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Censored woman painter Artemisia laid bare in restoration

The piece by Artemisia Gentileschi, the Italian Baroque’s trailblazing woman artist, is undergoing a months-long restoration to rediscover her original vision, hidden for centuries under a thick layer of strategically placed paint. While the restorers consider it too risky to remove the drapery and veil later painted on to cover the figure’s breasts and loins, diagnostic imaging will provide a…

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New Indonesia capital imperils ancient Eden with ‘ecological disaster’

The twisting road that leads to Indonesia’s future capital is lined with dense rainforest and pockets of plantations, punctuated every so often with monkeys enjoying a laze out on the tarmac. Located in eastern Borneo — the world’s third-largest island — Nusantara is set to replace sinking and polluted Jakarta as new Indonesia capital and political centre by late 2024.…

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CES 2023. From tracking moods to putting on a show, it’s AI-everything

Entrepreneur Antony Perzo introduces a small device called Emobot, which looks like a cross between a speaker and a piece of abstract art, and explains: “It’s an emotional thermometer!” Like hundreds of other exhibitors at CES, the world’s biggest tech expo, French engineer Perzo is selling the merits of an object that depends on the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.…

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‘Giant of faith’: Tributes for ex-pope Benedict XVI

Tributes have poured in after former pope Benedict XVI died aged 95 on Saturday, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries. Here are some of the tributes: – ‘Commitment to non-violence’ – UN chief Antonio Guterres praised the former pontiff for his “tenacious commitment to non-violence and peace”. – ‘Global peace’ – EU…

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Black ribbons, candles: Benedict’s German home region in mourning

When Kurt and Anna-Maria Spennesberger heard the news about former pope Benedict XVI’s death, they immediately got into their car and drove 200 kilometres to the former pontiff’s southern German birth town Marktl. They had to be at the small town bordering Austria for a special church service saying farewell to Benedict because “we knew Ratzinger personally,” said Kurt, 71,…

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Can Europe’s new Social Climate Fund protect poor from rising carbon cost?

As the European Union prepares to extend controls on planet-heating carbon emissions to heating and transport, politicians are wary of the social unrest sparked in France in 2018 when the government hiked taxes on diesel, hitting consumers hard. The “yellow vest” protests over the rising cost of living and perceived injustice of making ordinary people pay for climate measures forced…

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Oscars 2023: 10 women directors deserving attention 

Shortly after the Golden Globes nominations were announced earlier this month, the advocacy group Women in Film took to social media, decrying the “shocking” omission of critically acclaimed female directors, citing Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”), Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Chinonye Chukwu (“Till”) and Maria Schrader (“She Said”). It might be more surprising that anyone is still taking anything the…

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Japanese cinema ‘must change’ to help young directors, Kore-eda says

Kore-eda, whose 2018 film “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, told AFP that complacent attitudes and poor working conditions are holding Japan back in cinema and TV while its neighbour South Korea powers ahead internationally. “Our filmmaking environment must change,” he said in an interview, calling for an end to the low pay, long hours and insecurity faced by…

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Fossil fuels, fairness, finance: Climate fights to watch in 2023

From huge floods in Pakistan and Nigeria to heatwaves in India and drought-fuelled hunger in the Horn of Africa, vulnerable countries faced mounting climate disasters in 2022. That has made it much harder for wealthy nations – whose emissions have driven the crisis – to ignore the need for more financial help for those suffering the most in a warming…

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