known as Haruki Murakami Library, which is designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, at Waseda University in Tokyo.--AFP

Murakami wins top Spain books prize

Japanese author Haruki Murakami, whose surreal works peppered with references to pop culture have earned him a cult following, won one of Spain’s top literary prizes Wednesday. The 74-year-old bestselling author of “Norwegian Wood” and “Kafka on the Shore” is known for his intricate tales of the absurdity and loneliness of modern life, which have been translated into about 50 languages.The foundation that organizes the Princess of...

Netflix expands password-sharing crackdown worldwide

Netflix on Tuesday expanded its crackdown on users sharing passwords with people beyond their immediate family as it seeks to shore up revenue at the leading streaming television service. “A Netflix account is for use by one household,” the company said in a statement. Netflix said early this year that more than 100 million households were sharing accounts at the service, “impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films.”Netflix...

US actor Harrison Ford poses with his Honorary Palme d'Or during a photocall for the film 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.—AFP

Filmmakers at Cannes grapple with ‘tectonic’ AI shift

At an AI talk on a Cannes beach, a presenter’s voice is cloned and used to say a random phrase in three languages, while another’s face is replaced live on screen as they speak. Few of the film buffs attending the premiere industry festival are shocked. Ever since the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT took the world by storm six months ago, spurring an AI race among tech giants, the technology has shaken up the film industry.The use of...

Workers collect recently picked Frantoio olives on nets.

South Africa presses for recognition of its high-end olive oil

South Africa is famous for many things but not necessarily for olive oil, where Greece, Italy and Spain are the undisputed kings. But the country’s farmers are undeterred, eyeing a potential share of the lucrative market for top-quality extra virgin oils. At Tokara, a farm about an hour’s drive from Cape Town, workers pull rakes through branches to make the ripening olives tumble to the ground.Harvesting the green treasure is under full swing...

KHARTOUM: People board a bus as they evacuate southern Khartoum on May 23, 2023 after a one-week ceasefire between Sudan's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces officially went into force. – AFP

Shelling dents Sudan ceasefire

KHARTOUM: Sporadic artillery fire still echoed through Sudan’s capital Tuesday but residents said fighting had calmed following a US and Saudi-brokered ceasefire, raising faint hopes in the embattled city.Witnesses in Khartoum reported a welcome respite after a rocky start to the one-week humanitarian truce which took effect the previous evening only to be quickly marred by more gunshots and blasts. By around noon on Tuesday, witnesses reported...

BOGOR, Indonesia: This handout picture taken and released on May 23, 2023 by the Presidential Palace shows Indonesian President Joko Widodo (second right) and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi (third left) during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bogor. -- AFP

Indonesia, Iran ink trade pact during Raisi visit

JAKARTA: Indonesia and Iran signed a trade agreement on Tuesday in Jakarta, where President Joko Widodo hosted his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi. Tehran is aiming to boost its international trade ties to try and offset the economic impact of heavy Western and international sanctions.Raisi’s two-day visit to Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, comes in the shadow of fresh European Union sanctions this week on Iran’s...

LONDON: A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak making a statement in the House of Commons in London on May 22, 2023, on the G7 Summit. --AFP

IMF forecasts UK economic rebound in major U-turn

LONDON: The IMF on Tuesday delivered a major U-turn on its forecast for the UK economy, saying it expected growth this year, just one month after predicting a contraction. Britain’s economy is now expected to expand by 0.4 percent in 2023, the International Monetary Fund said in its latest outlook document which partly cited weaker energy prices. The institution ripped up its previous forecast in April for a 0.3-percent contraction.Addressing a...

A man lifts a gas tank amid fuel shortages and an ongoing economic crisis as he joins a protest to demand the resignation of President Gotabhaya Rajapakse in Colombo, Sri Lanak, on June 30. Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images

IMF asks Sri Lanka to speed up its debt restructuring program

COLOMBO: The International Monetary Fund asked Sri Lanka Tuesday to speed its debt restructuring and warned any delays could undermine efforts to overcome the country’s worst economic crisis. Sri Lanka expected a quick deal with creditors shortly after defaulting on its $46 billion foreign debt in April last year, but restructuring talks began in earnest only last month.The economic crisis led to severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines...

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NBK participates as Gold Sponsor of AUM Career Fair

KUWAIT: Reflecting its consistent support of fresh graduates as they make the first step in their career, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) participated as the Gold Sponsor of the American University of the Middle East (AUM) Career Fair 2023. NBK’s participation in the fair reflects its continuous endeavors to support the Kuwaiti youth and to attract the best national talents and to provide them with suitable job opportunities in an important...

WASHINGTON: US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the media as he leaves a meeting on the debt ceiling with US President Joe Biden outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2023. -- AFP

Biden, McCarthy call talks ‘productive,’ but no deal yet

WASHINGTON: A top US Republican and President Joe Biden on Monday said their first one-on-one talks in months to avert a calamitous debt default were “productive,” but that disagreements were still blocking any potential deal. The White House meeting came after Biden returned from a trip to Asia early to hammer out an agreement ahead of the US Treasury’s June 1 cutoff date for Congress to authorize more borrowing.“I felt we had a...

Juventus' Italian coach Massimiliano Allegri

Empoli humble Juventus after 10-point deduction

ROME: Juventus lost 4-1 at Empoli on Monday hours after their points reduction for illicit transfer activity was revised in a blow to their Champions League hopes. The Turin giants are a point below sixth-placed Roma in the Europa League Conference qualification spot. Earlier, the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) appeals court announced Juve’s 10-point deduction. The decision came following a revision of their initial 15-point penalty...

LOS ANGELES: Tristan Thompson #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball past Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the second half in game four of the Western Conference Finals on May 22, 2023. - AFP

Nuggets book NBA Finals for first time

LOS ANGELES: Nikola Jokic outdueled LeBron James as the Denver Nuggets completed a 4-0 Western Conference championship sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic bagged a 30-point triple-double as the Nuggets overturned a 15-point half-time deficit for a 113-111 victory that sent the Lakers crashing out and left James reportedly contemplating...

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Minister of Municipal Affairs Dr Noura Al-Mashaan and Head of the Municipal Council Abdullah Al-Mahari inspect the Darwazat Abdulrazzaq project. – KUNA photos

Darwaza Abdulrazzaq project set to reopen

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Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman

Saudi energy minister announces discovery of multiple oil, gas fields

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